Songwriters Day, A Musical Day Of Reckoning

by Kevin Burton

   I grew up mostly at the school for the blind in Ohio. But I had (still have) some partial vision and I played a lot of sandlot baseball in my day.

   The school used to hire recreation leaders to work with us restless kids. I think these were students from Ohio State. One night I pitched to one of these rec leaders.

   Right hander vs. right hander, 1-0 count. He took the second pitch for a strike.

   “Hey, that ball curved on me,” he said, absolutely amazed. “Kevin?!”

   Yeah, I knew how to throw a curveball. But it didn’t make me think I was going to be the next Tom Server or Fred Norman and pitch for the Reds.

   In colder months I was enough of a gym rat basketball freak, and known to be so, that one of the older girls would come to the gym to watch me. She sometimes arrived looking regal in a long, off-white winter coat. She would ask me to “do the curly one” which those in the know, of course, would call a hook shot.

   Swish!

   But that didn’t make me think I was going to be the next Kareem Abdul Jabbar.

   So what is it about music that makes me put on “Lido Shuffle” by Boz Scaggs or “Temptation Eyes” by the Grass Roots and feel genuine indignation with myself for not being able to achieve on that level?

   I know part of it. Part of it is all the stories of random chance and how some people have tripped and fallen face first into rock and roll stardom or at least relevance.  Carole King’s babysitter becomes Little Eva.

   Also there are examples of no-talent or low-talent singers having big hits that were all over the radio.

   You meet the right people at the right time and boom, Andrea True, a porn star of all things, charts with “More, More, More” at number 4 on the hot 100, number 1 in Canada.

   I am riding this careening train of thought just now because today is International Songwriters Day. Singer-songwriter is one of my favorite labels. Sometimes I wonder if it hangs correctly on me.

   I have more game as a singer and songwriter than as a pitcher for sure. That has made a venture into music seem tantalizingly close at times. Here I will spare you the details of my musical fits and starts, obstacles, near misses, lack of contacts, lack of courage.

   I’ve been well received by people who have heard me, sometimes very well received. I have written about 70 songs, roughly half of which are worth polishing, orchestrating and recording.

    I am acquainted with a lot of people who have musical chops. Some have published music, gigged, toured. Some are in bands; some are solo acts. I have occasionally tried to put a musical act together. Bottom line, nobody wants to make time to work with me.

   So maybe ten days ago I saw an ad on Facebook from AARP. It was an invitation to a zoom meeting “Senior Planet, Songwriting Night.”

   “Whether you’re new to songwriting, have been writing songs for years, or just like to listen to original music, please join us,” the ad read. So I did, last Wednesday.

   Just, wow!

   About fifteen artists – one on keyboard, the rest on guitar – presented original music. We heard some Dylan-esque talking blues, some Burt Bacharach sounding songs, several genres were represented. Some artists asked for advice on the music or lyrics to their works in progress. Others were pretty well finished tinkering with their songs.

   It was a very enjoyable musical sampler – and it was free!

   It’s two hours, beginning at 6 p.m. Central on the first and third Wednesdays of the month.

   The facilitator is Maggie Rothwell, a singer-songwriter from Hudson Valley, NY.  She is a former elementary school music teacher with a Bachelor of Music Education from Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam in New York.

   “My mother used to tell me I was born singing and I’ve been singing and playing guitar ever since,” Rothwell told Senior Planet’s NaBeela Washington.

   Under Rothwell’s watch, kindness and respect are the house rules.

   “She is a pro at fostering an inviting and supportive virtual environment, where performers at any level of musical experience can feel comfortable sharing their talents with others,” said Nicole Alcime, Senior Planet’s Manager of Virtual Program Experiences, in the article by Washington.

   In my original song “Four-Part Mexican Band” , which is an ode to Cuernavaca, Mexico, I wrote “You’ve made a friend and I’ll be back again.” I can say the same for Senior Planet Songwriting Night.

   But that’s all I can be sure of . Who knows what if anything, this will lead to.

   I hope history will look back on my musical misadventures as a prime example of God’s timing finally kicking in, rather than as another example of squandered talent.

   So happy Songwriters Day. Sweet sounds to you.