Brief Mudcat Biographies.

Subject: RE: Brief Mudcat Biographies.
From: YorkshireYankee
Date: 16 Apr 04 - 04:29 PM

Came across this thread (while looking for something else) & thought it was a nice idea, & worth refreshing...

(Hope to add something myself, but don't have the time just at the moment.)

Cheers,

YY

Subject: RE: Brief Mudcat Biographies.
From: mack/misophist
Date: 16 Apr 04 - 07:24 PM

Born in a military hospital in 1945 and was named after the doctor's father, since he didn't know what else to call me. Some years later I married well above my station. As yet, I have not died.

Subject: RE: Brief Mudcat Biographies.
From: Jerry Rasmussen
Date: 16 Apr 04 - 07:29 PM

Thanks for reviving this one, YY: I wasn't in the pond back in '99 so this is new to me... I enjoy the very short biographies in the member profiles, but these are much more interesting.

Guess I might as well add my own, different than the one in the Member's profile.

I was born in 1935 on flag day. Much later in life, I discovered that 1935 was the one hundredth anniversary of my home town, when I wrote a song about the history of the town. I was a kid of the second World War and spent about an equal amount of time wiping out Germans and Japs and Injuns. Man, were we politically incorrect, or what? A Red Ryder bb rifle felt equally comfortable in my hand as a sawdust Army 45.

I always loved music, from the romantic big band music of the 40's to the first rumbles of rhythm and blues, folk and rockabilly in the late 40's and early 50's. I'd blow most of my weekly allowance buying The Hit Parade magazine because it had the lyrics to all the most poular songs of the day. The rest would be spent buying 78 rpms, and when they came out, 45's.

I got my first instruments when I was around nine or ten, in no particular order.. Sweet potatoes (ceramic, not plastic) harmonicas, and then a ukelele. I thought I did a particularly dramatic rendition of the theme from High Noon on my ukelele. When I was around 14 or 15, I bought a mandolin in a pawn shop and tried to figure the thing out. After that, it was my first guitar... a Stella. Combination guitar and cheese slicer because of the high action. I tried to make it look classier by cutting out diamonds from a plastic place mat and inlaying them in the neck, and then stripped off the long-underwear pattern cream and gray striped paint and refinished the guitar. It was still a Stella when I finished, and it was still almost impossible to play, but I sold it at a hefty profit.
From there, I moved to one of the first Fender stratocasters, which sounded Godawful with my cheesy little amplifer with one knob on it.
My primary love of music then was jazz, but I'd heard enough of the Weavers and Burl Ives to pluck out a few folk songs.

To make a long story short, I went through a slow procession of instruments... each time trading in one guitar for the next. I gave up on being a jazz guitarist because it required reading music and practicing, and gravitated more toward folk by the time I was in my mid twenties. After all these years, I see elements of all the music I've loved in my life... quartet music, stretching back to the Four Lads and Four Freshmen, jazz guitar, gospel music, traditional folk, story-telling songs and a little taste of rock and roll. Along the way, I started writing songs just for the fun of it, back in the mid 50's.

And I still don't like to read music or practice.

Jerry

Subject: RE: Brief Mudcat Biographies.
From: John P
Date: 16 Apr 04 - 10:28 PM

Born in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1954. Grew up so far out in the country we couldn't see our nearest neighbors. We were the only house on the road. I started pounding on anything that looked vaguely like a drum (and many things that didn't) when I was very young, so my parents eventually got me a snare drum and some lessons. I taught myself to play blues piano in my early teens and spent my high school and college years playing keyboards and/or drums in various hard rock, prog rock, blues rock, and jazz fusion bands. I played my first professional gig at 15, which means I've been performing for 34 years now. Egad!

I moved to Seattle at age 21, spent a few years doing a new age solo piano thing and then took up folk music in 1980 because I had a girlfriend who was starting a folk band and wanted me to come play guitar. I kept telling her I was a keyboard and drum guy, not a guitarist, but she perservered and I learned. At some point in the 80s I picked up a Celtic harp, a cittern, several wind instruments which I still don't play very well, and continued adding to my ever-growing collection of ethnic hand drums.

I spent 20 years playing with my wife Anna in a duo called Telynor. We recorded four albums. I've recently started Crookshank, a six piece folk/rock/euro-trad fusion band. It's a lot of fun to have six players to fool around with (including electric bass and tablas) after so long as one of two musicians on the stage.

I'm the general manager of Dusty Strings, a company that runs a large acoustic music store and is a major builder of harps and hammered dulcimers (how many jobs are there where the fact that I play harp was a big deal at the interview?).

I live with my wife in a nice little house in a nice little neighborhood in north Seattle with our cat Bobo. I go to work every day, and play music as much as I want with talented people that I like a lot. I've been a vegetarian since 1975. I am blessed with good health, a good mind, good musical skills, a job I still like after 15 years, and a wife that still loves me after 19 years. Life could be a lot worse.

John Peekstok

Subject: RE: Brief Mudcat Biographies.
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 16 Apr 04 - 11:06 PM

1951 - I was born. I don't remember much about it because I was awfully young. I heard that I was ugly and that my Daddy wanted to pinch my head off but my Mamma hit him with a skillet instead.

1952 -1970 - I was a child and/or a teenager. It was boring. I have no idea how that child grew up to be me. By all rights, he should have become an accountant or a real estate lawyer.

1971 - 2000 - I tried to be a responsible adult. I failed. Somewhere along in there I learned to play the guitar and other things with strings on them. That did not help much with the responsible part.

2000 - I discovered the "Mudcat Cafe". My life started to go downhill.

2004 - I am not dead yet. That's more than Jerry Garcia could say at my age.

PS: Since this is supposed to be a "brief" bio, I have omitted all the stuff about drugs and sex and alcohol.

Subject: RE: Brief Mudcat Biographies.
From: SmokinBill
Date: 17 Apr 04 - 12:14 AM

I was born in 1972 and grew up in Johnstown, N.Y., in the foothills of the Adirondacks. Taught myself to play a little harmonica as a teenager. Lived for a year ('90-91) as an exchange student in Jamaica. Studied English and Irish literature (as well as Rugby football and drinking songs of all cultures) at Union College for four, er, five years, graduated in 1996. Played harp on a few occasions with such beer-party luminaries as Wok the Dog and Cajun Jack & The Rubber Band.

Started teaching myself to play acoustic guitar that fall while working as a reporter at my hometown newspaper. Started trying to channel Mississippi John Hurt, with some success (I do love that Maxwell's House ... that's some coffee!). Took guitar lessons fron Glenn Weiser on and off from 1997 to 2000.

Married Jennifer Sponnoble July 1, 2000.

Studied with Pat Johnson and others at National Guitar Workshop, July of 2001.

Son Liam Guthrie Ackerbauer was born March 31, 2002.

Had a blast learning a little old-time banjo and mandolin at Ashokan Fiddle & Dance Camp, August of 2003.

Catch me this summer pickin' and grinnin'amongst the produce at farmers markets throughout Fulton and Montgomery counties...

Bill Ackerbauer

Smokin' Bill's Digital Depot

Subject: RE: Brief Mudcat Biographies.
From: Paul Mills
Date: 17 Apr 04 - 12:48 AM

I'm blown away by the fact that this thread was started by Rick and that now that he's gone, it's carrying on! It's just so perfect - he was in constant celebration of everyone's life that he came into contact with - this is the perfect Rick legacy thread!!

OK, so here's mine: Born in 1945 of parents who were not particularly musical (except for Mom). Grew up in the fifties and came to Folk music throught the commercial boom headed up by the Kingston Trio but through that discovered the deeper roots. Had the good fortune of landing a job at CBC Radio and producing many folk recordings over the years. I continue to do that after leaving CBC about 6 or 7 years ago. I have the good fortune of loving my job and finding fulfilment every day!

Helping Rick finish his last CD is one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

Paul

Subject: RE: Brief Mudcat Biographies.
From: bet
Date: 17 Apr 04 - 10:20 PM

At my age a few brief lines is hard to come by, but here goes.
Born in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, the 2nd of 5. katlaughing is my baby sister. Grew up in a family of musicians, folk and classical. I've been in the business of education since 1965 when I took my first teaching job in a small western Colorado town, Nucla. After there I came to Craig, CO in northwestern CO. with my 3 children,I left my husband there. My kids are grown and on their own now. At this time I have one wonderful grandson and another one on the way. At the end of the school year, 2004, I am retiring and moving to Fairbanks, AK area where my daughter lives with her husband and soon to be 2 boys. My oldest daughter, her husband and my son, the youngest, live in the San Diego area. I can hardly wait for this career change. There is no way that I can "retire" I can't afford to nor do I want to go crazy sitting around, that's not me. I'll be substituting and volunteering and I hope baby sitting. I seem to be a collector of instruments. I get crazy ideas and end up with something new to play with every so often. I'm not really good on any thing but the violin and I'm not sure I am any good on it any more. I love folk festival though don't usually participate in the playing, I just love to listen. I'm now single and movin' on. bet

Subject: RE: Brief Mudcat Biographies.
From: Peace
Date: 17 Apr 04 - 10:27 PM

Born in 1947. Led a mostly uninteresting life and I now live in Alberta. I like music.