Author Archives: sixstrstories

About sixstrstories

I am the son and only child of a registered nurse & a self-employed collector of wildflowers. I went on to become: a Beatles’ fan; a record collector; a drummer; a music magazine subscriber; a guitar player; a songwriter; a high school graduate; a college student; a music major; a performing singer/guitarist; a photography student; a yearbook photographer; a student teacher; a boyfriend; a letter writer; a college graduate; an elementary school music teacher; an apartment dweller; a husband; a guitar teacher/independent contractor; a homeowner; an independent music producer; the father of a daughter; the father of a son; a bandmate; a teacher of the history of popular music in America; an instructor of music/adjunct faculty member; a grandfather (x3); a condo dweller; and a blogger.

No. 9

Posted on April 18, 2019 by sixstrstories

Another birthday, another telling of the tale… sixstr stories was born on Sunday, April 18, 2010 in Somerville, Massachusetts. I was visiting my daughter and casually mentioned to her that I was thinking of starting a blog. (At the time, … Continue reading →

This Historic Day In Music: Wes Montgomery – Take 2

Posted on March 6, 2019 by sixstrstories

I bought my first Wes Montgomery album when I was in high school. The purchase was made in Boston, Massachusetts, at one of the two music stores that used to stand on the block of Boylston Street in between Tremont … Continue reading →

Posted in Posts with Video, This Historic Day In Music | Tagged "While We're Young", Jazz Guitar, Riverside Records, So Much Guitar, Wes Montgomery | 2 Comments

Something New

Posted on February 24, 2019 by sixstrstories

Jim Adams hosts a weekly song lyric challenge on his blog, A Unique Title For Me. It’s called “Song Lyric Sunday” and the prompt for today is: Harmony/Melody/Music. I’ve never responded to Jim’s challenge before but that prompt… well, it … Continue reading →

Posted in Posts with Audio, Random Topics | Tagged Harmony, Melody, Music, Sing To The World, Song, Song Lyric Sunday | 6 Comments

Some Kind Of Smelling Salts

Posted on February 17, 2019 by sixstrstories

“Music. What is it good for? Why do you seek it?” Journalist Christopher Hislop, skilled chronicler of the large and vibrant music scene here in my neck of the woods, poses those questions to everyone he interviews for his weekly … Continue reading →

Posted in Posts with Video, Some Kind Of Smelling Salts | Tagged 5 Spot, Christopher Hislop, EDGE Magazine, Frank Turner, Musical Caffeine, Recovery, Tape Deck Heart | 6 Comments

To The Museum, Once Again

Posted on February 10, 2019 by sixstrstories

This is my third post about the guitars on display at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts. The first – A Trip To The Museum – went up on March 13, 2014. It features three very old guitars … Continue reading →

Posted in Random Topics | Tagged Art of America Wing, Hawaiian Guitar, Lap Steel Guitar, Museum of Fine Arts, National String Instrument Corporation, Resonator Guitar | 5 Comments

Truck Day

Posted on February 4, 2019 by sixstrstories

Truck Day is the day celebrated each year by the fans of the Boston Red Sox Baseball Team as the “official” start of the new baseball season. It is the day that the team’s equipment truck begins its journey from … Continue reading →

Posted in Posts with Video, Random Topics | Tagged Al Hartz, Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park, Harvey Hindermyer, Jet Blue Park, Take Me Out To The Ballgame, Truck Day | 2 Comments

Walkin’ Blues

Posted on January 20, 2019 by sixstrstories

It was a Saturday morning in the middle of January. I was out for a long walk with my favorite accompaniment: my iPod classic, set to “Shuffle Songs,” playing through my Sony headphones. I’d been serenaded by Billie Holiday, The … Continue reading →

Posted in Posts with Audio, Random Topics | Tagged Acoustic Guitar, Alan Lomax, Blues Guitar, Four O'Clock Flower Blues, Library of Congress, Mississippi Blues, The Land Where The Blues Began, William Brown, Willie 61 Blackwell, Willie Blackwell | 5 Comments

This Historic Day In Music: Atlantic Records SD 8216

Posted on January 12, 2019 by sixstrstories

I wish I could tell you that I remember when I first heard them, but I can’t. I do remember that in 1969, starting in the middle of my sophomore year of high school, I was crazy about the new … Continue reading →

Posted in Posts with Video, This Historic Day In Music | Tagged Atlantic Records, Jimmy Page, John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin's First Album, Robert Plant, Viram Jasani, You Shook Me | 7 Comments

This Historic Day In Music: Elizabeth Cotten – Take 4

Posted on January 5, 2019 by sixstrstories

“Take 4?!” That’s correct. Elizabeth Nevills Cotten was born on January 5, 1893, in Carrboro (right next to Chapel Hill), North Carolina. And the story of how little Elizabeth grew up to become a guitarist, singer, songwriter, performer and Grammy-award … Continue reading →

Posted in Posts with Video, This Historic Day In Music | Tagged Alice Gerrard, Arhoolie Records, Elizabeth Cotten, Folkways Records, Freight Train, Frets Magazine, In The Sweet Bye And Bye, Mike Seeger, Peggy Seeger, Ruth Crawford Seeger, Smithsonian Folkways Records, Wilson Rag | 4 Comments

Old Long Since – Take 2

Posted on December 31, 2018 by sixstrstories

ICYWW (In Case You Were Wondering): This past November, I added a co-motto to my blog. “Good music doesn’t get old” by Ferdinand Joseph “Jelly Roll Morton” LaMothe, my original motto, was joined by a quote from Bruce Springsteen: “All valuable … Continue reading →

Posted in EFS Music, Posts with Audio, Posts with Video, Random Topics | Tagged Acoustic Fingerstyle Guitar, Acoustic Guitar Instrumentals, Auld Lang Syne, Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians, James J. Fuld, New Year's Eve, Robert Burns | 2 Comments