Russ, you have, obviously, found a niche, one that fits your playing style. In most of the nation, at least in all the areas I have traveled, the Have Guitar Will Travel guys are primarily strummers who sing. Some have drum machines, but most do not. Some can actually do some pretty good picking, but the vast majority just strum and sing. These are the folks that perform at various restaurants, bars and country clubs, they often work weekends only (most have a full-time day job in another field), and while some are quite talented, keep in mind that where they fall short is diversity. Every song they perform, from the first to the last, sounds the same, they are played in the same, strumming style and more often than not, have the exact, same tempo. Sure, they manage to get a few jobs, but repeat jobs are rare.

Arranger keyboard players, who also has a good voices, guys like Don Mason, Uncle Dave, Donny, Bill, etc..., provide their audiences with a huge variety of songs. They readily reach a vast, diverse audience with these songs, and their ability to interact with individual audience members is superb. When I performed in Lexington, KY, which is the only time I've performed in Kentucky, it was a single job at the University of Kentucky. I was asked by dozens of audience members where I played regularly in the area so they could come and see me, and bring some friends. When I told them I was there just for this single job and would be going back to Maryland in the morning, many responded "I sure wish we had someone like you playing here regularly."

Same was true when I played for several months in the Florida Keys - I was the only arranger keyboard player on Marathon Key, and the only other keyboard player that I knew of was in Key West. We both had all the work we could handle. The guitar guys were lucky to get one job a week. There was one guitar guy, however, who used backing tracks, he was a great singer, and he was working 4 nights a week. When I saw him perform, it was almost as if there was an arranger keyboard player working with a guitarist/singer.

In the world of musical entertainment, I sincerely believe arranger keyboard players are indeed rare. There seems to be lots of guitar players and lots of piano players, most of which are also singers. When a guy, or gal, shows up with an arranger keyboard, and is a true entertainer, who also can provide good to excellent vocals, he or she is usually an instant success. And, in this part of the country, the Baltimore Metro Region, there may be a half-dozen at most. They are all very, very successful, work as much as they want and able to support their lifestyles on musical entertainment alone. I've only met one have guitar will travel guy that fits into that category.

All the best,

Gary