Author Archives: sixstrstories
With The Help Of Many Friends…
Here’s something a bit different from my usual sixstr stories fare. I was invited to participate in this project back in April by my friend and colleague, Bob Squires and one of his students, Oscar Dupuy d’Angeac. Oscar came up with the … Continue reading
50 Years Ago Yesterday: The Audition At Abbey Road
It was 7:00 pm, on Wednesday, June 6, 1962. The Liverpool rock & roll quartet known as “The Beatles” – John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Pete Best – were in Studio Two of EMI Studios, 3 Abbey Road, … Continue reading
Pancakes & Vivaldi
I don’t know which came first, but ever since the early years of parenthood, Sunday mornings in the Sinclair household have meant two things: pancakes and classical music. The only connection that I know of between listening to classical music and eating a … Continue reading
So Long, Doc
Arthel “Doc” Watson died yesterday, Tuesday, May 29, 2012, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He was 89 years old. Doc Watson played acoustic guitar in both the flat-picking and fingerpicking style. Whether you called it Folk or Country or Bluegrass, the … Continue reading
This Historic Day… My Father
Francis Matthew Sinclair, my father, was born on this day, May 27, in the year 1915. He was the son of Joseph F. and Mary (Winkler) Sinclair and lived almost his entire life in Exeter, NH. He graduated from Exeter High … Continue reading
This Historic Day In Music: Bob Dylan
Today – May 24, 2012 – is Bob Dylan’s 71st birthday. Two years ago, in celebration of Bob’s big day, I asked: “What is your favorite Bob Dylan song?” Many of you posted your answer through the “leave a comment” … Continue reading
This Historic Day In Music: “Maybellene”
On May 21, 1955, Chuck Berry recorded his song “Maybellene” in the Chicago, Illinois studio of Chess Records. On May 21, 2010, I wrote and published my first post filled with all the details of this momentous musical event. I … Continue reading
“The Reason I’m Here”
Musically, it’s a waltz. Lyrically, it’s a love song, with two verses, a chorus and a bridge: “I know how it might seem, but you’re still the reason I need to believe.” (As true now as it was then.) Guitaristically, I play … Continue reading
Wrestling With The Angel, Chapter 3
Montgomery Ward stood at one end of the Newington Mall. Bradlees stood at the other. In the 1970’s and ’80’s, the Newington Mall (“It’s one big store, it’s one big store…”) was the destination shopping center in this southeast corner of New Hampshire. In … Continue reading
This Historic Day In Music: Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger is always good for a quote. My favorite is from the introduction to his children’s book Abiyoyo (1985): “Practice may not make perfect but it sure as hell makes for improvement.” From The Protest Singer: An Intimate Portrait … Continue reading
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