The Music
This is the story that is at the end of my book... gratefully...
Back in school, music was my life... I sang in the choir, in Madrigals, and after school in a group that sang at hospitals called the Apple Corps. When I was ten years old, I found my dad's guitar in the basement and I had taught myself to play. And then I graduated from high school, got married, got divorced, landed on the road... life happens...
In 1993, I was watching Les Brown's short lived talk show on a Friday afternoon. It was a talent show for housewives. When it was over, I went into my bedroom, picked up the guitar and turned on the tape recorder... when I played it back, I just sobbed... I didn't suck! And it had been 22 years since I had sung anywhere but in my shower.
About the same time, my ex finally talked me into trying Karaoke. They had contests three nights a week, but I wasn't even close to being able to win. And then, one night my ex and a couple of friends talked me in to singing Bobby McGee. I didn't want to do it, but they wouldn't let up, so I got up there... and when the music started to play, I realized I either had to belt it out or go sit down. So, I belted it out. And I nailed it! I found a voice I didn't even know I had!
I started winning contests... in fact, I was unemployed and I was making my grocery money off of the contests. Then, one night after a contest, the host came up to me and asked me if I knew how to play guitar... and she told me about something called "open mic"... and where I could find one...
I went to observe first... and then, about a month later, I called up to get on the list, and I asked to be put on last! And when I finally got up there, there was no one left in the house but the host, Jim Perkins, musician Charlie Monterey, and the drunk at the end of the bar. I asked Charlie to come up with me and play... I had brought the words typed out with the chords... had my music stand... and I boogered up song after song... like the George Burns school of music... I'd play one verse and then change songs... finally, I set the guitar down and belted out Peter Paul and Mary's song "If I Had My Way" acappella.
The drunk at the end of the bar was on his way out, and walked by the stage when I was done... he asked, "Can you sing Bobby McGee?" How do they know?
I started hanging out there and I forced myself to learn 5 new songs every week! And yeah, I boogered up a lot of songs... but, I finally got over being afraid to make a mistake... and that was what had kept me from singing in front of people all those years! Then, I realized that all the folks who played at the open mic were "singer/songwriters" and if I was truly going to belong, I had to start writing songs. The first one was about my cat (write about what you know.) Then, I wrote 16 songs in 12 weeks... some of them didn't suck :-) Like "Excuse My House It's a Mess" and "Search for the Rainbow"
In July, 1998, I quit my day job as a TV producer to be a folksinger... and that's all I ever really wanted to be when I grew up... I told everybody "ya' can't be 45 forever"... and now that I'm 53, two songs I wrote recently are about mid-life crises :-) There's a CD called "In Search for the Rainbow"... it's a companion to the book "The Long Road Home"... musical friends Mike Dorn, Eric Easterbrook, John Finan, Charlie Monterey, and Art Wojtowicz decorate several tracks... the song list is on the lyrics page... 18 songs... $15
I also have a cassette called Worts & All available... and a CD called Live in My Livingroom... a children's album... it's called Kid Stuff... the 5th album called Version 5.0... and the 6th album "Goofy Stuff Live"
You can order from me by calling 313-415-9686... or used the Secured Online Ordering thru PayPal... or there's always email
