This Historic Day… My Son

Posted on November 7, 2013 by sixstrstories

For my birthday this year, my son took me to a concert. We went to see the Allman Brothers Band with Grace Potter & The Nocturnals at the Comcast Center in Mansfield, MA on September 6.

My most cherished memory from that fabulous, memory-filled Friday evening (and afternoon) came during The Allman Brothers Band’s  performance of their 1972 classic “Blue Sky.”  

As the song’s instantly-recognizable, harmonized opening guitar lick soared from the dazzling fingers of Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks, we rose together, cheering, with the thousands around us. We danced, my son and I, joyously. And then, as the band lifted the song off into the chorus, we looked at each other, smiled, and sang together at the top of our lungs: “You’re my blue sky, you’re my sunny day. Lord, you know it makes me high when you turn your love my way, turn your love my way, yeah.”

Happy 26th Birthday, my Son.

Here’s to many more years of cherished memories.

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Here We Are

Posted on October 27, 2013 by sixstrstories

On April 6, 1998, I put the finishing touches on a new song.

“Hold On (Tight)” was my reaction to a time in my life, my family’s life, that was indeed filled with “dark, demanding days.” I wrote the song as a chronicle of how we – my wife and I – were coping, trying to do the right thing. I also wanted to point out the good stuff, the blessings we enjoyed and the hope I held out for the future, once the hard times went away: “I swear that up ahead I can see the light.”

So, here we are, 15 and 1/2 years later, living in that future. 

We survived.

The tears did indeed disappear and were replaced many, many times over by “laughter’s long embraces.”

Time is still a precious and elusive treasure.

We still “pillow talk and take our walks.”

We still “stand our ground with arms around each other.”

We’re still “pretty good at putting up a fight.” 

We’re still holding on.

Tight.

“Hold On (Tight)” – Words, Music, Guitar & Vocals by Eric Sinclair

Click on the blue link above – wait for it! – to hear my song.

I hope you enjoy it.

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To A Mom, With Thanks

Posted on October 18, 2013 by sixstrstories

I don’t recall that any of the small handful of Rock bands that I played with in high school ever practiced in a garage. Living rooms, dining rooms, basements, a room over a garage, but never in the garage. (I did, after all, grow up in New Hampshire.)

Though I’m sure we took it for granted at the time, my young bandmates and I were very fortunate to have each had a Mom and Dad who were willing on a regular basis to allow us to turn their home, for an evening or a long Saturday afternoon, into our personal band rehearsal space. They also usually provided drinks and snacks.

One of those Moms was Mrs. Blanche Savage.

Blanche Savage and her husband Daniel lived in a small ranch-style house on Stoney Brook Lane in Exeter, NH. Their son and only child, Daniel Jr., was my friend and classmate at Exeter High School. Danny Savage was also the best electric guitar player I knew.

Danny and I, along with our other musical friends Jim and Alan and, for a while, Joe, had a band. At one point, when we were a quintet, we named ourselves The Back Street Window. 

Mr. & Mrs. Savage would let us practice in their basement. I particularly remember one afternoon when it was just Danny and me. I had my full drum set and Danny had his new, huge, solid state Magnatone guitar amplifier (containing two, heavy-duty, 12-inch speakers). I’m pretty sure I would have also brought the band PA – microphone, mic stand, two tall “column” speakers and a 100-watt power amp – to amplify my vocals. (Danny didn’t sing.) Danny and I jammed (though I don’t think we called it that back then) at full volume for several hours. We played every song we knew, some we thought we knew and quite a bit of “music” that we just made up as we went along. I remember being rather stunned and drained when we were done and Mrs. Savage smiling as I packed my equipment in my parent’s station wagon to go home.

I hadn’t thought about Mrs. Savage for many years, until I saw her obituary in the paper yesterday. Reading the short article, I learned much about my friend’s Mom.

Blanche V. Savage was born in Exeter on October 22, 1925. She was the daughter of George and Melina Nichols. She had several brothers and sisters. As an adult, still living in Exeter, she worked at two different shoe factories, Exeter Shoe and Rockingham Shoe. About 15 years ago, she moved to Barrington, NH and spent her last days at the Dover Center for Health and Rehabilitation, in Dover, NH.

Mrs. Savage passed away at Wentworth-Douglas Hospital, also in Dover, on October 15, 2013. She was 88 years old. She was predeceased by both her husband (in 1991) and her son.

For Mrs. Blanche Savage and all of my bandmates’ Moms – Mrs. Girard, Mrs. DeFreitas,  Mrs. Gorski and, of course, my own Mom – and the Dads! – who supported and encouraged and paid for the musical interests and activities and development of their children and in turn, their children’s bandmates, I am forever deeply grateful.

I hope that, way back then, I said “thank you” often enough. Since you are all now gone, I can only wish that I could say it to each of you, in person, one more time again.

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This Historic Day In Music: John Lennon

Posted on October 9, 2013 by sixstrstories

George Martin, the Beatles’ record producer, is quoted many times in the magnificent and massive volume called The Beatles Anthology. (“Here for the first time in print, is the history of The Beatles – by The Beatles.”)

Here’s one, from page 210.

George Martin said: “John Lennon never liked his voice. I don’t know why, because he had the greatest of voices. He was always wanting to distort his vocal, asking me to do things to it: double-track it, or artificially double-track it, or whatever. He always wanted something different.”

According to the Glossary in the back of Mark Lewisohn’s book, The Beatles: Recording Sessions, “double-tracking” is: “The act of recording the same thing again on a separate track thus re-inforcing the sound when the two are added together. Relies on the fact that two performances are slightly different.”

Here’s a song from the 1964 album, Beatles For Sale. John Lennon is the lead singer. His vocal has been double-tracked.

Listen.

In later years, John Lennon experimented often in the recording studio. He would try having the recording engineers speed up (or slow down) the tape recorder during a vocal recording and then see how his voice sounded when the tape was played back at the normal speed. One time John actually tried singing while lying on the studio floor and having the microphone suspended above him.

Here’s a song from the 1966 album, Revolver. John is the lead singer. His vocal and several of the instrumental parts were subject to being recorded and played back at different speeds.

Listen.

I don’t know if John Lennon ever learned to like his voice or not. I do hope so.

As I listened again to John’s performances on those timeless and indescribably gorgeous recordings, my recurring thought was: “What’s not to like?”

But on this day, October 9, 2013, on what would have been John’s 73rd birthday, I will turn again to the words of George Martin to express my feelings for the singing of John Lennon.

George Martin said: “I love John’s voice anyway, and it was a great privilege listening to it.”

It still is.

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Finding Covers – “Faith”

Posted on October 6, 2013 by sixstrstories

In The Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Second Edition, 1989, edited by Donald Clarke), “cover” is described as “a recording of a song already a hit by another artist; now more especially of a song already recorded by its composer.”

The entry goes on to explain how: “In the mid-50’s ‘cover’ took on a special meaning as white artists covered R&B material, often with watered down lyrics (to say nothing of style).”

Then: “In the ’60’s United Kingdom pop stars covered Chuck Berry and other black artists out of acknowledged admiration.”

Also: “A cover often revived a good song and made more money for the composer.” For example, “In the late ’70’s-early ’80’s Willie Nelson could make a friend a lot of money by covering a song on an album.”

The Encyclopedia’s entry concludes: “There are signs in the ’90’s that people are more willing to sing each other’s songs as new pop and rock groups seek an exclusively young audience, while more discriminating artists and fans are more interested in good songs.”

After many hours of intense observation and detailed analysis (especially over this past summer), I have come to the following conclusion in regard to the use of covers in 21st century popular music.

These days, many performing musicians – no matter how extensive and revered their personal catalogues of original material – are actively keeping alive the songs that they grew up with and/or were inspired by.

And they’re having a great time doing so.

For instance…

On Friday, August 30, at the Prescott Park Arts Festival in Portsmouth, NH: during the encores of the long and luminous concert by Steve Earl & The Dukes (and Duchesses), Steve signaled the ensemble’s segue into a rousing version of The Band’s 1969 hit “Rag, Mama Rag” by shouting out “For Levon!” (the late Levon Helm was the dearly loved drummer and frequent lead vocalist for The Band.)

On Friday, September 6, at The Comcast Center in Mansfield, MA: midway through Grace Potter & The Nocturnals’ hard-rocking opening set, the entire band gleefully gathered around Grace at center stage for semi-acoustic renditions of Junior Parker’s 1953 R&B song “Mystery Train” and the 1970 Grateful Dead classic “Friend Of The Devil.” (“Mystery Train” is probably best known for the cover version that Elvis Presley recorded in 1955.)

Of these and all of the excellent covers that I had the pleasure and privilege of hearing over the summer, one of my favorites presented itself early in July.

On Wednesday, July 3, at The Prescott Park Arts Festival: Lake Street Dive presented their dazzling interpretation of “Faith,” the 1987 George Michael mega-hit and top selling song of 1988.

Check it out for yourself! (This is a live video of Lake Street Dive from July, 2012.)

Lake Street Dive (not Drive) is a quartet – Rachael Price: lead vocals & guitar; Mike Olson: trumpet, guitar & bass vocals; Bridget Kearney: upright bass & vocals; Mike Calabrese: drums & vocals – that formed in 2006 when its members were all students at the New England Conservatory in Boston, MA.

The studio recording of the group’s cover of “Faith” is available on the band’s 2012, 6-song CD called Fun Machine. This highly recommended CD also contains outstanding covers of “I Want You Back” – the 1969 debut single from The Jackson Five – and “Rich Girl” – the 1977 hit by Hall & Oates.

I found many other wonderful covers this past summer that I will be sharing with you in the months to come. Let me know what you think of them and please feel free to share any discoveries of your own!

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This Historic Day… My Daughter’s Wedding

Posted on September 29, 2013 by sixstrstories

The music for my daughter’s wedding was as thoughtfully considered, carefully selected and perfectly realized as every other facet of that unforgettable and dazzling day-long event was.

First there were the Beatles’ songs – exceptionally rendered on electric piano by my good friend Andy Inzenga – that served as the prelude, processional and recessional of the late afternoon, outdoor wedding ceremony. Then there were the countless Rhythm & Blues, Soul, Funk, Motown and Rock & Roll classics – served up by the truly outstanding (and highly recommended) Cambridge, Massachusettes-based, seven-piece band -“The Chicken Slacks” – that made the evening’s wedding reception the most joyous and exuberant  dance party of the year. 

For the father/daughter dance, Kristin and I made a rather unusual (no big surprise) choice: “Swinging On A Star.”

This song was high on the hit parade in the Sinclair household during my children’s formative years. So when the idea to use this Johnny Burke & James Van Heusen song for our dance came to me, and I suggested it to Kristin, she instantly agreed.

In honor and celebration of the 1st anniversary of Kristin & Andy’s wedding – and wishing that on this September 29 I could again have a dance with my daughter – I present to you Mr. Bing Crosby singing “Swinging On A Star.”

P.S.: If you’d like to hear the song that I wrote for and sang to the bride and groom at the wedding reception, go into the blog archives for October 2012, find the post “Song For My Daughter’s Wedding” and click on the blue link to “The Embrace of Love.” (Wait for it!)

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This Historic Day In Music: Bruce Springsteen

Posted on September 23, 2013 by sixstrstories

When I graduated from high school, my godparents, Raymond and Pauline Brisson, gave me the gift of a check to spend as I wished. I don’t remember how much the check was for, but it was enough for me to go to the Tech Hi-Fi store in Cambridge, MA, (just off Harvard Square) and buy a Kenwood stereo amplifier and a Kenwood KW-4066, 3-Head Stereo Reel-To-Reel Tape Deck.

Kenwood R2R

I used that tape deck for many years, making many hours of live recordings. Sometimes, I would also tape off the radio – WBCN, 104.1, Boston – especially if the station was broadcasting a live concert or playing a rare track from a favorite artist.

Once, I was lucky enough to capture a stunning recording of an incredible song called “The Fever” by Bruce Springsteen. The track was recorded on May 16, 1973 at the Record Plant in New York City. It was an outtake from the sessions for Bruce’s second album, The Wild, The Innocent & The E-Street Shuffle.

In 1999, I was very excited to find “The Fever” on a Bruce Springsteen rarities album called 18 Tracks.

Tonight, on Bruce Springsteen’s 64th birthday, I’d like to share that recording with you.

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Woke This Morning To The Sound Of Thunder

Posted on September 22, 2013 by sixstrstories

This morning, once again, life imitated art.

Or, at least, life reminded me of the first verse of a song I wrote a few years ago, inspired by a day that started much like today did.

The song is called “Some Grand Design.”

The recording (that you can listen to by clicking on the blue link below) (Wait for it!) is a live recording from a concert I gave in Phillips Church, Exeter, NH, on Tuesday evening, October 11, 2011. (The concert was the fourth in a series that I have titled: Six Strings, Ten Fingers and One Voice, with Words. The series began in November, 2003.)

The chorus of the song goes like this:

Chances come, chances will be lost,

That’s some grand design.

Chances are if you listen to your heart,

Chances taken will take wing and fly.

I hope you enjoy the song!

“Some Grand Design” – Words, Music, Guitar & Vocals by Eric Sinclair

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This Historic Day In Music: Georgia Turner Sings Her Favorite Song For Alan Lomax

Posted on September 15, 2013 by sixstrstories

I woke up this morning with an idea for a blog post.

I worked on the idea off and on in my head all day as I did chores, ate lunch, drove to and from Portsmouth and then mowed the lawn.  

I had my topic, a title, the music I wanted to write about and how I was going to start the post.

Finally, with dinner eaten and the dishes done, I sat down at my desk.

While waiting for my computer to start up, something told me to check my September list of music history dates that I often reference for blog post ideas. I reached into the file drawer next to my desk, pulled out the manila file containing the carefully compiled and typed lists and opened the file on my lap. 

The “September” page was right on top and there, for the 15th, was written the following entry: “‘Rising Sun Blues’ recorded by Georgia Turner for Alan Lomax, Library of Congress, in Middlesboro, KY.”

The idea that woke me up this morning would have to wait.

Now, I’ve already written a substantial post on this event and I’m hoping that you’ll take a few minutes right here and now to go into the blog archives for September 2010 and read the entry titled On This Day In Music History: “Rising Sun Blues” Again.

I’ll wait.

Hmm, hm hm, hmmm.

Tweedle-dee-dee…

OK. Welcome back. I hope you enjoyed that post.

When I wrote that, I’d not yet learned how to embed YouTube videos in my posts. But now, here in the wonderland of blogging in 2013, I’m very excited to be able to present to you: Miss Georgia Turner herself as recorded by Alan Lomax in Middlesboro, Kentucky on this day, September 15, in the year 1937.

P.S.: The first time I visited the American Folklife Reading Room at the Library of Congress, curator Todd Harvey showed me an archival storage binder containing the original heavy paper sleeves that once held and protected the original discs that Lomax recorded onto during his song collecting trip through the mountains of Kentucky in 1937.

On the paper sleeves, in Alan Lomax’s own handwriting, were the names of the musicians, titles of the songs and pieces of music contained on each disc. But also, Lomax had added  personal observations about an individual performer or performance here and there among the listings.

After the listing for “Married Life Blues” (the song that Georgia sang with harmonica player Ed Hunter before she sang “Rising Sun Blues”), Alan Lomax had written: “She had a bad cold.”

If I were you, I’d go back and listen to that recording again.

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A “This Historic Day In Music” Quiz

Posted on September 11, 2013 by sixstrstories

Ok, followers and readers of sixstr stories, it’s quiz time.

What very well known song was given its first public performance at the Eagle Ice Cream Saloon in Pittsburgh, PA on this day, September 11, in the year of 1847?

Bonus question! Who wrote this song?

What American fingerstyle acoustic guitarist was born in Athens, GA, on this day, September 11, in the year of 1945?

What song did The Beatles record at Abbey Road Studios, London, England on this day, September 11, in the year of 1962? (Hint: this song was released as the A-side of their first single.)

Send your answers in a comment!

 

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