I didn't start playing until my 30's either. But my first public gig was in Idaho City, Idaho in 1975, we played in a bar called the "Miner's Exchange." It was a regulation bar from when the gold rush/silver rush days of the 1800s. All mahogany wood bar the length of the room. Gorgeous. Also rowdy! I worked as a bouncer on the nights when we didn't have the stage and made more money bouncing! Played with a guy named Dick Polley who was a great front man and new a million songs. I was, and sort of still am, a flat picker so I played lead and sang harmony. Geez I know the first line to a million songs! I don't remember the first song but we did a lot of Willy Nelson, Don Williams, and others of that era. I played for about two or three years and gave it up. I never liked playing on stage but loved the music. Of late I've played a couple of churches with friends over the past year, a local musicians benefit, and the Farm Bureau Insurance gathering. They love the old songs of Ernest Tubbs, WW-II, and especially my version of "Frankie and Johnny." Still don't like playing on stage - Peace - Steve