To Don Firth:

I don't believe we ever became acquainted, and you were certainly ahead of the curve in terms of how you met and approached folk music. I was aware of the Weavers and Burl Ives and a few others as a teenager, in the early to mid-fifties, but I freely admit to being one of those "hooked" by some of the "pop-folk" music of the late fifties. There were two coffee houses in Fresno, CA in those days. Those of us who were habitues of one or the other started asking if there wasn't more to this "folk thing" than the slickly produced stuff coming out of Capitol Records, et al.

I had the good fortune to come into contact with some local folks who were serious about the pursuit of the real article. Jon Adams, who still does some performing and storytelling up and down the coast, was a sort of role model for a lot of us. Later, while at Ft. Lewis, in 1961 and 1962, I had the chance to perform at The End in South Tacoma for a time. I got up to Seattle on weekends, when I could, and had the chance to pop into places like 92 Yesler. I developed quite a crush on Nancy Quense, who made me look at the music a little more seriously. After the service, I took college classes in folk music and folk literature from Pete Everwine and Gene Bluestein at Fresno State, which opened my eyes a bit further.

I no longer perform, preferring to play for my own enjoyment and sharing with a few friends. My time in Washington was life-changing in a lot of ways and I thank those of you who might have been a part of it. I have shared the love of this music with my two sons, one of whom has obviously been influenced by it, even though his primary genre is rock. He still plays my old LP's and tapes.