What an interesting thread. I wanted to take some time with this one.

The radio was always on in our house when I was growing up, but it was mostly background music. But I remember hearing the Renfro Valley Gathering on Sunday mornings before we went to church. I don't think I cared for it much at the time; to my 10-year-old sensibilities, the singers sounded "nasal". But I think it got into my system somehow, anyway. My dad used to sing stuff like "The Preacher and the Bear", but nobody played an instrument. I loved to listen to Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer songs.

Some time around fifth grade, maybe, I learned "The Minstrel Boy" in school. I took piano lessons around 7th & 8th grade, but I didn't enjoy it; it was so "fussy" and "formal" and no fun whatsoever. Once I started high school that was the end of the piano. In college, I tried my hand at guitar, but that only lasted a few months.

Back in the early 70s, a friend of my mother's used to go back to Ireland every summer to visit, and she'd bring me back Chieftains albums.

Some time in the mid-70s, I was involved in a community organization. Our president got the board together (ostensively for a board meeting) and took us all to hear Holly Near and Ronnie Gilbert. That was a life-changing event. It was the first time I heard "Lifeline" and Charlie King's "Two Good Arms". Somehow I knew that, someday, I'd sing that song.

In 1989 I moved into a new neighborhood and the parks & recreation dept. newsletter listed a class called "Introduction to Gaelic", so I signed up for it; stayed with it for several years. Didn't learn much of the language, but it introduced me to ceili dancing and playing the bodhran. It didn't take long to notice that the musicians seemed to be having as much fun as the dancers, but not working nearly as hard.

That was when I decided to learn to play guitar; I had just passed my 40th birthday. My first guitar teacher was Vincent Sadovsky, but you can't blame him for my playing. He tried his best. I'd have been better if I'd practiced harder, but life and a day-time job got in the way. But even though I wasn't very good, one of my friends- Icie Frady- invited me to play with her band once in a while. It made all the difference in the world. It forced me to make more of an effort to improve. One night, after a particularly long evening when everybody else was "sung out", Icie said "It's your turn. Don't just sit there, sing something." So I sang one of the songs I'd learned in the Irish language class, and the rest is history.

Through that same group of folks, I was fortunate enough to meet the late Al Purcell, one of North America's best uillean (sp?) pipers, who was vary gracious and encouraging to a neophyte guitar player, especially since guitars are "less than welcome" in some Irish music circles.

And at some point along the way, I was introduced to the music of Si Kahn, who has become one of my heroes. I had a chance to meet him a year or so ago, and I was just thrilled, plus he was SO NICE.

Maryanne