It was 70 years tonight that I played my first paid piano job, at the base commander's house at Ladd AFB in Fairbanks, Alaska. I was 11 the following September.

To celebrate, I'm playing a dinner job at a local country club. I'll be using a 1952 ES 295 (Scotty Moore) guitar and the dark brown covered Wurlitzer. I got this one in 1958, when "What'd I Say?" was on the charts. The amplifier will be a 59 Bassman 4"x 10".

Old age and a series of illnesses (A Fib, gout, meniscus clean-up, water off the heart and lots more) have taken a toll. I'm still doing 4 sound scores for large industrials a month, playing 8 week-end nights and lots of smaller parties. At the end of this year, I'm cutting back to 8 week-end nights and the sound scores. Anything else will be for very special long-time friends.

I'm very tired, but so glad I had the musical experiences I've had. A big pert of that enjoyment has been knowing folks like you.

Best personal regards to all,


The Captain