More Thoughts on Talent Shows

In my last post, I talked about my fondness for talent contests.  The appeal of a talent show is twofold.  I appreciate the hard work that it takes for anyone to get up and put yourself out there for potential ridicule.  I am not a professional musician.   My music releases are for the most part …

A Brief History of Memphis Soul Music

I live in West Tennessee and I also grew up here.  Most of the television stations that we watched were from Memphis.  The most popular radio stations that we listened to were also from Memphis.  I would love to be able to say that I know a lot about Memphis music because I listened to …

Pete Seeger and the Banjo

When I was a kid, my parents bought me a banjo.  I had been playing ukulele for several years and had started playing guitar.  But I was strictly a rhythm guitar player.  I had no fingerpicking skills.  When I started trying to play the banjo, I quickly became frustrated.  I never felt comfortable enough with …

5 Albums from My Parent’s Collection

When I was growing up, my parents had a relatively large record collection. I would occasionally look through it to see what kind of things they listened to.  Sometimes I would find something worth checking out.  There are a handful of albums that I found in my parents’ record collection that had a lasting influence …