I always wanted to sound like The Seekers or maybe We Five.*G* Well, perhaps not. Actually, I have always been a great admirer of Lenny Welch ("Since I Fell for You"). He was a sort of blues crooner. I liked his style. I can't think of anyone else who I especially wanted to emulate. There is a long list of influences that include such people as Paul Stookey ("The Wedding Song"), Jerry Butler ("For Your Precious Love"), Perry Como("And I Love You So"), Lou Rawls ("Love Is A Hurtin' Thing") and Gene Pitney ("Only Love Can Break A Heart"). This is not to say that I have managed to sound anything like any of them. I just feel that I have tried to adopt some of what I think are their better qualities.

I sometimes like the way that Paul Stookey attacks his vowel sounds. Jerry Butler has a resonance about his voice that I would love to capture. Perry Como had a way of hitting notes right on the head without sounding odd or stilted. Perry, with his quietly powerful voice, also made it a point to sing with his backup group rather than over them. Lou Rawls, besides having his wonderfully rumbling voice, also has the sound of laughter in his voice - like he is singing a joke's punchline. Gene Pitney has a unique sound to his voice and like some of the others above, has a gift for phrasing.

The one thing that most of the artists I admire have in common (most of them, anyway,) is the sense of appropriate modulation. They can feel those places in the lyrics where a sudden drop or spike in volume can make all the difference in how the meaning is received. If I never learn anything more than that from any of them, I will consider myself very fortunate, indeed.