Someones Dad

I consider the guitar player for the Sausage Kings to be one of my dearest friends. I can't exactly pinpoint why. We've shared a lot of personal stories over the last 10 years and at times called each other we were at our worst. I guess that combined with a strong mutual respect for each others musical ability makes it somewhat easy to see him that way.

His father passed away after a couple of months of serious illness. It was on Friday. He called me to tell me that he was on his way to Little Rock because his dad had passed away. I called him back and left a message that if he needed me or anything at all, just call. He did. I spoke to him today and it felt as if he was doing quite well at first. But as the conversation ran it's course, I knew that was not the case. He talked about how his dad had been responsible for one of his first musical attractions. This coming from a man who couldn't play a note. The song was "I'll Fly Away." He said that as a boy his dad had brought this song to his attention. His reaction to his father was that "we didn't sing this in church." He followed that up by weeks of search records stores for vinyl and sheet music for the tune. In time, he found it and that, was the first song he learned on the guitar. What a story.

I'll be playing banjo at the funeral on Monday morning. His dad never liked the banjo. But after a gig in Arkansas a few months back, he in a conversation with my friend said this: "I don't like the banjo. But boy I sure do love to hear that Joel play." That's very touching to me. So much so that I'll play the banjo for him one last time, on Monday morning.