Martin Guitar
"Da-da-da, my baby left me, da-da-da, 'bout the break of day, da-da-da, it's not coming back, da-da-da, no more to say … " This certainly could describe our economy these days, right? Or, a lost relationship? How about a lost job, home, income, wife, spouse, health insurance, etc?
Every human being on the face of the earth has the right to sing the blues. No matter what your station in life, we all go through moments of deep despair. Let me say now that also have times of great happiness, too. However, the human condition is forged with the blues-singing enough material to fill one billion pages.
I've been a blues songwriter, singer and artist for years. I did not look for the blues. It found me. It turns out that after reading an interview with Eric Clapton in the '80s, I realized that the solid rock thread running through all the music I liked was The Blues. Thanks, EC! In that interview, Clapton returned to me Muddy Waters (real name: McKinley Waters), and the undisputed king of the Delta Blues: Robert Johnson.
It is often said that "Blues had a baby and called it 'Rock and Roll". "The Beatles had a strong base of blues like the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jefferson Airplane, The Doors (the latter two actually played in my high school in 1968!), The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Canned Heat, Aretha Franklin, and hundreds of others. That's what my music is everything.
Nothing feels better than singin 'blues. It is a release cathartic deep sentimental character. It feels very spiritual. I am never angry, frustrated and sick of playing the blues when I'm performing them. The fact that I have been able to write, record and perform my own songs with my band, The Buzzard Brothers (Flagstaff, AZ), is nothing short of miraculous. I could never have dreamed it would be so fortunate. And because of this amazing technological age we are all part of, I now have my songs on YouTube and iLike, which is a blessing, and a growing addiction (if you look my name and include iLike YouTube or in a search, you will find me). Please forgive the shameless self-promotion.
They even have the high honor and good fortune of being able to perform at my job working with psychiatric patients in our local regional hospital. A number of these patients are the players themselves. Therefore, we will sit and pass the guitar around in circles impromptu composer. They get much needed relief to our guitar playing of the community. One of the therapeutic tools we have, outside the obvious medical and psychiatric treatment they receive. I also used my guitar continuously as a teaching tool for my 30 year career as an elementary school teacher.
For me, a song worth anything unless someone listens. I guess that validates the song itself. Bring closure. Many writers wardrobe probably not need this kind of gratification. However, I must confess, I do. The older I get, most grateful that I can play guitar and sing and leave everything on the line. There is nothing better. Certainly, never gets old.
And while the songs are as if by magic, I never refuse. If it is there, I write. I feel I am honor-bound and obligated to do so. And now, I can pass it on YouTube very easy. The best investment I ever made, except to buy my gem of a guitar (which is a model 00028EC Martin Eric Clapton acoustic signature) is my Canon Powershot SX10IS and still-shot video camera. What a blast. The kicker is:
if I can do it, you can too!
The moral of the story is: we all have the blues that reside within us somewhere. If the desire to be liberated, let it go and let it happen. You never feel so good about feelin 'bad.
Grant Brad Gerver is an entrepreneur and creative consultant for Filibi, a classified and online coupon advertising site and home business. He’s also a YouTube Channel blues singer-songwriter and guitar player with The Buzzard Brothers. Additionally, Grant writes political humor, thousands of bumper stickers, and humorous movie reviews. He has also worked with various companies as a product-naming specialist. He’s a retired elementary school teacher and published children’s author who works in the health care field.
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