(sorry...hit wrong button!)

Bruce was am amazing man...he knew so much about so many fields, and when the internet and computer access to MORE music recources became available, he taught himself the necessary skills to create that web site and post tunes in ABC format and analyze other ways to do music notation. (He said on the phone that if he had realized how logical music theory was, he'd have done a LOT more with posting!)

When I first moved to this area, I immediately began attenting our "Open Sings", which were held at the Washington Ethical Society, and Bruce was the one who, as a WES member, opened the door, set up the hall, bought refreshments and monitored the door, even to the extent of missing some of the music so he could keep the system going for everyone else. He was not much of a singer...*wry smile* (he once bought a dulcimer, thinking it might help him find the pitch, but soon gave it up and went back to what HE did best, listening and educating.)

When FSGW started our yearly free festival, we were TOTALLY volunteer, and relied on generous folks to do the background work that keeps a festival going...and Bruce, bless his soul, somehow ended up directing traffic in the parking lot...for several years, seeing very little of the music he loved! He never complained while he was doing it, but when he decided that was enough, he said so in a very "Bruce-like" way and began attending the show!

As others have posted, if Bruce thought you cared, he would do whatever was necessary to add to your knowlege about a song or ballad...I have several packets he sent me with information about songs Rita or I had sung or enquired about.

When Mudcat was fairly new, it was I who mentioned it to Bruce, and though non-commital, he soon began showing up and answering questions about old songs. Yes, he sure did get frustrated as Mudcat drifted into many things besides music, and he told me personally several times how tedious he found it to wade thru the BS to find interesting threads. He was quite pleased when the BS was mostly moved to the bottom *grin*. He seemed not to be around for a long time, but I KNOW he was always lurking, and I know of one thread where a "guest" replied to some arcane question, and a couple of people simply replied "thanks, Bruce", as the post could not have come from anywhere else.

Bruce got into some tussles with those who didn't appreciate his no-nonsense "music-first" approach, but he also, in the process, provided one of the funniest, cleverest bits of 'anonymous' writing to appear here, doing a parody of his own research about non-existant people and musical influences. Then he blew it by forgeting to delete his signature a few posts later...*grin*

I have so many memories of Bruce Olson...some of them of trying to gracefully get AWAY when he was determined to relate one more fact about an old song or tune..*wry grin*...but mostly of a generous, brillant man who was focused, unswerving and dedicated to his passions...and we are all the beneficiaries of that dedication.

RIP, Bruce..(and if there IS a Heavenly Choir, you can bet they'll be getting some advice on versions of their repertoire )
Bruce at various events, doing what he did best, listening and thinking