I love this thread. For me it is the simple fact that I came to performing later in life, and I never had the time to devote to mastery of the "flashy" stuff. My career of labor organizing/community agitating kept me so engaged that I didn't devote the time to the instrument that I should have. I regret that now. But it did cause me to learn how to interpret a song and help people to feel the message and emotion that it brings out.

Rick's post above which relates to the famous as opposed to the really good among the rest really rings true for me. My main genre is Irish music. While I certainly have respect for the names everyone knows, and enjoy there music, it is among the lesser known performers that I have been most influenced. The lyrics of Brendan Nolan, the piping of Pat Broaders, the arrangements of Broaders and Moore as well as Detroit's Blackthorn, and I could name dozens of others. It is in their work that I find inspiration. And our own Rick Fielding's CD's have given me new songs and influenced my style in a profound way.

Mick