Someone reopened an old thread about nursing home gigs, I don't know why, but it got me to thinking, which is always dangerous.

I have half a mind (which my wife thinks is a complete sentence)to try to start a retirement career in music. Since it's been 40 years or so since I played in public ( took time off for service, college, family, career as a geek, etc.) and I have now retired to an area of low cost but less civilization, I was thinking that nursing homes and the like might be a good place to get my act together so to speak. I played at a hospital as a teenager and the captive audience, mostly children, were bored enough to appreciate the effort. I found a 40 year old tape while moving that ( after several hours of fixing a 50 year old tape recorder ) proved that I used to be able to sing too.

As a child, I learned guitar, jazz and classical because my father was a pianist and didn't think guitar was a "Real instrument" anyway but frankly jazz and classical wouldn't get you as kiss in Massachusetts in 1964 but "Puff the Magic Dragon" and "Charlie on the MTA" would, so...

Anyway, now that I have some time, I've been playing and singing for my parrot for the past year and trying to remember what I used to know. Other than the classical stuff I won't bother to name, I can still do "Ebb Tide", "Misty", "Stardust" and the like jazz stuff and some Kingston trio, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Ian and Sylvia songs. Whenever I did play in the past 40 years ( family gatherings, picnics at work )it was always Puff and Charlie that got the best reception anyway. I realize that in the U.K.,and outside world, those aren't real folk songs, but this is the good old U.S.A. where we don't really have traditions so please bear with us for a few more hundred years while we develop some.

So, the question is would a combination of Jazz, classical and commercial folk work at places like nursing homes while I get my repetoire back? I'd be playing for the experience of playing in public at this point, not money. There are professional musicians in my family and some outsiders have told me I could have been a professional but I don't believe them.

Although I realize that there are professionals here, I might value ameteur opinions more, no offense. Professionally, I was an engineer and I know all about charging for services rendered but I'm not up to that yet, musically.

Am I crazy?
Thanks
Bruce