I was 16 years old and had landed a full-time job working at a nearby fast food restaurant.  Soon thereafter, I could afford to purchase my first electric guitar, an Aria Pro.   I used it to play in the 9th grade jazz band (Round Rock ISD-1979).  I auditioned with a simple rock and roll chord progression put together by the Rolling Stones called "Miss You."  I performed well enough to get the spot although I can't be certain whether anyone else auditioned.  Though I played a performance or two, I was so bad with jazz chords that a few of the other kids ended up removing the tubes from the school amplifier telling me that it was broken and that I wasn't required to play anymore.  Pretty soon, I just stopped showing up to class.  Besides, it was known that the class awarded an automatic "B" whether one showed up or not.