A few months back I shared the lyrics to one of my latest lullaby songs “Music Pajamas“. It’s part of the “Bedtime Buckaroos” collection of western themed lullaby songs. And now it’s a picture book…one of my latest ebooks for kids on the Kindle platform on Amazon.com Here’s a picture of Meep, the lead character of the book… Meep’s a kid who couldn’t sleep … The rest of the story…
I’ve been calling myself a children’s writer for years. Now, I have some official recognition of that label. A while ago I completed a lengthy course on writing for kids by the Institute of Children’s Literature. And recently they sent me my official diploma. Here it is… This was a great course, and I recommend it to anyone interested in being a children’s writer. My … The rest of the story…
A singer songwriter has it pretty easy these days. No…I don’t mean in the world of commerce; that’s a tangled web. I’m referring to the act of singing, songwriting, and recording. When I first started writing songs, I used a pen, spiral notebooks, and an old upright piano that had about 2 octaves that actually sort of stayed in tune. At the time I … The rest of the story…
A young man is supposed to go to college. But he wants to be in showbiz. So he goes to college, but he sneaks to auditions and gets parts in small plays, bigger plays, and even movies. His mom helps him sneak behind his dad’s back to go to rehearsals. His mom’s friends help out by trying to keep the dad busy so he … The rest of the story…
Stick with me as I show you how our tax system stifles creativity. Ok, I admit it…when it comes to taxes…I’m a procrastinator. I just finished my 2011 calculations to squeeze the filing in before the October 17 deadline…or is it October 15. Anyway, I spent hours and hours adding up receipts, gathering digital info along with paperwork, and filling in entirely too many … The rest of the story…
I started writing lullaby songs for kids back in 2008, and they became a crowd favorite. So I wrote a whole CD of ’em in mostly a smooth jazz kind of feel. And I called it “Lullabye Bye”. The first song was one of those nice moments when a song just pops out. The title “In Your Dreams” has been used so much to … The rest of the story…
I’ve always enjoyed kiddin around with kids. And they seem to get a kick out of it, too. That’s why I wrote a whole CD of zany funtime music for kids and called it “Kiddin Around“. It starts out with a song called “Don’t”. How many times have you heard one kid telling another one that? Or how many times did YOU have … The rest of the story…
I spent some time in the loop recently. The Lariat Loop that is. If you live in the Denver, Colorado metro area, chances are you know what and where the Lariat Loop is. It’s an easy 40 mile drive through some canyons and front range mountains. And if you really took your time and saw all the points of interest along the way, you … The rest of the story…
Feel free to freewheel on down through this explanation and read the lyrics if you like… Back in the late eighties and all through the nineties I was an avid mountain bike rider. I had a rack on the back of my Toyota pickup and my mountain bike went with me all around the country. I was a traveling musician. I’d ride at least … The rest of the story…
My goal is to have 9 or 10 songs for the “Bedtime Buckaroos” lullaby songs collection. Currently there are seven completed songs you can hear on my lullaby songs page. Just click on the buckaroos music player and listen for free. This evening I wrote the words and worked out a melody for song number eight: “The Silver Horse”. Sometimes I have just the tiny grain … The rest of the story…
Word And Music = Travel When I was in school, I remember more than one teacher telling us students how reading could “transport you” to just about any place you wanna go. Word pictures…even those two words put together created word pictures in my head. I was hooked on words, on reading, on transporting myself to new places, new faces, new worlds. I became a … The rest of the story…
It seems like, to be a popular singer songwriter these days, you gotta have a story of angst…or survival in the midst of seemingly insurmountable turmoil. Don’t get me wrong…I know the times they are a-ragin’. But I just don’t want to give in to the negative view…the doomsday naysay…no way. Whatever happened to “grin and bear it“? Or “let a smile be your … The rest of the story…
If You Were Struck By Lightning Love… Would It Be Good Or Bad? Well, in the case of my song it’s not such a good thing. If you’ve been following my blog lately, you’ve noticed I’ve been telling the story behind the lyrics to some of the songs on my free music player. Don’t go there and listen right now because I’m about to … The rest of the story…
You’ve probably heard someone say “in your dreams” when they think someone else has exaggerated something. Well, when I started writing the first song in my jazzy collection of lullaby songs “Lullabye Bye”, I wasn’t thinking of that expression at all…at least not for that reason. I’ve never had any kids, and some people might think that it would be odd for a childless … The rest of the story…
We do it all for love I was sitting by a lake, in Texas, after a very difficult day, when I wrote a song called, “All For Love”. It was a fall day…my favorite time of year no matter where I am…and the wind was blowing gently through my Toyota pickup window. I was enjoying a cold Pepsi and thinking back over the events … The rest of the story…
Uh-huh…bet you thought I forgot the names of the Beatles, didn’t you? 🙂 Not at all. I just thought I’d share my demo video of me doing cover tunes of John Mellencamp, Paul McCartney, and Ray Charles, and here it is for your viewing enjoyment…I mean…you don’t have anything more fun to do…do you? Like clean the oven? Or pick up after the dogs? … The rest of the story…
Back in the early part of the 21st century I was playing music full time in a swanky Bahama style restaurant”Bahama Breeze. One of the things I really enjoyed was watching the kids get out on the floor and dance to the music. Kids don’t really care all that much about lyrics, messages, and such. They just know the beat moves their feet. And when your feet … The rest of the story…
Back in 2003 I wrote and produced some music for a corporation’s annual awards party. They were putting together a Mardi Gras theme and wanted some fun music to go along with it. Along with some “well-known” stuff they found, they thought two or three humorous and sardonic songs might be the ticket. So I wrote “Crazy Mama’s So Mean” about a fictitious woman … The rest of the story…
Back in the late 80’s, when I was a full time traveling singer songwriter, I wrote a lot of songs in hotel and motel rooms. And then I’d do my best to set up my analog Yamaha four track recorder, keyboards, outboard drum & percussion machines, and microphone into a makeshift recording studio. That way I could hold on to songs till I was … The rest of the story…
Back in the late 80’s I was “on the road” as a singer songwriter full time. Well, let me backtrack just a bit. I’m also a native son of Colorado…born in Fitzsimmons Army Hospital in the Denver area. And after moving around…a lot…in my formative years I made it back to Colorado in my early twenties. It was on a vacation from my home, … The rest of the story…
