When I was a kid, we had several groves of trees near the house; a cluster of trees on open prairie landscape is like an oasis in the Sahara. Trees are the lifeblood of farm kids. Strangely though, I was also drawn to a lone tree that stood at the end of a half-mile cornfield. … Read More
Scotty Moore 1931-2016 On July 4, 1954, they started a revolution Bill Black, Scotty Moore, blues/hillbilly fusion A kid comes into the studio, Presley, shy and quiet What they did oh who could know, would anyone buy it? Our Sistine Chapel, Sun Records in Memphis Airwaves crackle with America, restless At the start of this … Read More
“What would you be like if you weren’t my dad?” Out of nowhere (seemingly) when my daughter was 4, she asked me this question. This song is the answer. This song is from one of my kids’ records, “I Miss the Mud“. Until July 23, when my Kickstarter completes, I am posting new and old … Read More
This song is inspired by Lucile Clifton‘s poem of the same name. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” was Cain’s reply to God’s query regarding the whereabouts of Abel. It has always seemed to me that Cain was then punished not for murder but for insolence. God could be touchy. I wrote this a few years … Read More
If I had a Dime The title of this song was first uttered in disdain by Franklin Roosevelt. It was completed with “I’ve been asked what was it like to grow up in the shadow of cousin Teddy?” Later, the Republican Party forced through a measure that removed FDR’s image from the now-out-of-circulation New Deal … Read More
A friend was visiting the other day and we were inventorying the kitchen. Not much to work with. And then my friend spied a familiar jar and said, “There’s always granola”. And there is. And now there is a song. Here are the lyrics. Song will come later. When you’re home alone oh so blue … Read More
One of the songs on my upcoming record is called “John, Paul, George, Ringo and Me” (you can listen to an almost completed version here). It’s about how I first heard The Beatles and the continuing effect of that experience. But that’s only part of the story. As Paul Harvey might say, “Page two”. I heard … Read More
This is a far cry from the same-titled song by the Beatles. (but then, isn’t everything?) Every day, until July 23, I am posting new and old material as a way to promote my Kickstarter campaign. This is the 2nd day in a row of pretty bleak stuff. Tomorrow will be lighter. But then again, … Read More