08/07/2021
I really like this story! ❤️
I found a bunch of old disposable cameras, brought them to CVS, and just picked them up yesterday. A lot of the pictures were from 2000/2001, when my Dad and I were constantly driving across the country, touring in his blues band.
He was 2 years sober, had just filed bankruptcy, and was 1 year past his radiation treatments for throat cancer. His voice, ravaged from the radiation, was always hovering just above a whisper. He couldn’t sing a note, but told me he was determined to be the best blues drummer there was. He wanted to master the shuffle, and he did just that. He changed his set up, and went from traditional to match grip. He loaded his own drums in and out of the trunk of his half broken down car. We played small clubs, dives, a couple biker festivals. He walked out every night, facing small audiences that wanted to hear him sing Cripple Ceek. He would whisper a few words to greet his fans, and then he would sit down and get to work. He wasn’t phased, he wasn’t ashamed he wasn’t afraid - he was just fiercely determined.
It was like watching a force of nature.
I want to celebrate his birthday today by sharing this picture with you, and telling a small part of his story, when he rose up from despair and changed the course of his life through music.
The lesson he gave by example was to stay connected to what you love, and be ready to follow the call ❤️
