That surprised you, no?
You seem to have a lot of well known and very good musicians in and around your area! Same here... but not nearly as many today as 'back in the day'.. meaning 70's and 80's. and probably in the 60's.
I like to tell my grandkids stories about playing with, (mostly in practices), some groups that made it. The Association.. yeah, you'll have to look them up... but I practiced with them many times. Getting high with Lee Michaels, (many times)... and oddly NEVER meeting his eventual and famous drummer "Frosty". Once sat in with a group of musicians that played for Merle Haggard BUT... never with Merle himself, who was never at the practices. Same with Buck Owens, (whom I reallly didn't like and I mean his music and NOT him personally), and several others.
Here's something YOU KNOW.. for most of the musicians that 'made it' and that I've known... it was NOT the fame they clasped onto.. it was simply the ability to keep playing, - JamesJM