As a kid in the 60s with three older sisters I was exposed to all the British invasion stuff as well as the Everly Brothers, Ricky Nelson, Ventures and all the AM pop. My dad had me join band in 5th grade and rented me a trombone. My arm was barely long enough to play the whole slide. I was terrible. I remember the teacher telling me my notes were off by an octave. What’s an octave? At the Christmas concert he pulled me aside and told me to just move the slide but don’t blow into the instrument. I was the Millie Vanilli of 5th grade band. I lasted half a term.
I wanted to play the guitar. My mom had gifted my older sister a cheap Sears guitar but my sister didn’t take to it. So my mom bought it back from her (that means she actually bought that piece of crap guitar twice) and gave it to me so I could join 7th grade guitar class. It was a terrible guitar, smaller than everyone else’s, really a toy and I remember the teacher telling me that she couldn’t tune it. I persevered as the oddball and the next year a buddy of mine dropped the class and sold me his Lyle nylon string acoustic. Now I had a proper learning guitar. Now I could get the girls! Didn’t work. I was no better with the girls than I was with the trombone. But, maybe because I had all that extra time on my hands, I did become pretty good with the guitar.
First real performance was the 9th grade spring concert. I and two friends had learned Stairway to Heaven on our own and the guitar teacher liked it enough that he gave us our own spot in the concert. I remember the three of us played it perfectly except our nerves got the best of us and we chased an ever increasing tempo till it mercilessly concluded.
Been playing ever since but it has always taken second place to more stable earning pursuits. My PhD’s in engineering, not music, but I love music, not engineering. I’ve been very fond of classic rock ever since it took over my music life in the 70s. Not much of a market for it these days but it’s part of me and it isn’t leaving.
