I started playing the guitar when I was in high school in the 60s. Even though I’m now in my 60s (70s now!) I still enjoy it. My Aunt Irene gave me my first guitar — an old acoustic that had belonged to a cousin. The metal strings chewed my fingers but I persevered. The first song that I taught myself was Peter, Paul and Mary’s Puff the Magic Dragon.
In my first two years of college I joined a band called The Groovin’ Tymes. We played some bar jobs as well as a wedding, a frat party, a homecoming dance, and even a Bar Mitzvah. It was fun and what little money we made covered pizza and guitar strings. I had a red, triple-pickup Silvertone guitar by then and played rhythm.
After college I bought a Gibson acoustic and joined a group that played for the Folk Mass at the Catholic Center in Madison. I was the token Protestant. In addition to the regular masses we also put on events like performing music from Jesus Christ Superstar and Godspell. The high point was singing a solo at the mass in which Eric was baptized.
Most of the songs I still play are covers of some of my favorites like The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel, James Taylor, Jim Croce, etc. Every once in a while I get an idea for a song. They just come to me, often in the shower in the morning. Some ideas fade away as fast as the water drains away and others keep bouncing around in my head, eventually turning into whistled tunes that finally attach themselves to words and become songs.
My songs are fairly simple. I’m not too worried about what to wear to the Grammys. Some of them are about vacations on Washington Island. Some come to me when the political scene bugs me. Sometimes I accidentally come up with something that I think is kind of pretty. But I’m not exactly an objective reviewer.
If you’re feeling brave or curious or desperate to escape from all of those crappy reality shows on TV, click on a song title below and you’ll be taken to a page with song lyrics and an mp3 player if you want to play the song.
I’m working on more, so please check back.
If you would like to see some videos of me doing covers of old popular songs, please visit the Corona Concert page.