Donny is right on target when he says: "Do your thing, make money and be happy".

I don't want to exhibit hard feelings on the forum..but I do get ticked when I think about one of my competitors who sets up a KB and pretends to play it all night. Fact is...he couldn't make an augmented chord if he tried. But he is a good singer and the kb is his prop. I get the feeling audiences think he is more diversified than I am..and I know for a fact he works more than I do...but I can't stand the thought of deceiving the audience like he does.

I have played in big bands (up to 15 pieces), 5-7 piece pop and country bands, small lounge combos, as a duo and as a single. I never made more money per job as I have as a single. Even though I offer a female singer at 1/3 more cost more than I charge alone, most of my clients opt for the single. In my market it really does get down to economics.

Are we a dying breed? Not as long as there are people that want their kind of music and good entertainment at affordable rates.

Even some of the DJs who are forever having to buy new discs to keep current are charging 2-3 times what the arranger KB guys here are. Some work off of a folding table...other come in with a ton of equipment. They can have the weddings for the 22 year old set... not my bag. But, the mature audiences are not going to pay those kind of prices for disc jockeys.

We all have our niches. I don't expect to ever be offered a TV slot, a record deal or win a Grammy.

Like Donny says, I am doing my thing, making the money and lovin' it.

Eddie