Acoustic Americana

Since reenergizing my earlier career as a publicly-performing singer-songwriter, I now use the term Acoustic Americana to describe the music I love. To me, that phrase best captures my harmonious meld of most American music when performed acoustically and seasoned with a generous dollop of "y'all".  I'm honored and humbled to own a new, mythically-reminiscent Martin HD-28 guitar, lovingly supported by  a truly professional sound reinforcement system. I continue to relish an ever-evolving repertoire of personal favorites new and old, both covers and originals, most of which fulfill my overview of the Americana genre. I am especially beholden to fundamentally common sense Texas singer-songwriters such as Kris Kristofferson, Guy Clark, Rodney Crowell, Nanci Griffith, Bob Wills and Willie Nelson as well as the many other musicians I've been exposed to.

   I've long believed the cultural ethos of Texas has informed the work of so many of that state's best-loved songwriters. The time I lived and worked in Galveston more than 40 years ago was a wonderful introduction and aexposure to most Texans' gracious common sense. I'm extremely saddened to note Texas' current political derailment and pray daily for global enlightenment. I'd love to feel genuinely comfortable again when I visit my musical home state, either virtually or in person.

   The universe of bluegrass has also been essential to my music. I use it much as I do garlic in my kitchen, liberally but not as the only spice in my gumbo. .I also firmly believe both melody and and lyric should be interwoven to create understandable and meaningful compositions. Many of my other multi-varied life observations have also taught me to appreciate the simple, intrinsic beauty of functional form without the need for carvings, moldings or additional umlauts. That personal assessment has informed my 'less is more' style of writing and, in chorus with Guy Clark, I strongly believe the notes not played and words not sung can be as important as those which are.