I used to torture the neighbors by playing bass in an all-electric gatage rock band in the late 60's to early 70's. In the summer, we'd throw open the garage door, play, and see how far the sound carried. We thought it was a good session when the police came by and asked us to "tone it down, won'tcha." We played tunes by the Doors, Beatles, Cream, The Band, CSN&Y, Jefferson Airplane, and some of our own stuff.

I've mellowed a lot since those days of misspent youth, and now hate it when the neighbors crank up their stereo!

About two years ago, a friend introduced me to Robert Johnson. I was surprized to learn that a lot of the songs we played in the garage band were from the 1920's and 30's. I started to listen to the blues more and more, and, one day while window shopping in Richmond, VA I walked into a guitar store "just to see" what the guitars looked like. I walked out with a nice model, of course, and started to learn country blues and fingerstyle. A lot of the old muscle memory came back!

So, I've been playing blues ever since. I don't sing publicly, though. My voice sounds more like an old, lonely cow left out in the field on a cold night than a blues singer. I try not to torture the neighbors any more!

BRB