"Clarty Burn" from Blue Almonds CD
Personal VIPs
There are many very important people who have helped me so much throughout my years from a very young child up to now and I wish to thank them all very much. I have intentionally left out some who would rather remain anonymous...there are quite a few.
I'll begin with my dear mother, Shirley who passed away in August of 2007. She encouraged me from the time I was still in a high chair to the day she passed - throughout her entire lifetime - to compose and perform music. Mom was an accomplished pianist and my childhood was spent listening to Brahms, Beethoven, Franz Lizst, Frederic Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Edward Grieg, and countless other composers. She absolutely loved playing the piano and when she was finally caught up with her house work and her artistic projects for the day - that she would so often involve herself in, she would then play her upright piano while I would listen and enjoy. When I was very young, around three years of age, we lived in Wilmington, NY, and Mom gave weekly piano lessons to more than 15 local children. I remember her using the Michael Aaron Piano Lesson books and giving out silver and gold stars based on how well each pupil did with his or her lesson for the week. She loved playing the music of Frederic Chopin.....and as soon as I could manage, I was immersed in learning to play the music myself.
And my dear father, Albert, who played piano and violin. Dad encouraged me to develop an interest in fiddle music. He loved it! He loved to listen to WWVA on the old dial radio we had in the living room on the farm. And when our family first got a television, Dad soon found the Don Messer fiddle show which came out of Canada. Even though he much preferred fiddle music and hymnals on the piano, he encouraged me to practice classical music whenever he sensed I was being side-tracked by other non-necessitous activities, such as hanging out with my buddies and accomplishing very little. Dad was driven to learn. He was a student of life itself. Dad passed away in 1975. There were few activities that Dad loved more than playing his fiddle.
My Mother's sister, Pauline Hixon, was a concert pianist and would visit once in a while during my teenage years. Later, when I attended Ithaca college, I stayed with her and uncle Larry for a short while before renting a trailer near Watkins Glen. Being their special guest was a wonderful experience. They, too, have since passed away. Pauline, or "Polly", as we all called her, was a very capable, professional pianist and toured in Europe as well as the USA. Uncle Larry was a Law Professor at Cornell University for many years.
My great uncle William Mc Dermott and his wife Frances and her sister Julia Lessing were also big supporters of my musical up-bringing when I was young. Great Aunt Frances was instrumental in helping me financially with my first semester in Ithaca. They've all long ago passed away. They were loved and respected very much.
to be continued.......
I'll begin with my dear mother, Shirley who passed away in August of 2007. She encouraged me from the time I was still in a high chair to the day she passed - throughout her entire lifetime - to compose and perform music. Mom was an accomplished pianist and my childhood was spent listening to Brahms, Beethoven, Franz Lizst, Frederic Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Edward Grieg, and countless other composers. She absolutely loved playing the piano and when she was finally caught up with her house work and her artistic projects for the day - that she would so often involve herself in, she would then play her upright piano while I would listen and enjoy. When I was very young, around three years of age, we lived in Wilmington, NY, and Mom gave weekly piano lessons to more than 15 local children. I remember her using the Michael Aaron Piano Lesson books and giving out silver and gold stars based on how well each pupil did with his or her lesson for the week. She loved playing the music of Frederic Chopin.....and as soon as I could manage, I was immersed in learning to play the music myself.
And my dear father, Albert, who played piano and violin. Dad encouraged me to develop an interest in fiddle music. He loved it! He loved to listen to WWVA on the old dial radio we had in the living room on the farm. And when our family first got a television, Dad soon found the Don Messer fiddle show which came out of Canada. Even though he much preferred fiddle music and hymnals on the piano, he encouraged me to practice classical music whenever he sensed I was being side-tracked by other non-necessitous activities, such as hanging out with my buddies and accomplishing very little. Dad was driven to learn. He was a student of life itself. Dad passed away in 1975. There were few activities that Dad loved more than playing his fiddle.
My Mother's sister, Pauline Hixon, was a concert pianist and would visit once in a while during my teenage years. Later, when I attended Ithaca college, I stayed with her and uncle Larry for a short while before renting a trailer near Watkins Glen. Being their special guest was a wonderful experience. They, too, have since passed away. Pauline, or "Polly", as we all called her, was a very capable, professional pianist and toured in Europe as well as the USA. Uncle Larry was a Law Professor at Cornell University for many years.
My great uncle William Mc Dermott and his wife Frances and her sister Julia Lessing were also big supporters of my musical up-bringing when I was young. Great Aunt Frances was instrumental in helping me financially with my first semester in Ithaca. They've all long ago passed away. They were loved and respected very much.
to be continued.......
Thanks to a true friend.
His name is Eric Johnson and he no longer lives around these here parts, having moved quite a few years ago in part to better grow his digital printing company.
Eric was instrumental in giving me the boost I needed when I needed it most. He believed in me. He had a Soundcraft mixing desk with a souped up 16-track (running at 15ips) Tascam 1' reel-to-reel recorder and some really good Sennheiser (and others) mics and knew how to use all of his equipment very professionally. He had acoustic engineering knowledge and a God-given talent that stretched into all areas of his life.
He recorded my first album which was a cassette called "Headwaters". There were eight pieces on the tape starting with "Headwaters", "Higher Ground", Braw Birks", Alder Brook", and on side 2, "Patawpata", Only A Dream", "Have I Ever Told You" and "The Old White Pine".
I was able to learn an awful lot from Eric as I watched him record and mix my music. I applied the fundamentals I learned from him as I developed my own studio in the years to come. I owe a debt of gratitude to Eric that I never will be able to repay.
Eric was instrumental in giving me the boost I needed when I needed it most. He believed in me. He had a Soundcraft mixing desk with a souped up 16-track (running at 15ips) Tascam 1' reel-to-reel recorder and some really good Sennheiser (and others) mics and knew how to use all of his equipment very professionally. He had acoustic engineering knowledge and a God-given talent that stretched into all areas of his life.
He recorded my first album which was a cassette called "Headwaters". There were eight pieces on the tape starting with "Headwaters", "Higher Ground", Braw Birks", Alder Brook", and on side 2, "Patawpata", Only A Dream", "Have I Ever Told You" and "The Old White Pine".
I was able to learn an awful lot from Eric as I watched him record and mix my music. I applied the fundamentals I learned from him as I developed my own studio in the years to come. I owe a debt of gratitude to Eric that I never will be able to repay.
