List O’ Musical Trivia

• First instrument : baritone ukulele … 6 years old … my father got it for me to distract me away from his Gibson guitar, an unwittingly wise move.
• Second instrument : huge old upright “Shakey’s Pizza” style piano… age 9. It was so heavy and enormous that it could only come into our home through the sliding glass doors of our basement and couldn’t come with us when we moved. I remember it was really cold playing that piano in wintertime but I played it anyway.
• Third instrument : 6 string classical guitar … 11 years old … purchased at a record store with money I’d saved all my life. It broke the bank. And started a career.
• Current instruments : Martin 00-16DB parlor guitar; Art & Lutherie Ami cedar top parlor guitar; Larrivee L-9 guitar; Bushman Soprano “Jenny” ukulele; Bushman Concert “Jenny” ukulele; Recording King resonator ukulele; Ovation/Applause Tenor acoustic/electric ukulele; Yamaha electric keyboard sadly one octave shy of a real piano; assorted penny whistles and percussion instruments.
• First non-paying gig : accompanying my third grade class choir  on my baritone ukulele (see first instrument) during a program of patriotic music.
• First paying gig : Digger O’Dells, Buckhead (Atlanta) for tips ‘n beer, 1977.
• Tip I got many years ago that I still have : A dollar bill folded into a peace crane.
• First competitive open mic I won : $25 first prize, Aunt Charley’s in Buckhead (Atlanta), 1977. My dear friend-to-this-day and co-competitor, Peggy Johnson, won a bottle of tequila for “most interesting act.” Our prizes didn’t last long.
• First song I remember writing : “Mirrors of Water” co-written with my high school pal, Laurie Swiedler, 1974.
• First song Laurie Swiedler remembers me writing : “The Children” which she reminded me recently I wrote even before she and I met; she says she still sings it occasionally while vacuuming.
• Last song I finished and am now playing : “My Angel Has A Crooked Wing” November 2009
• Song I’m currently working on and hope turns out well : “My Beautiful Bones” October 2009 – ?
• Coolest songwriting contest I ever placed in : 1992 Finalist, Kerrville Folk Festival “New Folk” competition
• Most money I ever made directly as a songwriter : $300 advance from a lovely Nashville song plugger for four songs, one of which almost ended up in a movie (see next…). I think she really tried. Thanks, Leslie.
• Song of mine that almost ended up in a movie : “Train Go By” … was neck and neck with another song (that ultimately was chosen over mine), to be part of the soundtrack for the worst Brad Pitt movie ever made (Kalifornia)
• more to come.…