I have addressed this many times in the past, on this forum and others. Those of us that perform in front of an audience, either as a single, or member of a group, are, first and foremost, entertainers. That's what we are paid to do - ENTERTAIN! It makes no difference where we do this. It can be something as subtle as a small restaurant, assisted living center, nursing home, living room party, Carnage Hall of Dodger's Stadium. Those audiences are there to be entertained.

As for me persanally, I've never been a good musician, and consider myself a hack musician at best. My saving grace in the music industry has always been my vocal ability, plus my ability to communicate with my audiences.

A classic example of this was experienced by one of the best musicians I ever knew, Jerry Burns. Jerry, who passed away just a week ago, teamed up with his wife Elsa, also deceased, creating the Jerry And Elsa Burns Duo. Jerry, who was Peabody trained, once told me that without Elsa holding the mic, and spellbinding the audiences, the best he could hope for was a low-paying job in a piano bar, or as a band member with a big band, making $50 to $75 per performance. Jerry was also the keyboard/piano player for the Zim Zemarel Orchestra for three decades. His wife Elsa was their leading jazz singer. Jerry said "Elsa is an entertainer and the audiences love her. That's why we keep getting hired at the best locations."

Gary