Right, remember I said I was an "amateur" musician (friend
Mike uses the term "minstrel.")
You can go directly to the links to MP3 files below,
or you may take a minute for me to tell you how I got here.
My roommate at the University of Montana in 1964 played in a
band. Way cool. Chicks are supposed to be attracted to
guys in bands, so I decided I wanted to learn to play guitar.
Fast forward five years. I was taking a European discharge
from the Army. I had a year to travel Europe and still catch
my military plane ride back to Montana.
By then I had a twelve-string guitar, a German-made Framus.
Upon discharge from the Army, I hitch-hiked to Paris with my
guitar. I bought a Japanese motorcycle from a Texan in
Paris. I strapped my guitar on the back of the motorcycle
and proceeded to put 20,000 miles on that motorcycle from
Scandinavia to North Africa over the course of a year.
Right, there are lots of interesting stories to tell about that
journey.
With very little savings from the Army, I had to earn just a bit
of money along the way to put gas in the motorcycle and feed
myself. So, I took to performing traditional American folk
music in little bars and restaurants along the way, for very small
change. Hey, it didn't take much.
The very good news was that Europeans had no clue what American
folk music was supposed to be or sound like. I especially
liked songs about the developing American West, such as John
Henry, Drill Ye Terriers Drill and others - some I'd learned in
grade school. Kind Europeans liked those songs enough they
kept gas in my motorcycle.
So, I guess it's fair to say that I did a year-long musical tour
of Europe, although that would be stretching the point a bit.
Here are some sample songs, done with marginal recording equipment
(one microphone, one track, no filters, no mixing, unedited, only
me, straight into the computer). BTW, these were not done
with the Framus 12-string I packed around Europe, but with an
Ovation 12-string I acquired from friend Eric.
Sample songs (MP3 files, all):
Sixteen Tons (Tennessee Ernie Ford)
Ain't She Sweet (Traditional)
Always On My Mind (Various
Artists)
Easy Wind (Grateful Dead)
El Matador (Kingston Trio)
Five Foot Two (Traditional)
Scotch and Soda (Kingston Trio)
Solitary Man (Neil Diamond)
Summertime (Various Artists)
Wabash Cannonball (Various Artists)