Music from the 1960s decade is special. That is not to say any other decade is not special. But, for me, born in the ‘60s and youngest of five siblings, it resonates in a way that no other decade of music has. Maybe, it is because my ears first heard music in that time period. And, no doubt, mainstream music of that culture was all around me. Maybe, it was because I longed to please my older siblings, all “boomers”. Maybe, it was a longing to BE one of them, to not be “kid brother”. If I listened to the music they enjoyed, even learned to play and sing it, I would be accepted. At times, they seemed to be disinterested in it once I became immersed in it. Whatever the reason, I DID immerse myself in it. And, there was a specific element to it that touched me emotionally, and still does. There is a sadness to it, I hate to say. As wondrous as so much of it seems, it brought a sad feeling much of the time. See, I cannot dismember the social factors that occurred with it, the music, that is. The race struggles in America, the tragedy of the Vietnam debacle, the generation gap, liberation breakthroughs for women and youth, and more. It is all there, all in the music. If not addressed in the records themselves, in the songs, it was coinciding WITH the records/songs. For some reason, there are records from the 1960s that bring a deep feeling of sadness every time I hear them. More than that, there are CHORDS that do it! Sometimes, it is a specific moment in a record, and the deep feeling lasts for an instant, no longer. However, it will have that effect every time I hear it, still. It is like a sharp, stabbing melancholy that strikes. Let me be clear, it is not a bad thing. The feeling is one akin to watching a very touching, but, sad movie and having a good cry. That cry, all because the film was so powerful. Thus, is the feeling I get ANYTIME I HEAR “ Walk Away Renee”. The hit record by The Left Banke, with its syrupy strings, key of A, has an F minor chord (6 minor chord) in the chorus just as “these empty sidewalks on my block”comes into the picture. A moment later, a C# minor/3 minor chord (this is musician speak, I know) falls in the progression at “are not the same”. It is always powerfully sad for me. I cannot help but think of 45 rpm discs, cheap phonograph players in the hands of youngsters, skating rinks, poolside jukeboxes, and a time of social challenges. The song was sung by Steve Martin Caro and was written by Michael Brown, Bob Calilli and Tony Sansone. Others, such as Four Tops recorded it, too. The feeling behind the song is one of sheer heartbreak. And, I feel it each listen. Other ‘60s pop hits have a strong impact on me when I hear them, and they can even make me think OF the ‘60s in a sad sort of way. Procal Harum’s “Whiter Shade Of Pale” has that kind of vibe for me, even down to the funeral-esque organ that colors the track. Keith Reid and Gary Brooker are the authors, with Brooker’s soulful and mournful vocal carrying us all out to sea. Again, those minor chord changes hit home. “Walk Away Renee” and “ Whiter Shade Of Pale” (from ‘66 and ‘67) could be candidates to carry the torch for representing the decade, in my opinion. Upon hearing either record, the 1960s are conjured, albeit the place in pop history or the sonic recording quality. I know, there are countless records that could represent that magical decade. In country music Merle Haggard or Buck Owens would have candidates. Otis Redding or Percy Sledge could provide such a defining record, coming from the soul music realm. Many slick pop hits such as “ Downtown “ or “Summer In The City” are fitting. Folk music would toss out mainstream anthems “The Times They Are a-Changin’ and “Blowin’ In The Wind”, both penned by the same iconic writer (Bob Dylan). Of course, many would argue that a song to say “the 1960’s” would have to be a Beatles one. But, the truth is that record players became far more produced during those years, causing sales in popular music to eclipse previous works. And, the liberation going on in all kinds of areas provided much more diversity and kicked in the doors of creative boundaries. The explosion of great and/or deeply impacting music during 1960-69 is undeniable, for whatever reasons. I cannot help but imagine the significance of an older brother’s favorite record he left behind before shipping off to Southeast Asia. Or, the record that was playing on a car radio, just as a teenage girl hitched a ride with a stranger because she was running away from a troubled home. The transistor radio could have been playing a certain hit by Marvin Gaye a moment before the clubs and dogs were unleashed on an upright, American teen. Yes, there was sadness, darkness, and such that is associated with 1960s music and it never fails to cross my mind when indulging in it. It runs deep inside me. Having put all this out there, it fascinates me to think of what record would have been the final #1 hit of the 1960s. Seriously, it is interesting for me-what record “closed out” the decade of upheaval, social change, and blooming colors? Would that particular record leave me with a strong feeling, an emotional gulp in my throat? Well, as the ‘60s were so trusting for me in delivering lots of meaningful songs, yes, the close-out #1 on Billboard does that. It is “Someday We”ll Be Together”. Recorded as a solo Diana Ross track, it was released as Diana Ross & The Supremes. However, no Supreme is on it. Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong are not singing on it, though haunting backing vocals by Maxine and Julia Waters are. First a record in the early ‘60s by Johnny Bristol, and written by him and Harvey Fuqua and Jackey Beavers, the Ross cover has a distinct vibe for me. It SOUNDS LIKE THE END OF THE ‘60s. Probably, some of that has to do with it being the end of The Supremes. Yes, The Beatles were no longer to be, The Supremes would be discarded by Diana Ross, even the old Man In The Moon would no longer be so mysterious. He would have man’s footprints trampled all over his romantic face. Countless runaways would be growing up fast, or dying on the street. Young soldiers would be killed, maimed, or forever altered by the ongoing war in Vietnam. Leaders would be brought down by assassins, and families torn apart by differences over new, social realities. Ah, yes, it was time to turn a new corner and leave those ‘60s behind. Yet, the problems were unresolved and the new leaf was imaginary. “Someday we”ll be together…oh yes we will, yes we will” goes the record. Are you sure about that, Diana? Did Mary Wilson, her voice not on the track, think that? It seems so positive, lyrically, rolling out of the turbulent ‘60s and into the ‘70s. But, there it is again-the record brings forth a massive feeling of sadness for me. Give it a listen and let me know your thoughts. It WAS the final top hit record of that decade. It will be a great trivia question for you at parties. History is there, etched in stone, like the Statue of Liberty jutting out of the sand at the end of The Planet Of The Apes movie. The record sounds so “final”, like the decade that was so change-making was coming to a complete close, never to be seen again. Sad. It HAD ended. It was over. Diana’s optimism just doesn’t cut through for me. It signals the end of it all. Like The Grassroots hit “Let’s Live For Today”, the last number one of the ‘60s, “Someday We”ll Be Together” has an attempt at positiveness, yet, gives me a melancholy feeling. But, I love the ride.

The feature here concerns songwriting, and how it is not acknowledged by so much of the populace. There are people, very large in number, who DO NOT WISH TO KNOW the author of a song. In fact, the insistence of crediting the WRONG PERSON as an author is a common thing. Upon being told that Bob McDill wrote the song “Amanda” the culprits fall somewhere between indifference/non interest and arguing that it is a “Waylon Jennings song” or “Don Williams song”. Both had hit records with the wonderful song, but, it was written by Bob McDill. Many folks just do not want to know that. It has always confused me. What is the fear of knowing truth? It seems that mis-crediting the written work is important to many. In other words, they want to LIVE A LIE. Some folks just cannot handle that George Jones did not author “He Stopped Loving Her Today”-it destroys their belief that his heartfelt rendering of it is due to his passion in WRITING IT, which he didn’t. There is little doubt that his performance of that piece is vocally noteworthy. BUT, HE DID NOT PEN THE SONG. Elvis Presley was not a songwriter, yet, millions of people are turned off by knowing that Mac Davis wrote “In The Ghetto” or Eddie Rabbit wrote “Kentucky Rain”. They hang on to the idea that Presley wrote those.There is something about truth, not just an absence of interest in songwriting, that scares a lot of people. Why is that? It is in step with those who insist that Mama Cass choked to death on a ham sandwich (she did not) or that Donald Trump is a “self-made man” (he came from wealth). Those persons are determined that a falsity fits their narrative, not anything factual. But, why is it so important to not acknowledge the craft of songwriting? I have listened to countless music “fans” talk excitedly about a guitar solo, or drum part , yet have no interest in who wrote the song. In fact, many seem to love the sound of a record, referring to it as a “song”, but ignoring the creator of the said song. It is as though the artistry and skill that goes into finishing a song, many times a long tedious process, has no merit. Why would anyone think that? The repeated attempts at different drafts of a musical piece, the experimentation, the brain crunching-those things are all commendable. Just as commendable as the thought process, experimentation, and planning that Neal Schon put into a guitar solo on a Journey record. Or, what Neil Peart did to arrive at a drum kit part on a Rush record. Or, the efforts Timothy B Schmidt and Glenn Frey put into an Eagles background vocal arrangement. Or, the timely leg kick Nancy Wilson displayed onstage during a Heart performance. It just makes no sense that so many folks are determined to downplay that Kris Kristofferson wrote “Me & Bobbie McGee”, not Janis Joplin. They insist on not wishing to know who JJ Cale was, while having high passion for songs of his that other acts covered (Lynyrd Skynyrd Band’s rendering of “Call Me The Breeze”, Eric Clapton’s take on “Cocaine”, Poco’s version of “Magnolia”). While I am at it get the words right when raving about a song! If you love it, but miss out on significant lyrics in the piece, doesn’t that question whether you REALLY love it? Is it the sound of the record that you like, not the song itself? I grew up in a music city where songwriting is a big industry. It is noticeable to me, in the experiences I have had, that so many people do not want to honor songwriting as something to be acknowledged. Then, those people will turn around and give the credit of an author to the WRONG person/persons. That misinformation is disturbing, as it is widespread. In closing, Axl Rose and his Guns N’ Roses mates did not write “ Live And Let Die”. Paul McCartney wrote it. And, no he did not use a double-preposition in the line “…ever changing world in which we live in…”. He wrote “…ever changing world in which we’re livin’…” And while I am at it, Steve Earle’s “Copperhead Road” refers to an engine style (“…big block Dodge…”), not the COLOR of the car (“…big black Dodge…”).

:Being in music as a full-time profession is the topic here, and in continuation from earlier posts. Many people have attended a large-audience concert in life. They are aware that attending a Cher performance means buying a ticket to the event. They realize that the artist is going to perform songs of her choice. She could choose different ones from what an attendee wanted. However, the possibility of making a “request” and having her change the show for the attendee’s delight is next to impossible. The concert goer just might complain on the way home that “Half-breed” was left out. It is their right to complain, but, it is Cher’s right to do a show she wishes to do. Then, there are venues where one can go, and there is a musician or musicians performing. There is no ticket to purchase, and the performer could be background to billiard games, TV, eating meals, dart throwing, and people socializing. The difference in the latter situation and the Cher concert is staggering. Both are music engagements, as far as the performers are concerned. But, the aforementioned scenario has only people who came FOR A MUSICAL EVENT. The latter mentioned scenario has MOST of the people in attendance there for something OTHER than a music event. Just as most folks have attended a concert of a major recording act, such as Cher, there are countless people to attend a small room with music as an afterthought. My purpose in this post is to highlight that most people have never attended a small room performance by a non-major recording act, that is a CONCERT. In other words, a show with a ticket purchase, with an artist not on mainstream radio, and an audience of 15-150 people. A small, intimate setting, but having an attentive audience who are engaged in the music AND NOT BILLIARDS, EATING, DARTS, TV, and loud socializing. There are artists who make a living touring full-time and doing these types of performances. I did it for 20-plus years, only for the Covid-19 pandemic to wipe it out. To have a full yearly schedule of these kinds of concerts to play, again, would entail things that show no sign of re-emerging. Promoters/presenters of these grassroots level shows would need to believe that the audiences are ready to step back out and attend, as before. These concerts were held in clubs, coffeehouses, small theaters, houses (“house concerts”), art galleries, bookstores. The dates were put on the books (scheduled and contracted) months in advance. Oftentimes, booked a year or more in advance. Clusters of these shows had to be strung together for any artist, in order for a tour run to be in place. Each show would be a different city, hours drive apart. The clusters, or runs, would have to be in heavy volume on the calendar in order for the artist to be working full-time. Anything less than 185-200 days a year on the road would signify more of a part-time musical person, not a career entertainer. One has to eat, living expenses have to be met. My living required about 200-240 days on the road per year, or I would be looking to make supplemental income somehow. The year of 2022 shows no POSSIBILITY of getting all the needed dates on the books, audience numbers trusted to be strong, dollars to be counted on for income. The whole scene was decimated, ground to a halt in early 2020 (March). Artists like me saw most of 2020 ripped away, then all of 2021 ripped away. 2022 starts off with no encouragement of promoters/presenters stepping up to book shows. Early 2023 would need to be getting booked now, or fairly soon, to operate under the old way of doing things. I see no significant efforts going on to re-generate house concert series’, folk and Americana series, any kind of concert bookings for grassroots artists who draw 15-150 person audiences. The people who have seen Cher, or talked over a bar band, never knew of these shows to begin with. I am speaking a foreign language to those folks (most people). The others, those who know what I am talking about, try to be nice and give words of encouragement, such as “hang in there, you will be back on the road at some point”. Really, do they know that? How do they know that? Where does the info come? Shooting from the hip? I have yet to see the return as possible. I have to see what I see, based on the 41 years of being in music professionally. I wish all artists and musicians who are full-time career folks, I wish you well. I root you on, I do. Many of you are friends. I am in a warehouse now, 8 months running. It pays. I eat. I landed a weekly Saturday night gig. Music is now my supplemental monies for the first time.There is no cover to get in. There is pizza and beer. There is loud socializing. There are massive screens with football games on them. And, amongst all of that, there is me blasting out songs from a 1,500 song repertoire! On New Year’s Eve, in my hometown, I had a total of two people who know me to attend my performance. The married couple, Mike and Louisa, were there for hours. I did two of my songs (Boss is Watchin’ and Little Rock) just for them, as they know my records. The rest was cover songs of other artists. I am back there again this Saturday night. I love singing, love performing. However, I cannot see a night of doing a Mark Stuart concert again, performing all my material to an attentive audience, to an audience who bought a ticket. I cannot see that happening again. My warehouse job is now my livelihood, and I cannot book tour dates far from home. I have to be at work on Mondays. And, for now, I have to sing the classic rock songs on Saturdays. No, full-time touring is not on the horizon. I do not care what the part-timers tell me on FB. But, what do I know? I am a part-timer.

This is a continuation of discussing a career in music, being full-time. After 41 years of such a commitment I have had to accept it evaporating. The Covid-19 period has brought most public gatherings, the ones of a nature where I got my work, to an end for the foreseeable future. In one short week of mid-March 2020 I saw 72 performance dates yanked off the calendar. These were all booked by me, painstakingly, over months. The upcoming year of 2020 would have seen me add much more to that total and, thus, have income for that year. And, I would have had all those performing opportunities, something I have always required. Part-timers do not understand this concept. Friends of part-timers do not understand the concept. If you are reading this and have never been a full-time performer it is likely that you do not understand the concept. There are a few who do, usually folks to have worked in show business themselves, be it promoters or booking agents or managers, etc. Those folks have had a direct association with touring performers and would have an inkling of it all. I cannot stress how often I have been forced into conversation about “where” I go to perform, and seeing how it is viewed as a vacation or holiday getaway. “Oh, Chicago! You MUST go see the…!” “Wow, I always wanted to go to Spain! You are so lucky.” They are right, of course. I WAS lucky. But, not for the reasons they think. I was lucky that there WERE PEOPLE IN SPAIN WHO WANTED TO HEAR ME PERFORM. I was lucky that people on the other side of the ocean bought my records, knew my songs, and bought tickets to my show. That is why I went there to tour, and what happened while I was there. I was not on a sightseeing trip. Performing within an hour of my home, for little or no cost to attendees? Sleeping in my own bed after the show? There, I was not always so lucky. It takes strangers in a faraway place to see the merit in an artist, many times. There cannot be any real merit in a RELATIVE or NEIGHBOR or SCHOOLMATE. That person cannot be an artist, or, at least, one with merit. That has to be someone from somewhere else. Here is my generalized breakdown of music performers in the professional realm: On the far left end of the spectrum are the people you know who play music, though not professionally. The uncle who brings a guitar to a family gathering and knows a handful of songs. Maybe, others join in and everyone sings along on familiar “standards”. His guitar strings have not been changed in two years and four months. There is a chord in some of the songs he does not know, so, he leaves them out. If you put that chord in he gives you a mean look and overpowers you with the bastardized version of the song. This person, of course, does not make a living in music. There is the kid in high school who lives down the street, and has a garage band. This means that his “gigs” are rehearsals at the home. The youngsters, all worshippers of a handful of rock stars, only know 6 or 8 songs together. They practice them repeatedly, only on Saturdays. There is a guitarist in the group who seems to believe that songs are never to be played in entirety, only snippets. Once or twice a year these fellows play a public performance of some type. Mommie and Daddy take pictures. They know they best get those shots captured before school is out and “little Johnny” goes into the “real” world (college, military, job). No, the garage-bander is no professional musician. The problem is that most everyone knows these folks, and thinks of these images when thinking of a “musician “ or “performer”. Here is the opposite end of the musical spectrum: Madonna, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Pearl Jam, Garth Brooks, U2. These are mega-stars, and they are artists. They are musicians. They are known by everybody, virtually. The problem comes from the fact that MOST professional music entertainers are not these people, and, are certainly not the uncle with a guitar or kid in a garage band. Most pro entertainers are playing on cruise ships, recording on sessions of demos/jingles/records, are sideperson players for artists (the ones onstage who are not looked at for two hours, while everyone stares at the star). The pros are “Indy” artists on tour, doing it at a grassroots level. They are in the “pit“ or doing symphony work. The pros are touring in blues or jazz combos, knocking down 4-6 nights a week in clubs. They are playing casino gigs, as well as wedding receptions and company parties. They teach music lessons and are instructors at clinics and workshops. They perform at outdoor festivals. Some are doing regular gigs as TV show backing players. The point is that there are MILLIONS of such musicians, all full-time in the profession. They are not household names. They are not as well known of a name as “little Johnny” from the garage band down the street. Their name is not as known as the uncle with crap strings on his guitar. They are not a known name such as Beyoncé or Dolly. But, they ARE a professional musician or artist. They DO IT FOR A LIVING. They are committed. If they are in the biz long enough they could, very well, BE COMMITTED. As in, committed to an asylum! Yes, the years of playing music, creating music, of devoting one’s life to the art form-it can make you crazy. It can break your heart. It can make you anxious, sad, angry, frustrated. It can, also, bring lots of joy. Audiences can indulge in the joy. But, they have to be willing to take joy in it. Like all things in life, all times in life, there is Someone who will relieve the anxiety, sadness, anger, frustration. He is waiting on you to give it to Him. The artist will not find it anywhere else, not in totality, not in the big picture. The artist will not find the rewards from neighbors, relatives, schoolmates. Not in the ultimate sense. That will only come in trusting Someone in particular. That is how my losing a 41 year career of being a full-time professional musician/artist has a rosy ending. That is how I began a new life in a warehouse, and can bare/bear it. He took me there, He dropped me off there, He gave me a once-a-week gig to go with the warehouse job. More on this in a later commentary.

Full-time career in music is the topic. Somehow, I imagined that doing it part-time would be leaving too much on the table, allowing oneself less opportunity to succeed. I thought that way about it as a teenager and think that way to this day. Yes, I did not want to look back on years of dabbling in music, or being a hobbyist, and regret anything. My ambition was to immerse myself in music as a career, to make it a full-time job. I was fortunate enough to start performing in a live band, and getting paid for it, just as I was turning 15 years of age. I had family members in that band. I was in school, they were older and had regular jobs (outside of music). Hungrily, I spent time learning songs (including ones THEY sang or played onstage), as well as building up skills on my instrument(s). I can still hear their “excuses” in why they had not learned a chord progression in a song, or a certain part for material we WOULD PLAY each week. I was told that one day I would have a job and family and, thus, not have the time to spend on musical betterment. I believed them. And, so, the road to staying away from a regular job AND a family began. I spent lots of time writing songs, unique in my family of music folks, hiring out as a guitarist (touring USA, Canada, and beyond), recording demos of my bands, improving my skill set, setting up rehearsals, hanging out with other full-time musicians and artists. I hired on for a weekly “happy-hour” piano gig, in order to expand and strengthen my piano playing. I booked engagements to play, using assorted band personnel, to make enough money to live. I kept my overhead low, stayed out of debt. I needed to be available when the phone rang for a session, live gig, etc. I rarely “womanized”, especially staying clear of serious relationships. I knew a wife and kids would force my hand toward a job OUTSIDE OF MUSIC. No, I could never be the one turning up at a show or session, even rehearsal, having not done my homework. I would not be the one letting anyone down because I did not know the “lick”. As a result, I found myself to NEVER slide backwards in skills, musically speaking. I have always moved forward at a steady clip from early teens until now. I will turn 57 in a couple of weeks. I can honestly say that I am a better vocalist at 56-57 than I have ever been. I am a better musician than ever. I am a better performer, a better frontman. My songwriting is at its best. I do realize that one day there will start to be a gradual fall off of skills, due to age and/or failure to put it in the full-time mode. I should mention that I did get married at nearly 29, but, my wife was in the music business as an artist/songwriter. My domestic chapter included touring and recording with her full-time for many years. I did, to some extent, take on supplementary income from non-music jobs (sub-teaching, helping a plumber, running a firework stand, driving a delivery route). Those things, though, were always part-time things around my REAL profession (being an artist and musician). Yes, I have seen the fruits of the labor, so to speak. I have watched countless “weekend warrior” musicians, amateurs, hobbyists lag behind me in skill set-all because I put in countless more hours/days/weeks/years/decades than they, in studying and applying music. The Covid -19 era put a death to my music career in March of 2020, age 55. Tour dates, and any chance of booking them, came to a close. A complete close. I had to take a guitar and go to the woods days out of each week to sing loud, stage-like volume. I wrote new songs and put them on a newly established YouTube channel. I wrote most of an autobiography and read chapters from it on the channel. I posted some guitar tutorials, as well. In my unemployment of 15-16 months I hoped this to be an outlet for my creativity and to keep up my chops. I, also, hoped that the thousands of people I had performed for in 20-plus countries (and 49 US states) would make donations via that outlet. Some did, most did not. It became apparent, eventually, that I was on a slippery slope. I could not make a living in music anymore. Some 8 months ago I was offered a job running a warehouse, something I had spent my life NOT training to do. I knew I had to grab this offering and did. Now, I do not plead for promoters to give me a date, do not try to get radio play, or get hired as a sideman musician by a more successful artist. I have ONE place to work, week to week. I do not drive 5 hours each day to arrive at the site. This is my first time to EVER HAVE A FULL-TIME JOB OUTSIDE OF MUSIC. I know the skills will start to diminish over time, and that leaves a sinking feeling in my gut. I have never known that. Weeks after the acceptance of the job I was offered an opportunity to play once a week onstage at a pizzeria/brewery 17 minutes from home. The stage is big and I can do the performance away from direct contact with audience (a Covid concern). I agreed to do three hours, of which I do with no break. I have complete control over the material, and refuse to do my own songs for the most part. It is too painful to try and do my true concert performance in this setting. But, having a large repertoire, bigger than anyone I HAVE EVER KNOWN, I revert to my olden days of cover songs. It is mostly classic rock and R&B. I try to get local folks to attend. I know my ship is sinking. I know it will not be forever. I just want them to hear me at my best, not a watered-down version, and not the teenage Mark. The same local folks who never came to hear me still do not. The same family to neglect my career in music still do. However, there are some who come there and take it all in. It warms my heart to see them there. I go for broke three solid hours for them. But, once this opportunity goes away, and it is only warehouse around me (no regular performance)-the skill set will erode. I know that I have no ambition to be a lesser version of myself, at that point. Middle-Tennesseans are invited to this once-a-week gig. There is more to this that will be divulged in my next commentary.