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The "Why" and "Disclaimers"

 

The first question that comes to mind is, "Why are you doing these videos?" The answer is simple. I have plenty of time. But, perhaps most importantly, I'm proving to myself that after the left humerus break back on 23 February 2020, I am recovering and getting my skills back. There are still a few twists and turns with the arm that I never realized I was doing making some of those chords; now, I realize there's still work to be done. But, I'm getting better with every week of physical therapy.

So, after over 3 months of physical therapy, it became clear that the left arm wasn't rotating properly under the tendons, shoulder bone, etc. It was apparent from the physical therapists and the orthopedic doctor that the metal plate that had to be placed up high on the humerus to heal, was acutally hitting those other parts trying to rotate. And in the process of working PT but not being able to do this particular move, scar tissue had formed and matted down on the metal plate. Therefore, on 1 September 2020, the doctor when back in and removed the plate and PT has started all over again. But, in just two weeks, the movement is much better. Here's hoping for a full recovery. Meanwhile, I occupy my time multi-tracking songs.

My disclaimer is that I'm only "covering" these songs because they are fun and favorites. I do not own any copyright on these songs. I usually try to perform them as the original artists intended for them to be done. There is no intent to make any money from this page by showing my work.

I hope you enjoy these songs. The text before the songs is what was posted on Facebook when I originally posted them there. The songs are separated by a yellow horizontal rule across the page and they are in order from the latest to the first one posted on 15 April 2020, about a month after the initial surgery.

 


SONG LIST - Click on the link to the song of your choice

CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO PLAY THE VIDEO

  1. DREAM
  2. CHANCES ARE
  3. WORKING MY WAY BACK TO YOU
  4. HANGMAN
  5. BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER
  6. CELEBRATION
  7. THE GOOD TIMES WE HAD
  8. DON'T GO BREAKIN' MY HEART
  9. IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR
  10. MONSTER MASH
  11. LOVE POTION #9
  12. HAVING A PARTY
  13. SAMA KAMA WACKY BROWN
  14. FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH
  15. LET'S HANG ON
  16. YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND
  17. GREENFIELDS
  18. BEST OF MY LOVE
  19. IT'S TOO LATE
  20. I GOT A NAME
  21. NOWHERE MAN
  22. DON'T FALL IN LOVE WITH A DREAMER
  23. APACHE
  24. SWEET SURRENDER
  25. DON'T THINK TWICE
  26. MONDAY, MONDAY
  27. EVERYTHING I OWN
  28. AMIE
  29. OPERATOR
  30. LOW DOWN THE CHARIOT
  31. MARY DID YOU KNOW
  32. SANTA BRING MY BABY BACK TO ME
  33. SANTA CLAUS IS BACK IN TOWN
  34. SILVER BELLS
  35. EARLY MORNING RAIN
  36. ANOTHER SATURDAY NIGHT
  37. SPOOKY
  38. TELL IT LIKE IT IS
  39. FOUR STRONG WINDS
  40. GET CLOSER
  41. LAST THING ON MY MIND
  42. TURN, TURN, TURN
  43. YOU MAY BE RIGHT
  44. CATHY'S CLOWN
  45. I GOT YOU BABE
  46. TEACH YOUR CHILDREN
  47. WICHITA LINEMAN
  48. BUILD ME UP BUTTERCUP
  49. HAPPY TOGETHER
  50. GROOVIN'
  51. WHO LOVES YOU
  52. YOUR SONG
  53. AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH
  54. MY GIRL
  55. GIRL WATCHER
  56. SHERRY
  57. JUST THE WAY YOU ARE
  58. SHE BELIEVES IN ME (JERRY ON PIANO)
  59. CUPID
  60. PLAY ME
  61. CRUISIN'
  62. MY EYES ADORED YOU
  63. THE BEST OF MY LOVE
  64. YOU'RE NO GOOD
  65. OH, WHAT A NIGHT (DECEMBER 1963)
  66. LITTLE BABY BORN IN BETHLEHEM
  67. WINTER WONDERLAND
  68. WHITE CHRISTMAS
  69. BLUE CHRISTMAS
  70. YOU SHOULD BE DANCIN'
  71. THE CHRISTMAS SONG
  72. GREASE
  73. CALIFORNIA DREAMIN'
  74. AND I LOVE HER
  75. SCOTCH AND SODA
  76. BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO
  77. A SUMMER SONG
  78. GARDEN PARTY
  79. NO ONE TO TALK MY TROUBLES TO
  80. IT'S ALL RIGHT
  81. NEVER MY LOVE
  82. THE MARVELOUS TOY
  83. THE GAMBLER
  84. NO FAIR AT ALL
  85. HOMEWARD BOUND
  86. CHERISH
  87. MARGARITTAVILLE
  88. LEADER OF THE BAND
  89. WHATSHERNAME
  90. (YOU CAN) CLOSE YOUR EYES
  91. DANNY'S SONG

DREAM

In February 1989, my brother Keith visited here in Raleigh. While he was here, we recorded about a dozen old songs that we used to sing. The video quality is not good and I had to work on the audio as well. But I managed to salvage enough of this song to use as an intro to this cover video 34 years later. Who knew the old video would ever surface again?

The Everly Brothers were favorite artists of ours and we sang a lot of their songs in the late 1950s at the Saturday morning Talent Roundup Show at the Center Theater in High Point. "All I Have to Do Is Dream" was number 1 on the Billboard singles in 1958 and remained there for five weeks. I hope you'll enjoy my cover of "Dream". Keith was an excellent guitarist with a very smooth voice. He broke his wrist playing tennis in the 1990s and can't play now.

 

SONG LIST


CHANCES ARE

I'm back with a new cover video offering. I saw all the advertizements about Johnny Mathis coming to DPAC this Fall and it got me to thinking; I've always loved his music but I never sang any of it live. I mean, why would you ever think you could match his voice. In fact, Dolores and I saw him live at Meymandi Concert Hall back in February 2020, just before Covid hit. He acknowledged that he had a scratchy throat that night but still sang beautifully - and is still out singing at age 87.

Well, I meant to do this song before we left for Cancun recently, but I ran out of time getting everything ready to go. While I was there at the Casa Maya Resort, I downloaded the appropriate MIDI file and converted it to an mp3 without any vocal track. Then, late one night about 10:30, Dolores went down to the open area with me and recorded my vocal and video of the lead part on my iPhone. So, I've got these Bluetooth in-ear monitors on if you look closely. I was listening to the track through them from my iPad and standing there just singing away with no music to the few people who passed by. So, the audio was recorded on the microphone of the iPhone. And the kitchen crew was talking loud and making noises nearby. When, I got home, I wound up using my live audio from Cancun but I really had to work to clean up the background. Then these past few days, I recorded all the instrumental parts as usual. This is my salute to Casa Maya and Cancun for fun times there. We won't go back because the time share of our friends is now depleted. But, with all that said, I'm pleased with the song.

"Chances Are" - It was number 4 on the Billboard's Best Sellers in 1957 along with the flip side "The Twelfth of Never." It was certified a gold record on 5 June 1959. Wow, I think I was had just finished eighth grade. That was a long time ago but it's still a great song so I hope you enjoy my cover of "Chances Are."

 

SONG LIST


WORKING MY WAY BACK TO YOU

It's that time again. I threw out a teaster earlier in the week, but I had to use another video of the lead vocal to fit the rest of the crew. I found four old "seasoned" men to help me with this Four Seasons song. It's a "goody" as they say. It was recorded by The Four Seasons in 1966 before they became Franki Valli and the Four Seasons. It reached number 9 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The story is about a man who cheated on his girlfriend and then realizes he still loved her and was remorseful for his actions. He vows to win her back so they say. It was rerecorded by The Spinners in 1979, but the disco version just doesn't work for me. There's a lot going on in this song: the bass guitar part is a real ___ (fill in the blank); there's an electric guitar part, a vibraphone throughout the song, a hammond organ, a brass section, and some scattered piano. That's in addition to the 4 seasoned old men singing the back harmonies and then the lead was "challenging" as always on a Franki Valli song. But, as usual, I had fun. Technology is a wonderful thing. Don't stop when it fades to black at the ending of the music; there's a little "extra." I hope you enjoy "Working My Way Back to You."

 

SONG LIST


HANGMAN

Several months ago, a good friend mentioned to Dolores that her parents loved Peter, Paul, and Mary and noted the song "Hangman." Now, you don't really know this song unless you followed PP&M through the years. It was on the album "See What Tomorrow Brings." It was their fifth studio album released in 1965. It was a song that I played over those early years. I hadn't played it in quite a while, but I thought it would make a nice addition to my video collection. I wasn't able to do a Valentines Day song this year due to a sinus/throat crud that took me down. But, I'm back now with this old favorite from the 1960s.

 

SONG LIST


BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATERS

About a week ago, I was communicating over Facebook with a good friend of mine from high school and college days. I said if she had a song for me to do, I'd give it a try. Well, challenge accepted and completed. So Peggy, this one's for you. It was originally done of course by Simon and Garfunkel and then covered by several other artists. This is a particular version that I liked because it had the following:

Drums
Bass
Piano
2 Violins
2 Violas
2 Trumpets
1 Trombone
1 Baritone Sax
1 Hammond Organ

Now, that's a handful of instruments, but I played and recorded them all [except the drums], and of course the main vocal and duet harmony. I enjoyed playing the bass part the most; I saved the piano for last because it was the hardest for me since that's a pretty tough piano part. But, I made it work. My grand piano at home bounces around the room more than I wished for recording purposes, but I wanted to use it. I need a carpet on the floor under it and a damper on the big lid. I used to have both and it made a nice "dead" recording that you could add a little reverb to and make it sound great. I've had this grand piano since 1974. It's a Yamaha Conservatory Model and I love playing it. So this one's different; it's not a guitar based song. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this orchestral arrangement of "Bridge Over Troubled Waters."

 

SONG LIST


CELEBRATION

It's past time to celebrate the start of a new year. But, I was a little slow getting started with Dolores having her hip replacement. Regardless, I pulled up an old favorite song by Kool and the Gang and decided to give it a whirl. I've sung this song in a couple bands over the years but never had it in my list of "songs to do." The song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1981 and stayed there several weeks. Almost every band plays this song at dances. It's one of those songs that "gets people on the dance floor." So, as we start a new year, I hope you get to celebrate a lot and enjoy my cover of "Celebration."

 

SONG LIST


THE GOOD TIMES WE HAD

Sometimes you just do a song because it's one you've always liked, but never did. Such is the case as I close out 2022 with my final video of the year. On New Years Eve we sometimes reflect on the year that is closing but also look forward to a new year by either making resolutions (which I don't ever do) or at least decide it's time for a change of some kind. I'll leave that comment as it stands just in case that "change" doesn't take place. This is an old song by Peter, Paul, and Mary on an album called "Album." How's that for being creative. And of course if it's a song by PP&M, it automatically is an "old" song. But I loved the album because they sprinkled a few extra instruments in their songs and their harmonies were interesting. The lead on this song was actually sung by Mary but I rekeyed it for my voice and changed the harmonies around. I hope you enjoy my "end of year" song "The Good Times We Had." Happy New Year!

 

SONG LIST


DON'T GO BREAKIN' MY HEART

I started working on this song a little over a year ago and then had to shelve it for various reasons. The song was recorded by Elton John and Kiki Dee in 1976. I've always liked the song but have never performed it - until now. It was a number one single for 6 weeks. After watching the last Elton John live concert from Dodger Stadium a few weeks ago, I decided to pull this one back out and finish it up. And, with the help of my great friend Julie Florin, we worked long distance and put it together. She did the piano and of course her vocals. I did the guitars, bass, strings, and background vocals. We hope you have fun listening to our arrangement of "Don't Go Breakin' My Heart."

 

SONG LIST


IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR

This is a song I've never really had in my repertoire at all, but I was very aware of it. My friend George Grove enlightened me more about it. It was originally written by Ervin Drake in 1961 for the lead singer Bob Shane of the Kingston Trio. He recorded it back in the 60s and Frank Sinatra heard it and fell in love with it. Frank won a Grammy Award for Best Male Vocal Performance in 1966. It's about all the loves of one's life as he grew older. In his later years he looks back at all of the loves of his life like vintage wine from a very good year. And so, here is my cover of "It Was a Very Good Year." I hope you enjoy it. I'll be singing it in my future endeavors.

 

SONG LIST


MONSTER MASH

Well, it's Halloween and what's Halloween without another dumb cover video. This one is probably the most well-known song from the 1960s. It was first put out in 1962 by Bobby Pickett. It was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in October of 1962. It's brought back out for your "pleasure" every year about this time. I convinced by friend Julie Florin to play the "witches" in my video. You might be familiar with the old song with the lyrics, "they're coming to take me away, ho, ho, he, he, ha, ha, to the funny farm..." They just might be coming to take Me away! Happy Halloween. Laugh on this one please.

 

SONG LIST


LOVE POTION #9

I've got something a little different this time. It's a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. They wrote a lot of hits for Elvis. This song was originally done by the Clovers in 1959 and later by The Searchers in 1964. The Searchers version reached number three on the US Billboard Hot 100. Even the Coasters released a version in 1971. So, this song has been around the block. It's relatively simple with drums, bass, two guitars and one vocal. It's timely since Halloween isn't too far away. I hope you enjoy my cover of Love Potion #9.

 

SONG LIST


HAVING A PARTY

Several months ago, my good friend Terry Blalock asked me if I would sing "Having A Party" by Sam Cooke for a gig in Pfafftown where I was playing electric guitar and singing with the band. Their regular guitar player was unable to be there and he sang the song. Well, I had heard the song but I had never sung it before and it was too high in the original key that the band members had charts for; so, we skipped that song. I decided to learn it just in case I had the chance to do it in the future. Of course I'll need to rekey the parts for the band The Carolina Moondogs, but that's not a problem. Meanwhile, I put together my version of the old standard without the big brass band background. I rather enjoyed learning and recording it. The song was actually the B-side of "Bring It On Home to Me". Even Lou Rawls growled out some harmony on this piece back before he was popular as a solo artist. It became a popular song for Sam Cooke to close out her concerts until his early, untimely death. It was recorded on April 26, 1962. It was also covered later by Rod Stewart in 1993. I hope you'll enjoy my version.

 

SONG LIST


SAMA KAMA WACKY BROWN

Now friends - YOU GOTTA READ ALL THIS FIRST BEFORE YOU LISTEN!

When I was in high school, I was in a folk group, and we did this song that was originally recorded by the Brothers Four in 1960. We thought it was a cute, if not a humorous song, and so we added it to our repertoire. Last year, I had to pleasure of going to Alpharetta, GA for an extended weekend of folk music and was honored to meet a new friend John E Bowles who hosted an event at his home for several days on the weekend of The Folk Legacy Trio's concert that was nearby. Over 50 people spent time sitting around in various parts of his home in various groups playing and singing old folk songs. Late in the afternoon on Sunday before closing out the event, John came into the porch area with a guitar and sat down to sing a few songs. Now, I was new to this event and wasn't really sure of the protocol. I mean when the host sits down to sing, I assume everyone else stops and listens or perhaps joins in. He played several songs quite well and then decided to do this old Brothers Four song that I knew. He started out and contrary to the usual chiming in of other "participants", no one played or sang with him. I thought to myself, "Self, why not sing the harmony; you know this song!" So, I did, and he smiled and afterwards commented on the fact that it seemed that no one knew that old song except me - and I knew every word. That made me feel good. We frequently comment about that afternoon and that special song.

I noted on Facebook last night that John and his wife Jody have decided to leave Alpharetta and head to Florida to live near his daughter. What a great opportunity I'm sure that will be. I woke up this morning and thought to myself, "Self, you need to honor this man with that old song one more time!" I pulled out the version that our high school folk singing group The Crestwoods recorded back in 1963. Of course, I'm lucky to even have a recording at all, but the quality isn't great. I used my software and cleaned it up, added a little guitar and bass, and sang the lead along with my fellow high school friends Curtis J. Collins and David Austin. There's a lot of reverb on that original version and it sounds like you're in an old well! But, as the story of the song goes, being in a well is quite fitting.

So, now, don't think I've gone wacky, but enjoy Sama Kama Wacky Brown!

 

SONG LIST


FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH

Well, for what it's worth, I have another video ready. I've had an interesting schedule recently that slowed down my production, but I'm back with another oldie from the sixties - 1966 to be exact. The song reached #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 but it's a well-known protest song from the Vietnam era which was during my college days. It was written by Stephen Stills and first performed by Buffalo Springfield. The title of the song doesn't appear in any of the lyrics, which is rather unusual. Another well-known artist Neil Young also was a member of Buffalo Springfield. Later, they would team up with David Crosby and Graham Nash and form initially as Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young and later just as CSN. I have never sung this song publicaly in any group, but I appreciate the message - then and now. For what it's worth, I hope you do as well.

 

SONG LIST


LET'S HANG ON

I wanted to do something a little more challenging than some of my more recent folk and folk rock type cover videos. Trust me; this one was challenging. It took me 27 tracks on my ProTools Session and lots of "do-overs" to get it right. But, now that it's done, I'm happy with the final outcome. This song reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart when it was released in 1965. There's a lot of counterpart vocals going on - there's a lot going on period! I hope you enjoy my version of "Let's Hang On" by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.

 

SONG LIST


YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND

Well, here's something nice and simple. When "You've Got a Friend" was released by James Taylor in 1971, I learned it right away and have been playing it ever since. It reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. I even played it for my students at Aycock Junior High School on the last day of school - sort of a surprise thing. Julie Florin had volunteered to add some piano "flavoring" and I roped her into the high vocal backup harmony as well. We hope you enjoy this version of "You've Got a Friend."

 

SONG LIST


GREENFIELDS

I've sort of "flooded" Facebook in these past several days but the birthday celebration videos happened unexpectedly. I've been working on this song for about six weeks off and on. I had purchased an acoustic electric bass because it was supposed to sound more like a stand-up double bass. I needed a song to record with it because I have since returned it for my full reimbursement. I "made" it sound okay but there were just too many "issues" to overcome that I decided not to keep it. This song is presented in honor of my high school folk singing buddies The Crestwoods. In fact, I'm pretty sure this was the first song we sang under that name. Originally, it was just David Austin, Curtis Collins, and me. Then we added Roger Taylor on a second guitar and Bob Cummings on bass. We've all made it to age 75/76 and still live in North Carolina. I had lost track of Bob since college days until about six months ago, but I don't have a current picture - apologies for that in the closing. After all this time, I found out he lives less than FIVE miles from me - what a surprise. So, enjoy my version of our hit song - "Greenfields." Eat your heart out Brothers Four!

 

SONG LIST


BEST OF MY LOVE

As I indicated on Friday, my singing duet partner and friend Blair came over to celebrate my birthday and we video-taped a couple songs that we've sung over the years. Here's the second one. It's a cover of the great song by The Eagles - "Best of My Love." I hope you enjoy this one.

 

SONG LIST


IT'S TOO LATE

This is a little different. While celebrating my birthday, my sweet singing partner Blair brought her girls over for a visit this morning; I persuaded Blair to sing a couple songs with me using my 4K video camera. Then, I added in an extra guitar part, bass, and created a drum track. But, it's our usual acoustic guitar and vocals of old. If you ever came to hear us, you know we used this song as a first set kick off quite frequently. It's still a favorite and we fell right into the grove with no problem. I hope you enjoy this Carole King video cover of It's Too Late.

 

SONG LIST


I GOT A NAME

I bought my first Martin guitar in 1974; it was a D-35 and it still plays great. One of the first songs I learned to play was "I Got A Name" by Jim Croce. I remember someone inviting me over to a house where people brought guitars and sat around and played for each other. It was somewhere near NC State as I recall - perhaps off Ridge Road. I went in and waited my "turn" and played and sang "I Got A Name." I did the same thing down in Alpharetta, GA back at the end of April this year. I'm still playing and singing this old song. I thought I'd do a video cover since I did "Operator" not long ago. The song was released on his fifth and final album in December 1973 after the fatal plane crash in September 1973. He had recorded several live versions found on YouTube. It was written by his guitarist Maury Muehleisen who did those famous guitar licks. In 1974, it reached #2 on the US Billboard top 200. I hope you enjoy my version of "I Got A Name."

 

SONG LIST


NOWHERE MAN

According to the historical records, the Beatles were having a hard time coming up with a song for the Rubber Soul album. They took a break and the whole song Nowhere Man came to John Lennon. They ran several takes but weren't happy with them. They came back in the next day and ran a take without George's electric guitar. It was just the one acoustic guitar, vocals, bass, and drums. Then, George laid down the iconic guitar licks from this song later and John overdubbed those same guitar licks with the exception of a couple notes. John, Paul, and George laid down multiple vocal tracks as well. The song wasn't ready for the release of the Rubber Soul album in the United States though it was included in England and Canada. It came out as a single here and later appears on the Yesterday and Today album in the US. It went to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. I hope you enjoy my take on Nowhere Man.

 

SONG LIST


DON'T FALL IN LOVE WITH A DREAMER

I guess I've always been a dreamer of some kind ... dreaming of astronauts in space - playing music on stage with the pros - well, the list goes on. But, if you fall in love with a dreamer, be ready for the ride; you never know where it's going. I could have taken the offer in 1964 with my Crestwood folk singing buddies and gone to the summer program near Asheville with hopes of becoming the next "The Brothers Four, The Kingston Trio" or something like that. Had I done that, I'm sure I would not have met those in my life now and that future universe would have been much different. I may not have even gone to college - who knows? So, now in my retirement in "this universe", I'm offering up those fun songs I never did on certain stages. Kenny Rogers and Kim Carnes did a duet called "Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer" back in March 1980. It made #4 in the US Billboard Hot 100. They sang a number of other duets through the years. Julie Florin and I planned this song about 6 weeks ago and I recently traveled through Anderson, SC and stopped over and recorded the video portions. So, I offer you Jerry's and Julie's version of "Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer." Who needs Kenny and Kim? I hope you enjoy it in 4K.

 

SONG LIST


APACHE

I thought I'd do something that was totally different than my other videos. That is, this is an instrumental. I was a Sophomore in high school when this song was released and I learned to play it and continue to do so when in the mood. I don't think I've ever performed it live because it takes two guitars. I was doing some research for the fun of it. It was first done by The Shadows and played by the writer on a ukulele for the band; they loved it and recorded it. The writer said got the idea for this song after watching the 1954 film Apache, starring Burt Lancaster as the Apache warrior Massai. Said Jordan: "I wanted something noble and dramatic, reflecting the courage and savagery of the Indian." So, it was written in honor of their bravery. It was a #1 hit for The Shadows in 1960. The Ventures released it in 1962. Did you know the Ventures wrote the theme song for "Hawaii Five-O?" They also had a popular instrumental called "Walk Don't Run" that I learned and can still play. Here's the "unplugged" version of Apache.

 

SONG LIST


SWEET SURRENDER

I've mentioned before that I'm a fan of David Gates and Bread. And so, I decided to go ahead and do this favorite of mine. This song was released in 1972. It spent two weeks at number one on the Easy Listening chart and peaked at 15 on the Billboard Hot 100. I'm working on some 4K camera techniques and some new plugins for my ProTools audio software. I hope it pays off even if you can't see 4K on your device - yet! I hope you enjoy my take on "Sweet Surrender."

 

SONG LIST


DON'T THINK TWICE

I'll let the intro speak for itself on this song. The "other" cover that I did for it was back on 9 August 2020. I was trying to do something different on this video as explained. Of course, to "reduce" the size down for Facebook, 4K isn't the proper setting. 4K files are very large in comparison to simple HD in 1920 by 1080 pixels. But, I accomplished what I intended to do. I'll not mention the name, but I recall one of the anchors on WRAL saying some years ago when they went to HD that it might be sharper, but it shows every flaw on the "older" faces. Well, I can't fix those either, but maybe I earned them. I hope you enjoy this old Peter, Paul and Mary song ... surprise!

 

SONG LIST


MONDAY, MONDAY

I'm back! Yes, and I have a special song for any day of the week. In November of 2020, I released my version of "California Dreamin'" and I'm back with my version of "Monday, Monday." This song was recorded in 1966 by The Mamas and the Papas" and released for their album "If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears." [Be sure and see the last credits on my video] John Phillips was an excellent arranger stacking vocals everywhere. The Mamas and the Papas won a Grammy for this song in 1967. I've performed it with a few groups over the years - most were afraid to tackle it. It has a handful of "stuff" going on, but I enjoyed putting it together. I hope you enjoy this.

 

SONG LIST


EVERYTHING I OWN

There's only one voice like David Gates. When I try to do his music, I usually have to drop it down a step - or more. His smooth falsetto is unbelievable. This song reached #5 on the American Billboard Hot 100 in 1972 and was #52 for the year. The band "Bread" was really a studio band but they did finally tour. David Gates moved more into the country arena in his later years. Most people think this song is about broken romances and that's okay; but, the song was written by David Gates in 1963 after the death of his father. Listen to the words of the song again in that context and it has a new meaning. I hope you enjoy "Everything I Own."

 

SONG LIST


AMIE

This song contains some special guitar techniques that I use occasionally but not throughout the song like this one does. It requires "hammer on" and "pull off" techniques. Sometimes you "pluck" one note and play four - yes, the tips of your fingers can get real sore practicing this song. I've not done a song by Pure Prairie League; in fact, this may be the only one of theirs that I know. But I had to spend a lot of time learning the guitar solos. Also, the intro and outro give you a peak at what's behind the making of these videos. If you look closely, I'm wearing my "in ear" monitors so I can hear the tracks while I'm recording the vocals. I even added a little banjo that's not on the original song - but why not? It gives it a little extra flavor. I hope you enjoy my video cover of "Amie" on this Valentine's Day.

 

SONG LIST


OPERATOR

I don't think that I've done a video cover of a song by Jim Croce. I was playing his music way back in the early 1970s. He was another artist that died way too soon in an airplane crash. This song, Operator, was released on 23 August 1972 and it reached #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was on the charts for twelve weeks. It's a song about tracking down your long-lost lover via help from the telephone operator - wow, if he were only alive today, it would have been much easier. So, here's my cover of "Operator" by Jim Croce. I hope it reminds you of a long-lost lover and that you enjoy it.

 

SONG LIST


LOW DOWN THE CHARIOT

Those of you that know me well know that I have a gospel music background. In fact, my brother and I both started singing in a gospel group when we were in Junior High School. I think I was about 13-14 years old at the time. For some strange reason, our parents let us go with an older guy named Larry Head to overnight gospel singings around the High Point area. Larry was the tenor in our group. We'd literally stay and listen to the Stamps, The Blackwood Brothers, The LeFevres, The Oak Ridge Boys, etc., until the sun came up and then we'd head home. I love singing A Cappella when I get a chance so I thought I'd start off this new year 2022 with an A Cappella version of an old classic called "Low Down the Chariot." I hope you enjoy this different side of my music background and training.

 

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MARY DID YOU KNOW

Mark Lowry wrote the lyrics for this song in 1984 and the music was later written by Buddy Greene in 1991. The song has really become a modern Christmas classic recorded by hundreds of artists. I was first introduced to it in the 1990s and while directing the Contemporary Vocal Band at Saint Andrews Presbyterian Church, I wrote out an arrangement that included the piano and bass parts on this version. I used the arrangement for many years with the various church bands. I chose not to do it last Christmas, but I thought this was the year to bring it out. Mr. Midiman actually played the played the piano on this version from my arrangement, but I played the other parts. I hope you enjoy my last video offering for 2021 - "Mary Did You Know."

 

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SANTA BRING MY BABY BACK TO ME

Okay, it's time to have some fun. Here's another one of my favorite Christmas songs for kids and old alike that was done by Elvis in the early 1960s. It's a nice short little song and I had fun making the video. Don't send anyone to put me in a straight jacket or take me away somewhere. I'm just having some fun. I hope you enjoy "Santa Bring My Baby Back to Me." Watch out for the reindeer!

 

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SANTA CLAUS IS BACK IN TOWN

I just love the Christmas songs sung by Elvis Presley because they're basically in my vocal range without any adjustments to the key and they are just fun and light. I learned most of them years ago and occasionally get a chance to sing a few at special Christmas events. Here's one of my favorites - "Santa Claus Is Back In Town." I especially had fun playing the piano part for this song. I won't divulge how many "video/audio" takes it took to get it right, but it was more than six (that was after practicing). Some of it was sort of an old Jerry Lee Lewis style, but then there were those runs and syncopation; I'm not an accomplished pianist; I get by. Well, I hope you enjoy the Jerryaires singing my vocal backups again this year and smile when you listen. There's still time left for a couple more Christmas vidoes - watch for Santa going up the chimney at the end!

 

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SILVER BELLS

And so it is Christmas ... but I'm not covering that one. Instead, my good friend Julie Florin is helping me on this first Christmas cover as a duet. We had looked at several possibilities on YouTube and found a version by Olivia Newton-John and John Farnham that we modified to fit us. Julie and I used to sing in The Caroling Party and sang many Christmas Carols wearing our "old Dickens' outfits." I think we're both wearing perhaps part of what we used to wear when we caroled together. Of course, she's in South Carolina, so this took some technology tricks. Here's an old standard Christmas song "Silver Bells." We hope you enjoy it.

 

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EARLY MORNING RAIN

I've had this video cover partly done for sometime now and decided to finish it up. When this song first came out in 1964 by Peter, Paul, and Mary, I learned all the parts. Several of the folk singing groups I've been it performed this song. I've never really performed in much in public since the 1960s; however, nearly every night, I have my guitar downstairs and I spend a little time playing some of my favorite songs. I play this song nearly every night. It was written and performed by Gordon Lightfoot, but I love the PP&M version. This cover is done the way PP&M did it many years ago. I hope you enjoy the song "Early Morning Rain."

 

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ANOTHER SATURDAY NIGHT

It seems like Halloween was just yesterday and what have I done? Well, I've spent a good amount of time working on my genealogy research with a gentleman from Winston-Salem helping me. We've gotten a lot done. But, I wanted to get out at least ONE more video before the Christmas season started. I have a list of about 20 songs that I might do down the road and this wasn't one of them. I kept hearing this old Sam Cooke song on 60s Gold on SiriusXM as I've been riding my bike and I thought to myself, "This would be a nice cover" and so I've covered it. It was a hit single in 1963 reaching No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the R&B chart. It's been covered by other artists, but none sing it as well as Sam Cooke. Here's "Another Saturday Night." I hope you enjoy it.

 

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SPOOKY

A few years ago, I had made myself a backing track for this song in case I ever wanted to perform it by myself. I actually played it with Blair at a New Years Eve gig at the Angus Barn several years ago before COVID. It's a classic song by the Classics IV. The song reached number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1968 with Dennis Yost singing the lead. Being that it's the Halloween season, I decided a couple weeks ago to do something "haunting"; I didn't do a Halloween video last year but I did a lot of other "seasons" of the year. So, here's my ghoulish version of "Spooky." (Just how crazy can this man get? Who knows; but I"m having fun.) Christopher Lee - eat your heart out; wait, he's already been staked!

 

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TELL IT LIKE IT IS

And so it's that time again. While working on my genealogy and riding my bicycle, I still find time to create/record a new video. I've sung a few Aaron Neville duets with Blair Holland, but I've never done one of his solo numbers. I heard this one the other week while out riding and thought, "I can do that song!" But of course, not the way Neville sings it - there's only one voice like that. So, I cleaned it up a bit and did it my way. I hope you enjoy the old 60's song "Tell It Like It Is." [Hmmm ... Halloween is just around the corner.]

 

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FOUR STRONG WINDS

Back in 1962, my brother Keith taught me how to fingerpick the Peter, Paul, and Mary song called "It's Raining." I had so much fun with that song that I started learning their songs. I was a tenor in the Green Street Baptist Church where I met Curtis Collins and we got David Austin to join and sing bass in a quartet. The youth choir was planning it's summer week-long tour. On the morning we were to leave, we met in the parking lot and Lynn Curlee, our tenor in the quartet had laryngitis and wouldn't be able to sing. I had brought my guitar with me so on the bus, an older senior Joe Rowe joined us as we began singing and formed the "Back of the Bus Four"; our choir director decided to let us replace the quartet act in the "fun" part of the concerts after the formal church presentation. Joe had graduated and that left David, Curtis, and me. We had done a few recordings at Robbins Recording Studio in Greensboro, just a small studio building behind the man's house. We looked down a list of electrical companies and selected a name and we became "The Crestwoods." One morning, the school administration played our version of "Greenfields" over the intercom and advertized us playing at an upcoming school event. Shortly thereafter, a young junior named Roger Taylor stopped me in the hall or called me, I've forgotten which, and told me I had played one of the chords wrong. Within a few weeks, he joined us as a second guitar player and brought a friend Bob Cummings who played standup bass. We covered the song "Four Strong Winds" after the version done by The Brothers Four; I still have a copy of our recording that was done in 1963 at Copeland Studios in Greensboro.

In the summer after our senior year in high school, we auditioned for and were accepted to play at the summer park in Gatlinburg, TN (instead of Tweetsie, Boone which was much closer). We decided we each needed to work and make some money for college coming up, so we turned down the gig. I've always wondered what might have happened if we had played that summer in Gatlinburg - we were a strong folk group vocally and instrumentally. Roger and I continued to play a bit and got together with another high school friend Peggy Hart and formed a group for about a year and played a number of venues. Shortly thereafter, I helped form The Foresters at Wake Forest University and kept the fire burning, but the folk music fire was dying out.

I haven't seen bassist Bob since college days - he also came to Wake Forest a year behind me but later transferred. I'm frends on Facebook with Lynn and Peggy and we converse quite often. Roger has been a constant help these past several years with my music endeavors and we talk several times a week. I see Curtis ocassionally when he and Roger and I arrange a special weekend somewhere for a music adventure. I lost track of David a little over 5 or so years ago, but I think he's living in Wilmington.

So, in honor of all these friends who helped me forge the years with folk music, I thank you. Let's not let the good times die. Keep playing, keep singing, and keep having fun - I'm not done yet!

 

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GET CLOSER

Over the years, I've done one song by Seals and Crofts and that was the song Summer Breeze. I played it with the group Winterwood in the 1973-1975 timeframe and I didn't sing the lead. This song by Seals and Crofts is one I've never done but my good friend Julie Florin suggested it as a duet piece and why not? We've done several, why not another collaboration? It's been a little slow finishing with both of us tied up with other projects; but, here it is, our latest virtual collaboration. Wow, we've been doing music together about 27 years now - more to come. Enjoy!

 

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LAST THING ON MY MIND

I know that everyone is just salivating waiting on my latest video cover! (Yeah, right!). Well, while working on the Folk Legacy Trio's CD this past month, they had a great version of an old folk song by Tom Paxton. Peter, Paul, and Mary did a version, but it was a solo by Mary back on the album "See What Tomorrow Brings." I enjoyed working on it so much, that I set down my own version of it as I knew it would be relatively easy to do. It's just some good ole folk guitar pickin' and three part harmony. I hope you enjoy this new video.

 

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TURN, TURN, TURN

It's new video time and about a month ago, Dolores suggested that I do this song. It was put in my book list and I decided to pull it out now. I've never sung this song in my career, but I've always known it fairly well. It's the title name of the second album by The Byrds and was released in December 1965 when I was a sophomore in college. It had previously been released by Judy Collins as a folk song. The Byrds "electrified" their version in the folk rock genre. The album only made it to #17 on the Billboard Top LPs charts but the single topped the charts in the United States. Of course, The Byrds spawned the famous David Crosby who later helped formed Crosby, Stills, and Nash. So, here's my cover of "Turn, Turn, Turn." I hope you enjoy it ... more later [I have a real treat currently in the hopper!]

 

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YOU MAY BE RIGHT

You may be right and I may be crazy; or I might just be the lunatic you're looking for. Don't try to save me; you may be wrong for all I know, but you may be right. Yep, that's what I said/sang. I was looking for a nice, upbeat song and found You May Be Right by Billy Joel in my list. I have never done the song before now, but it had all the 1950s feel of a song that I could play. It was released 41 years ago on his album Glass Houses. It reached #7 on the US Charts. It was fun putting this together and especially great having my good friend Julie Florin help with the piano part - again (thanks Julie). I hope you pat your foot somewhere in this song and enjoy "You May Be Right."

 

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CATHY'S CLOWN

My good friend Steve Gregg suggested that we do a duet from the Everly Brothers. I agreed and so we pulled up "Cathy's Clown." It's not one that I've ever performed, but I knew the song pretty well. It was recorded in 1960 and it was their first single for Warner Brothers and spent five weeks at number 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was number one for seven weeks on the UK Singles Chart and was their biggest-selling single. Personally, I would have thought "Wake Up Little Suzie" or "Let It Be Me" was a bigger hit; guess I was wrong. Dolores and I were up in Danbury, Stokes County, this past weekend and we recorded the video on the stage at Priddy's. We hope you enjoy our rendition of "Cathy's Clown."

 

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I GOT YOU BABE

Way back on July 8, 1998, Julie Florin and I sang "I Got You Babe" as part of a talent show at Saint Andrews Presbyterian Church that summer. I wore some kind of wooly, prickly vest, but we can't seem to find that picture of me. Later, when the A Cappella group Colossal Nerve was formed, Julie and I also sang a version with our friends. We decided to reprise it as one of my video presentations. I stopped through Anderson, SC on my recent trip to Atlanta and we recorded the video portion as well as Julie playing the piano and a crystal piano sound. So, what started out 23 years ago is now renewed for your listening and viewing pleasure. We hope you enjoy "I Got You Babe." (PS - the outtakes are for sale)

 

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TEACH YOUR CHILDREN

I know that I said I was slowing down on my videos; i.e., not one every week. However, this one was already in progress. You see, we were in Cancun, Mexico last week for a deserved vacation and I took my old classical guitar along. Last Thursday night, Dolores and I recorded this video. There are some disclaimers here; it was at night around the Casa Maya resort with people looking on wondering what was I doing (you might notice me looking around occasionally). The video was recorded from my iPhone in rather poorly lit conditions. Also, we didn't have a stand to brace with so the video floats around a little. I worked on that when I got home or you'd really get drunk watching the video. I had to record the lead part on my iPhone. Then, I laid the iPhone down behind me on the wall and played along with it for the other parts while Dolores used her iPhone to video the other two parts. When I returned to Raleigh and did the editing, I added a tambourine and shaker for a little rhythm. The original version by Crosby, Stills, and Nash had no percussion. I also dropped in a bass guitar for some depth. And finally, I used Mr. Midi Man and Mr. Melodyne and added a pedal steel guitar that was part of the original version. It was a fun project even with those obstacles. I hope you enjoy "Teach Your Children".

 

SONG LIST


WICHITA LINEMAN

This song was first recorded by the American country music artist Glen Campbell with backing from members of the Wrecking Crew and was widely covered by other artists. It was released in 1968 and was written by the famous Jimmy Webb who wrote many hits. In addition, the song topped the American country music chart for two weeks and the adult contemporary chart for six weeks. It was certified gold in January 1969. I love Glen Campbell's music and this song, Wichita Lineman, is one of my favorites. I hope you'll enjoy it. I'm releasing it mid-week because I'll be "out of pocket" for a short breather. See ya later.

 

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BUILD ME UP BUTTERCUP

I figured if Geico could use an old song from the 60s in their latest commercial, then I could use it for my latest video. In fact, you might recall that Nationwide Insurance's recent commercial used Cruisin' a few months ago and I covered it as well. I've never sung this song with any group before, but it's always been a fun song for me and one that people seem to like to sing along with. The Foundations recorded "Build Me Up Buttercup" in 1968. It hit #1 on the Cash Box Top 100 and #3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1969. I hope you enjoy these buttercups.

 

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HAPPY TOGETHER

There's an old expression that says if you grew up in the 60s and remember it, you weren't really there. Well, I was in high school from 1960-64 and college from 64-68 and I remember it well. Being at Wake Forest University, some of the psychedelic trends of that time were late arriving. It fact, marijuana didn't really hit the campus until the year after I graduated; that might have been a good thing - or not. I guess I missed out on some experiences. But, I did enjoy some of the unusual music of the time, even though I was heavy into the folk genre. So, in honor of all those songs, here's my take on The Turtles song "Happy Together." I sang this in the A Cappella group called Colossal Nerve back from the early 2000 time frame. It was a fun song then and now. I hope you enjoy this crazy video version - I'm not on any drugs; just having fun.

 

SONG LIST


GROOVIN'

Last week when I posted my video, I received a message from a friend of about 30 years Ken Eves who wanted to know if I knew a special song by the Rascals. It just so happens that the song "Groovin'" has been on my list for a while but I just hadn't gotten around to it. So, Ken, this is your week. The album "Groovin'" was released in 1967 (my junior year at Wake Forest University) and rose to #5 on the Billboard Top LPs chart and #7 on the R&B chart. The title track Groovin' reached #1 in the US. So, even if it's not a "Sunday afternoon", kick back and enjoy Groovin' (my Groovin' Vocal Band didn't make the video session but there's plenty to see).

 

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WHO LOVES YOU

This video turned out to be quite complicated. I knew the vocals would be tough, but the instrumentation wasn't a cakewalk either. I've been working on it a couple of weeks along with the last "Your Song" that I posted. I'm not sure what took me to this song by Frankie Valli, but it's one that I've always loved. It was the title song of their 1975 album. My interest might have come from a group called Nightlife that I was in from 1975-82 where we tried to make this song work. But that group really only had 3 singers and it never worked out. The song "Who Loves You" reached # 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1975. So, here's my latest attempt at a fun song. I hope you enjoy "Who Loves You."

 

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YOUR SONG

Over the years, I've never really performed any songs by Elton John, mostly because everything he did was piano based instrumentation. However, it's easy sometimes to do a finger picking pattern similar to a piano run. Still, I felt this song would be nice with the original piano arrangement. So, as usual, I asked my good friend Julie Florin if she would play the piano accompaniment, which she so willingly did. She also played some string parts and I added two different low cello lines. Again, Julie was working from out of state and so it's taken a little while to pull it all together, especially since we just also finished posting another collaboration. Here is our version of "Your Song" by Elton John. It was released in January 1970 as a B-side to another song, but eventually rose to #8 on the Billboard Charts and became his first major hit. "This one's for you!"

 

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AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH

My good friend Julie Florin and I have been making music of various types since 1995. Recently, she has helped me on my videos by playing some piano parts and then emailing me the video along with the clean audio files. This time, having sung in various groups together, I asked her to join me on an old duet that neither one of us have ever done. It's a song by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell called "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." It was a hit single in 1967. Julie played piano and strings and I played guitar, bass, strings, and piccolo; the song is filled with instrumentation. All of this was done long distance using green screen effects on the video. We had a lot of fun putting this together so we hope you enjoy it.

 

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MY GIRL

David Ruffin from the Temptations was the lead vocal on this next song. It was released in January 1965, my freshman year at Wake Forest University. Ruffin didn't stay with the "Temps" long and tried a solo career. Several lead singers with the Temps tried to copy Ruffin, but no one did it like the original. My friend Roger, former co-owner of the beach band The Carolina Breakers, said that if all else fails, play this song and the people will dance. If not, you need to pack up and go home. I've sung this song hundreds of times and still play it almost every night that I do a duet gig with Blair. It's a favorite that I hope you like. You don't need me to tell you the name of it.

 

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GIRL WATCHER

Are you wishing you were at the beach in the warm sunshine (somewhere) and enjoying the sounds of the ocean waves coming in? Well, sit back and enjoy an old beach classic Girl Watcher by the Okaysions and watch this old man wink at the girls that never really came by - except for the laughing lady at the end - I know her well! Thank you Julie Florin for adding some Hammond Organ and youth and smiles to the video.

 

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SHERRY

Francel Goude - this one's for you. As I recall, about a month ago, you asked or "challenged" me to do this song by Franki Valli and the Four Seasons. Just the name of the group itself is enough to scare off most people. But being the young and foolish guy that I am, I decided to give it a try. This song was first released in 1962 on their debut album. Here's an interesting tidbit; it was originally named "Jackie Baby" in honor of the First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and was inspired by the song "Hey! Baby". At the studio, it was changed to "Terri Baby" and later to "Sherry." It was their first #1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and US Billboard R&B. Of course, Franki Valli still sings it in concert all these years later. Happy listening - I'm still recovering from throat surgery.

 

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JUST THE WAY YOU ARE

Several weeks ago, I started working on the new video by Billy Joel called Just the Way You Are. I invited two special friends to join me. Julie Florin is on piano and Terry Blalock on saxophone. I've known Julie since 1994 and Terry since about 1971 - we're long time good friends. I am especially thankful that they helped me with this song. I hope you enjoy it.

 

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SHE BELIEVES IN ME (JERRY ON PIANO)

I love a good Kenny Rogers song and have posted at least one other. This song "She Believes In Me" was a hit in 1978 and I wanted to do it with the group I was playing with at the time, but we just never did. So, here's my cover of it with me playing the piano on this version. I hope to have a friend do a collaboration on the piano part. If that happens, I'll post it as a separate video.

 

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CUPID

It's Valentine's weekend coming up and as I promised, I have a special video for Valentine's Day. Sam Cooke sang the song Cupid and released it in 1961. It's a perfect song for the holiday. I've never sung a Sam Cooke song anywhere live because his vocals were generally about a step too high for me. I fixed that problem on this video. I hope you enjoy my special video effects in this one.

 

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PLAY ME

I've always been a fan of Neil Diamond and was "shocked" when he had to retire from touring due to Parkinson's Disease. Dolores and I have seen him in concert several times. He put on a great show. He released a single called "Play Me" in 1972 and it reached #11 in the US that year. It's a pop-rock ballad in a waltz 3/4 tempo. People loved this song in concert and always sang along on "you are the sun, I am the moon, you are the words, I am the tune - Play Me." The song is filled with lots of instrumentation so I played around with the final video and faded out the personnel when they weren't playing; that way you remain focused on what is happening. I hope you enjoy "Play Me." Next week is a Valentine's Song - that's the plan.

 

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CRUISIN'

Smokey Robinson - a one of a kind performer from the 60s who's still out there performing. There's no way this caucasian male is gonna sound anything like Smokey. But, I can do my best interpretation. I was watching an Allstate Drivewise TV advertisement recently showing a rover gliding through the air on the moon and the background music was Cruisin' by Smokey Robinson. I thought to myself, "That's a great song I've never done; I should do it." And so it came to pass that 8 working days later, I'm releasing my version. I didn't realize the difficulty of making the song sound "right." But, after lots of manipulating - let's just leave it at that - and some advice from a good friend, I've completed what I consider an acceptable version. I threw in a little smoke background to honor "Smokey". I hope you enjoy "Crusin'".

 

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MY EYES ADORED YOU

Well, here I go again - a Frankie Valli song. I just love the old man still out there singing - well, he was before COVID hit; I hope he comes back even though he's 85 years old. I made a version of this song a couple of years ago and actually sang it at the Raleigh Country Club one night with my duet partner - but just with guitar. I decided it was time to do this one right. And, although there's not a lot of vocals in the song, it took a while to get what I wanted. The background instruments weren't easy either. I did play the string parts but when transcribed, there were 3-4 different lines running in the background; I had to play them one at a time. Then, there was this classical, nylon string guitar part that took a long time to get right. Finally, I was chatting with my friend Julie Florin this past weekend noting that I had to record the piano part. She volunteered to play it even though she's still recovering from emergency appendectomy a few weeks back. And here's the fun part, I sent her an mp3 of my track as it was on Saturday. Now she lives in South Carolina, but she recorded the .mov video file with audio at her grand piano shown in the video. I took the audio file and using my technology skills, I converted it to a stereo sound of an 8 foot grand Steinway piano. I laid that audio sound under her video and "voila", it was beautiful. You can't hear the full stereo effect in the video because of the way the instruments were panned, but it was nice. Thanks again Julie for helping me. I was told to put some proper "adore" pictures in the front portion and a little ending touch. Here's my version of "My Eyes Adored You."

 

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THE BEST OF MY LOVE

I haven't done a song by The Eagles until now. I've been performing this song for years - sometimes singing the lead and sometimes the harmony. I love the stacked harmonies that they sing. This song has a pedal steel guitar in it; I don't have one and I can't play one - well, never tried. But, I know what they are supposed to sound like. So, I edited a MIDI file I borrowed from my friend Roger Taylor and ran it through what was called a Hawaiian Guitar sound - it works for me. Otherwise, I had fun playing the instruments and laying down the vocals. I hope you'll enjoy "The Best of My Love" during this continuing COVID-19 time.

 

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YOU'RE NO GOOD

There's only one Linda Ronstadt and what a voice she had. I've done a few of her songs because the Eagles released them with several of their founding members having been a part of Ronstadt's original traveling band. But, I've never done "You're No Good" until now. I actually worked on a backing track last year, but I've have never performed it in public. I sing it sometimes in the evenings around the house when I'm giving my "private" concert to myself. So, there was quite a lot of parts to work up on this one and I decided to use my electric guitar on the driving lead section. I also went out to film the video at a site I visited 11 years ago with Blair and her Uncle Jeff Weatherspoon who did some great still photos for us. In fact, the porch used in this video became the cover on our duet CD "Laid Back and Easy." Well, lay back and enjoy You're No Good - it's not a "happy/smiling" song; what would you expect after being dumped by your girlfriend?

 

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OH, WHAT A NIGHT (DECEMBER 1963)

Late December back in '63, I was a senior in high school. I was pretty much into Peter, Paul, and Mary and the folk era and stayed there quite a while. In 1975, I guess in reflection, Frankie Vallie and the Four Seasons released a song called December 1963 (Oh, What A Night). I thought I'd start off the year with a vocal challenge. So, here's my cover version of "Oh, What A Night!" I'm wearing my Wake Forest University coat that I wore/bought 1964-68 - still fits.

 

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LITTLE BABY BORN IN BETHLEHEM

I mentioned that I was going to try to post one more video before Christmas and here it is. John Phillips had formed the folk group The Journeymen in the early 60s. Later, of course, he was the founding member of the Mamas and the Papas. Our folk group at Wake Forest did this song by The Journeymen during all our concerts. The song is called "Little Baby Born in Bethlehem" and I think John Phillips wrote or re-arranged an old version of it. It's very difficult to find an original audio file on the Internet. Of course, Christmas is the celebration of Christ's birth. There's not a lot in the New Testament about his early years after his birth except the "preaching in the temple" noted in this song. We pick up on his life at about age 30 and we know how that ended. This song actually takes Christ from his birth to his crucifixion; so, it could also be an Easter song. But, I decided I wanted to post it now even if the ending is perhaps "down." The red scarf represents the joy of Christmas and the black outfit I wore represents the crucifixion. But, we know there's a happy ending to the story so maybe you'll see this "resurrected" again at Easter. The band at Restoration Church did this song for Easter in 2014. I have a guest drummer on this song; otherwise, it's all me for better or worse. I hope you enjoy my last "Christmas" video. I may have a New Year's Eve song - depends on my time.

 

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WINTER WONDERLAND

This is my 4th Christmas Offering. I still have one more that I hope to finish before Christmas. I've sung a lot of versions of Winter Wonderland, especially with The Caroling Party. But, I grew up on Elvis' version in the late 50s and 60s. And so I've recreated his version playing bass, bells, piano, acoustic lead, and some tambourine splats. I brought back the Jerryaires for the background vocals, but only two showed up for the video taping. I hope you enjoy my version of Winter Wonderland.

 

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WHITE CHRISTMAS

Here's another Christmas standard as done by Elvis Presley. It's White Christmas; I loved the way he sang it. I did some new tricks with video and putting the Jerryaires up "behind" the trees (that was an interesting fix). Also, there's a "third hand" on the piano at the end. That's just me overdubbing the bottom piano note. I don't think anyone can really play what they wrote - well, maybe Julie Florin can. It's all me except the drums. I need to learn to play drums in 2021 - ha!

 

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BLUE CHRISTMAS

It's back to the Christmas music. What year would be normal if you didn't hear Elvis' version of Blue Christmas. Wow, I've been singing this song since the 1960s. The last member of the Jordanaires died in 2013, so they obviously weren't available for the backup harmonies. I brought in the Jerryaires to do the job nicely. Of course, this song can't be done without that high iconic soprano from the original version that helped define the song; Millie Kirkham died in 2014 so I had to improvise.

Notice the "blue snowflakes" that I found a way to create as well. It was a simple song with bass, drums, guitar, piano and vocals. I kept it that way. I hope you enjoy Blue Christmas. Next up is White Christmas.

 

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YOU SHOULD BE DANCIN'

I was planning to do Christmas videos during December. However, over the Thanksgiving holiday, my son David McDowell challenged me to do a song by the BeeGees - "You Should Be Dancin'." Well, there's only 4 people that can sing like the BGs - Andy, Maurice, Robin, and Barry Gibb and the first three are deceased. So, I did my best on the vocals and added in some lower harmony as well.

This song was a bear. I have 25 tracks of audio that I mixed down. I played and sang everything but the drums - as usual. There was bass, wah bass, synthe swirls, strings, piano, brass, rhythm electric guitar, lead guitar, and plenty of vocals to go around (over a dozen tracks). Musicians loved to dump as many synthesizer sounds in those 1970s-80s songs - so much so that the background sometimes just gets "lost." I tried to keep this one as clean as possible.

Oh yeah - back in 1977, the year Elvis died, I was teaching at Enloe High School and the choral director asked me to do an Elvis tribute. So, I pulled out our Singer sewing machine and made a polyester jump suit. When thinking about what to wear for this video, that came to mind - it was the closest thing to that era that I have and so I've reprised that outfit - still able to get into it (with some help).

If "enjoy" is the word, then enjoy this video please; don't be too harsh on me. I love a good challenge. Now, back to Christmas.

 

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THE CHRISTMAS SONG

It's time for my first Christmas video. For years, I sang with The Caroling Party here in Raleigh and "The Christmas Song" (Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...) was our favorite to sing and the guests loved it as well. But, this is a slightly different version that I put together that has a Jamaican rhythm to it. Don't let the Santa Clause hat scare the kids. Enjoy some Christmas music.

 

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GREASE

Greetings everyone. That last video "Let It Be Me" by the Everly Brothers was so "easy" in comparison that I decided to challenge myself. After looking around, I decided to try this song by Frankie Valli. Most of you know the song "Grease" from the same movie name. It has lots of syncopation and "stuff" going on. There's bass guitar, drums, strings, brass, 3 vocal backgrounds, the lead vocal, and two acoustic guitars in place of two electric guitar tracks. I created MIDI tracks for the drums and bass and decided NOT to play the bass part this time (it was really tricky), but I made my MIDI file work. There's even a sprinkle of piano; you can really hear these parts best if you listen in headphones. Most mobile devices just don't play the tracks with all the full spectrum of sound. This offering took about 10 days total working off and on but I had a blast doing something "out of my wheelhouse" so to speak. I hope you enjoy it.

 

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CALIFORNIA DREAMIN'

Last weekend, I was riding on the greenway trail and noting how orange, yellow, and brown the colors were. Most of the leaves had turned brown. And I thought of the words "all the leaves are brown and the sky is gray" and they were brown and the sky was a dreary gray. The song California Dreamin' came to mind and I decided I'd make my video version of it. The Mamas and the Papas had a great hit in 1965. I've never really performed this hit in any of my groups over the years except with Blair a few times in the past 3-4 years. So why not? Here's my video version of the original hit. I hope you enjoy it.

 

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AND I LOVE HER

I have several friends who've asked me to do a song by the Beatles. I've sung lots of their songs over the years and in college, I worked on this song for a special project my roommate was doing. So, here's my version of "And I Love Her." I hope you enjoy it.

 

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SCOTCH AND SODA

Back in 1967, our folk singing group The Foresters sang for the servicemen in Germany for 8 weeks. Before we left, we each decided upon a solo number that we would perform. I chose a song made popular by Bob Shane of the Kingston Trio called Scotch and Soda. I didn't particularly like the "strumming" version that he did, so I changed it to more of a bluesy chord finger picking version. I still play it today like I did back then. So, I decided since it's my "signature" solo song, that I would do a quick version for my video series. Here's my version of Scotch and Soda. I hope you enjoy it.

 

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BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO

Back in 1962, Neil Sedaka recorded Breaking Up Is Hard to Do as an upbeat pop song and it was considered to be his signature song. It hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Later in 1975, he released a totally different, slow version of the song. It was #1 on the Easy Listening Charts. I decided to take a crack at both versions, so this video starts with the slow version and finishes with a bunch of me doing all the "down dooby do down down...", etc. for the fast version. This was a challenge since Neil Sedaka was a pianist and I'm not; but for sake of the video, I played the piano parts until I got them right (eat your heart out Julie Florin). I won't publish how long that took. I didn't play the drums nor some nice little electric guitar fills on the slow version, but the rest is me having fun. Also, just FYI, the camera view on the left of me at the piano came from my iPad and you can see one of two black mics I had over the piano to get me a stereo mix of just the piano. The piano was recorded into an old stereo DAT Recorder that I still have. The camera view on the right came from my iPhone and the middle camera view came from my Sony HD camera. I had an interesting time finding the "best" version of the vocal and piano on each song and then had to sync it all up in my Adobe Premiere Pro software; that was interesting. My recording vocal mic had an extension cable on it and it ran up to the second floor to my studio and into my ProTools software. It ran the the entire time picking up all the conversation I was having with myself. Needless to say, when a "take" went back, I had a few choice words about my lack of skills at playing piano, but none of that verbiage made the final cut - thankfully!

 

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A SUMMER SONG

I ran into a couple old geezers practicing a run through of a song that they sang years ago. Actually, the "Foresters" at Wake Forest University sang this song at a concert at Mitchell College in Statesville in 1967 and during the summer in Germany. It's a Chad and Jeremy favorite mixed with the version made popular by The Lettermen. There's nothing real spectacular in this video, just a nice version of an old song. Enjoy Summer Song - our love now gone for this year.

 

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GARDEN PARTY

When I was a young teenager, I'd watch "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet" on TV every week. Of course, they made their son Ricky Nelson a teen idol by showcasing him every week in the later years at the end of the show. Years later on October 15, 1971, Ricky went to Madison Square Garden along with a bunch of folks to do a concert. After playing the old songs, he started on some of his newer work and was booed. It wasn't well received as these people came to hear his old hits. He sang one more song and closed his set and walked off the stage and out of the building. He learned that you can't please everyone, so you got to please yourself. He wrote this song after it was over. It was one of his few "hits" in his later years since he really did do lots of concerts in the 1970s singing his old songs. So, I hope you'll enjoy Garden Party.

 

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NO ONE TO TALK MY TROUBLES TO

This may be the last video posted on Facebook. If you've kept up, they are supposedly changing their guidelines tomorrow and not allowing streaming of musical offerings like this. We'll see how that goes. Meanwhile, back in the 1964 timeframe, our high school folk group The Crestwoods did a song that was recorded by The Journeymen when John Phillips ran the group before he formed the Mamas and the Papas. We loved this song and always performed it when we sang in public. I've never really done it as a solo song over the years. I pulled it back out for this presentation. It's probably not a song you know. There's nothing really fancy about this video other than "stitching" together 3 videos that Dolores McDowell helped me record this morning. It's called "No One To Talk My Troubles To."

 

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IT'S ALL RIGHT

22 September 2020 - Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions did this song back in the early 60s. Huey Lewis and the News redid it the 1980s. I sang it with an A Cappella group named Colossal Nerve in the 1998-2006 timeframe. So, while my arm is still recovering from surgery and it's still a little difficult to play some guitar chords, I thought I'd perform an A Cappella version of It's All Right. I hope you enjoy it.

 

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NEVER MY LOVE

31 August 2020 - Back on April 4, 2020, I posted a video of Never My Love and I was singing along with a track I had and my arm was in a sling. I decided to redo the video with my own track and vocals and so this is it. I love The Association's harmonies and this is the last in my list of their favorite songs. This will be my last video for a while as I will be laid up after having the metal plate surgically removed from my arm tomorrow morning. As soon as the healing is far enough along, I'll probably start working on some more. Meanwhile, enjoy Never My Love. 

 

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THE MARVELOUS TOY

20 August 2020 - Occasionally, Bill Gaither used to ask Mark Lowry, "Mark, how stupid can you get?" And Mark would reply, "You ain't seen nothing yet!" Well, that's somewhat how I felt when recording this video. You see, this is a children's song called "The Marvelous Toy" and you can't sing a children's song without acting like a child. And so, this crazy man put on his best children's smiles and created this video. I hope you enjoy my crazy antics.

 

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THE GAMBLER

3 August 2020 - It's time for my next COVID-19 video selection. I've sung "The Gambler" for a number of years - mostly on my own. I just felt like it was time to give this one a try. As usual, I do NOT play drums so I got some "help" on the drum track. However, everything else is mine. I even recorded my grand piano for a fuller sound on that. And as usual, I brought out the whole gang to give me some help with the song. And Dolores McDowell helped me with the video. We went riding around last Friday evening late getting video for outside the train window. In addition, I had to learn some new video techniques. The trick on this one was to record myself at the table twice, interacting to some degree with each other. That was a stretch, but I think I made it work. If you notice anything "unusual", just let me know. I hope you know when to fold 'em - please enjoy this offering.

 

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NO FAIR AT ALL

26 July 2020 - After The Association had a huge hit with Cherish, they needed to come out with a song with similar harmonies. Hence, this song called "No Fair At All" was released. It made it to #51 on the charts and then their studios released another song they had recorded and it caught the ears of the general public and knocked this one off the charts. It didn't do that well in general and it wasn't until their next big hit "Never My Love" that they really charted again. So, many of you may not even remember this song. In the early 1969-70 timeframe, I owned, and still have, a Sony TC-255 sound-on-sound stereo tape recorder. I had a 6-inch metal tambourine and my electric guitar and multi-tracked a version of this song. I still have that old version digitized and saved. I decided to update it and do a clean version for my newest video. I started with nothing; that is, I didn't even have, nor can you find, a lead sheet. So, I used my Sibelius software and created a leadsheet with all the harmony parts written out. I transcribed the electric bass and flute parts from the original mp3. Then, I created a MIDI drum track that I recorded but didn't play. I did play the bass, flute (on a keyboard), three guitar parts, and sang all the vocals. At one time, I had 9 vocal lines in my ProTools project trying to save all the parts so that they made sense to me. The Association really loved tight vocals and often used an unusual bass vocal harmony. The electric bass part on this song was especially interesting as well. And so I offer "No Fair At All" as my newest video. Looks like COVID-19 is going to be around for a while, so I'll keep learning new things to do with video and have fun creating videos of my favorite songs. I hope you enjoy this song about a lost love. Have you ever said something like, "Man, that just isn't fair at all?" Sometimes you don't know what you have until you've lost it.

 

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HOMEWARD BOUND

19 July 2020 - I've been playing Homeward Bound since my college days back in the 60s. And since then, I've played it more times than I can count, especially in my duet adventures with Blair Dougher Holland. So, I decided this was a good song to work through. I brought the "whole gang" in for this one. I've been working on it for a couple of weeks getting the instruments the way I wanted them. I found out after listening to the original, that there were several nice guitar licks I have never played as a solo guitar; so, I added them in as well. Then, I tossed around a number of ideas for the background and finally settled on a "train adventure." That took longer than expected. I finally got to where I am and said, "That's enough!" Here is Homeward Bound. I hope you enjoy the trip.

 

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CHERISH

11 June 2020 - Right after Cherish by the Association first came out, our folk singing group at Wake Forest University was moving to a folk rock sound and we picked up the song. We sang it in Germany for the servicemen during the summer of 1967 and kept it in our repertoire until our final concert on 18 May 1968. It's not an easy song to perform because it has so many vocals. The Association was usually a six-man group and everyone sang; they may have even doubled some vocals on this song. Now, I'm not a drummer, so I used a drum track from my backing tracks and I also used the bass guitar track from that as well. However, all the vocals, guitars, tinkle bells, tubular bells and piano are my tracks. This one has taken a long time, but I was having fun. I even included a hound dog helping me out on the high notes - look for it. I hope you enjoy my version of Cherish.

 

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MARGARITTAVILE

30 May 2020 - I've been watching all these programs on TV with the "multiple box" effects. I figured if they can do that with Zoom and whatever else is out there, then I could do it with my video software. So, here's a fun song I like to perform by Jimmy Buffett called Margarittaville using the "black boxed" effect. Who knows what's next. Since I play other instruments, I decided to really overdo this one. I hope you enjoy this. My background pictures are actually from Cancun over the past several years. I miss that place - ready to go back for a week - hey Steve Gregg - are you ready yet?

 

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LEADER OF THE BAND

27 May 2020 - I've always liked Dan Fogleberg and over the years I did a couple of his songs. This is a favorite of mine that he wrote in honor of his father who was a band leader. The video background was taken on 18 July 2013 when my son David McDowell and I were hiking and summitted Mount Bierstadt in Colorado. It has a height of 14,065 feet. It was a fun hike and one of four that week in July.

 

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WHATSHERNAME

22 May 2020 - Here's the next song in my "green screen" series. Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul, and Mary recorded a song called "Whatshername" on their album called "Album 1700" in 1967. They were starting to change their style a little by this date, but this was a solo song. Unless you've studied their history, you might not know that Paul was a jazz and rock artist when he first met up with Peter and Mary. He didn't know folk music; their first song together "practicing" was "Mary Had a Little Lamb" just to see if they would click vocally. So, this song is a return to more of his jazz roots. I always wanted to sing it but never could. There's no sheet music available (though I created a lead sheet with chords) and so learning it was extremely difficult. Back in February of this year, I had decided that I was going to learn this song from beginning to end. I had finished most of the learning cycle and then crashed the bike. This past week, I decided it was time to get back to it. Most of us have had an encounter with a friend from our past that we haven't seen in years. And, we always ask how they are, what they've been doing, and remembering some friend - what was their name? Hence, that's how Paul wrote this song trying to remember the name of a girl he used to date before he got married. I've enjoyed putting this together. I had to learn how to place a feathered/fading matte around part of a video and overlay it over a background. I hope you enjoy it; it's way out of my usual wheelhouse.

 

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(YOU CAN) CLOSE YOUR EYES

16 May 2020 - This is a classic James Taylor song that I've never sung before. I saw James, his wife, and son do this song on Jimmy Fallon about a week ago and thought this would be a nice, new song to learn. So, I've spent the week working on some rather interesting James Taylor guitar licks that I don't recall on his other songs. It was on the flip sing of his #1 single You've Got A Friend. It was written to his one-time girlfriend Joni Mitchell. He's performed it with Joni and with Carole King as well as just solo performances. Here's my take on it using some "green screen" techniques. I've got much more to learn in that regard.

 

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DANNY'S SONG

9 May 2020 - Well, most everybody's got too much time on their hands; I know I do. So, I decided to do a video using the "green screen" effect. Now, I've never done this before, so I had to read up on the technique. It's really simple and my software works just fine. However, when you're singing and being the producer, you sometimes miss a few things. There are a couple of glitches in this video, but I decided for a "first take" at it, I'd let it go. So, I packed up my equipment and went over to Falls Dam and took my backup singers and acoustic guitar players along with me. Here's my three guitar version of "Danny's Song." I had fun.

 

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