Genie made a good point in the thread about Bobert's thumb. She encouraged people to tape their music. I'd like to expand on that a little, and hear your experiences at the same time.

Back in the early 60's, I wrote a song, based on an old newspaper article about an unsolved murder in Kentucky. I had just started to hear the old traditional ballads and thought the story was fascinating enough to deserve a song. Being out of step with life, as I always seem to be, the song didn't seem to have much to do with Michael Row The Boat Ashore or Puff The Magic Dragon, so I sang it a few times, and then forgot all about it. I didn't tape the song, or write the words down, because I didn't consider it worth remembering. Fast forward forty years, and an old buddy of mine from the early 60's tracked down my e-mail address and asked for the words to the song. Because I'd never taped it, and couldn't remember half of it, I had to track down another old buddy from that era, who still sings the song! I ended up having to learn my own song from someone else.. Moral... even if you think something isn't worth saving, tape it anyway. Cassettes don't take up much space, and someday you may want to hear it.

Twenty years ago when my Father was alive, I sent a long list of questions for my Mother to ask him about when he was growing up. He would never talk into a tape recorder, but having my Mother ask him the questions loosened him up. I still have the tape, and treasure it even more, now that he's gone.

And then, there are casual, poorly recorded cassettes of just horsing around with old friends in someone's living room... I wish I had recorded far more than I did. Some of the tapes that people made of my concerts, which seemed somewhat irrelevant at the time, now have a great value to me... again, re-learning old songs from myself. You know that you're getting old when you have to learn songs by listening to yourself..

My Mother has always said that "life is making memories, so you might as well make good ones." And while you're at it... tape them..

Any similar stories?..

Jerry