References

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Catch A Wave: The Rise, Fall and Redemption of the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, The Bob Edwards Show, Audible.com August 2009 The Beach Boys - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (2012, January 7). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 8, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beach_Boys

Chuck Berry - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 8, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Berry

Brian Wilson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (2011, December 26). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 8, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Wilson

Pet Sounds - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (2011, January 5). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 8, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet_Sounds

The Four Freshmen - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (2011, November 7). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 8, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Four_Freshmen

Everything Was Right: The Beatles' Revolver      . (n.d.).            Public Radio Exchange      . Retrieved January 8, 2012, from http://www.prx.org/pieces/15368-everything-was-right-the-beatles-revolver

THE BEATLES BIOGRAPHY. (n.d.). Lyrics. Retrieved January 8, 2012, from http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/the-beatles-biography/9b5665a6978fdf4b4825685d00067ce3

Skiffle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (2011, December 25). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 8, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skiffle

The FIRST record to feature The Beatles name. (n.d.). What's New at rarebeatles.com. Retrieved January 8, 2012, from http://www.rarebeatles.com/photospg/bon64.htm

Revolver (album) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (2012, January 7). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 8, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolver_(album)

"Revolution, n. t. (2012, January 8). The Beatles - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 8, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles

The Beatles and drugs | The Beatles Bible. The Beatles Bible: songs, albums, history, profiles, places, photos and more.. Retrieved January 8, 2012, from http://www.beatlesbible.com/features/drugs/

Hallucinations. http://brainmind.com/Hallucinations88.html. Retrieved January 6, 2012, from brainmind.com/Hallucinations88.html

Black, H. (2001). Amygdala's Inner Workings. The Scientist, 15(19), 20.

Harvard, J. (2004). The Velvet Underground's The Velvet Underground and Nico (33 1/3 Series). New York: Audible.com.

Heat, t. t. (n.d.). Lou Reed - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 11, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Reed

John Cale - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 11, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cale

Mo Tucker. (n.d.). Maureen Tucker - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Retrieved January 11, 2012, from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mo_Tucker

The Velvet Underground - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 11, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Velvet_Underground

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Walk on the Wild Side. (n.d.). Walk on the Wild Side - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 11, 2012, from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walk_on_the_Wild_Side_(Lou_Reed_song

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Andy Warhol - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 11, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Warhol

MARVIN GAYE & TAMMI TERRELL "Ain't no Mountain High Enough" - YouTube . (n.d.).

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Gaye, M. (n.d.). What's Going On (song) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 13, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What's_Going_On_(song)

James Jamerson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 13, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Jamerson

Marvin Gaye - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 13, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Gaye

Ritz, D. (2008, August 27). 

Marvin Gaye Waht's Going On. American Masters. Retrieved January 12, 2012, from www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/marvin-gaye/introduction/73/

What's Going On - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 13, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What's_Going_On

Radio-Activity - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 21, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio-Activity

Autobahn (album) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 21, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autobahn_(album)

David Bowie - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 21, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bowie

Donna Summer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 21, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_Summer

Gesang_der_Junglinge. (2012, January 16). Wikepedia. Retrieved January 18, 2012, from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gesang_der_Junglinge

Huey, S. (n.d.). Trans-Europe Express - Kraftwerk | AllMusic. AllMusic. Retrieved January 21, 2012, from http://www.allmusic.com/album/trans-europe-express-r11209

Kraftwerk - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 21, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kraftwerk

Numan, G. (n.d.). Cars (song) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 21, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cars_(song)

Poeme electronique. (2011, November 1). Wikepedia. Retrieved January 18, 2012, from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poeme_Electronique

Summer, D. (n.d.). I Feel Love - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 21, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Feel_Love

Throbbing Gristle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 21, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throbbing_Gristle

Trans-Europe Express (album) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 21, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Europe_Express_(album)

Paul Moor talks about first meeting Aaron Copland        - YouTube    . (n.d.).  
            YouTube - Broadcas Yourself.    . Retrieved January 27, 2012, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tllOFCsamKw

Aaron Copland - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 27, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Copland

Aaron Copland | American Composer. (n.d.). Lucidcaf√© Interactive Caf√© and Information Resource. Retrieved January 27, 2012, from http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/95nov/copland.html

DSO Kids | Listen by Composer  .              DSO Kids | Home  . Retrieved January 27, 2012, from http://www.dsokids.com/listen/composerdetail.aspx?composerid=43

Deliciousdeity: Aaron Copland... and Victor Kraft. (n.d.). Deliciousdeity. Retrieved January 27, 2012, from http://deliciousdeity.blogspot.com/2011/04/aaron-copland-and-victor-kraft.html

Innovation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 27, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Innovation

Joseph McCarthy : Biography. (n.d.). Spartacus Educational. Retrieved January 27, 2012, from http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAmccarthy.htm

Nadia Boulanger - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 27, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadia_Boulanger

Perlis, V. (1989). Copland:1900 through 1942. New York: H. Pollack.

Schoenberg. (n.d.). Arnold Schoenberg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 27, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_Schoenberg

Stewart, E. (n.d.). Hoedown From Rodeo on Vimeo. vimeo.com. Retrieved January 26, 2012, from vimeo.com/5020134

Aaron Copland - About the Composer | American Masters | PBS. PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. Retrieved January 27, 2012, from http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/aaron-copland/about-the-composer/475/

Twelve-tone technique - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 27, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve-tone_technique

The Music Chamber - Arnold Schoenberg. ThinkQuest : Library. Retrieved January 27, 2012, from http://library.thinkquest.org/27110/noframes/composers/schoenberg.html
David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust (From The Motion Picture)        - YouTube    . (n.d.).         YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.    . Retrieved January 27, 2012, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8sdsW93ThQ&ob=av3n
Gilmore, M. (2012, February 2). The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust. Rollig Stone, 1149, 36-43.

The Beatle's Revolver entry

Without question, The Beatles - Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison and John Lennon are amongst the most important single influences in the development of popular and modern rock music of the 20^th century.  They were initially an English skiffle band. British skiffle developed in the post-war jazz scene.  A transformational skiffle version of Leadbelly’s “Rock Island Line” and “John Henry”, stimulated  British musicians to transform music into a more exciting form. John Lennon’s skiffle band, “the Quarrymen”, was the original band that eventually became The Beatles. In the early 60’s, playing and practicing as a rock band in Hamburg, Germany on long, non-stop shows in various clubs. It was during these long hours of practice that The Beatles developed their early musical and vocal style.  Beatles history is filled with stories of debauchery, crime and sensation during this period. One of their earliest recordings was “My Bonnie” ( My Bonnie lies over the ocean…), a traditional folk song transformed to their burgeoning rock style in January of 1962. It was a local hit but failed to ever gain widespread play.

After honing their skills as Liverpool’s leading band by 1963, The Beatles concentrated on the theme of “Love” in their songwriting. Their melodies were in singable keys and the chord progressions were generally simple derivations of folk-rock, such as their top twenty hit of 1962, “Love Me Do”. Their songs of finding and losing love gained great popularity with their first release of  “Please Please Me” in 1961. The catchy tunes, singable and upbeat, led to “Beatlemania”  and several years of non-stop touring around Europe and the United States. The Beatles became quickly disassociated with touring due to its exhausting schedule and the inability of them to hear themselves play and further develop their sound. The fans would scream in delight beyond the capability of the sound equipment, Vox amplifiers, used by the band to generate enough discernable sound. The pressures placed upon the band by the record label to produce more and more original music was only possible due to the exceptional capabilities of all four band members to write and compose simultaneously and due to the magic of the band’s producer, Mr. George Martin.

As a result of their dissatisfaction with touring despite unprecedented popularity and effect on the music industry as a whole, they were not satisfied with themselves. Enter drug experimentation.  They first were introduced to marijuana in 1964 and in 1965, their dentist, Dr. Albert Hall, introduced them to the hallucinogen, LSD. John Lennon was transformed by this experience. This led to the others “taking the trip”.   As a result of their new perception of life and the world as experienced by their drug experimentation, their seventh album, a studio project, Revolver, was released in 1966 and gained recognition as a radical departure from their “love” themes and folk-rock style.

“Revolver, Pet Sounds and The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, relics of the first era of psychedelic rock and shining testaments to what can be accomplished in the recording studio when folks are fuelled on the potent drug of rampant imagination.”

—J. DeRogatis, Milk it!: collected musings on the alternative music explosion of the 90s[19]

Every song on the Revolver album is innovative in its own way, and the style is ranging from the orchestral song of the plight of the elderly in England after the war, Eleanor Rigby, to John Lennon’s psychedelic  “Tomorrow Never Knows”. Their innovations were endless.  In Eleanor Rigby, the only musical accompaniment to the insightful lyrics penned by all four Beatles was a string octet. Through the use of strings as percussion and melody, a bass and drum are not even missed. It has yet to be classified as a recognizable style of music. In “Taxman”, lyrically the Beatles were one of the first bands to openly defy British authority, even by name and present an anti-authority and anti-establishment position due to the taxation imposed upon the band subsequent to their success. As the Revolver album progresses, it reaches a pinnacle with the last psychedelic track, “Tomorrow Never Knows”.  Two fantastic innovative recording techniques on this track were the use of various pre-recorded guitar tape loops placed within the song, playing some of those loops backwards, and the use of vocal doubling on John Lennon’s vocals and then routing it through a Leslie speaker, thus creating one of the earliest filtered “chorus” effects.  At times it seemed these techniques were “stumbled” upon; however, it was the creative nature of their intentions and work that produced this landmark sound.

This album made a profound impact upon the music industry and even today, it is considered innovative. The Beatles produced a sound so different and new , without the use of digital media and the endless processing capabilities of today’s tracking gear. Their collective talents in songwriting, composing and production merged to produce a musical project that changed history. They challenged other artists to be better and as well the still encourage musicians and producers of today to strive for better than expected.

I would like to address the issue of drug experimentation. Their desire to change for the better along with instances of fate, such as their encounter with Bob Dylan and experimentation with marijuana (Dylan misinterpreted some of the lyrics of one of their songs) led to “illuminating” their perception of life and the world. This led to demonization by religious groups as well as other hate groups such as the Ku Klux Clan, who espoused their work was the work of the Devil. If we look at many of the great innovators in songwriting and musical innovation, this seems to be a commonality. The Beatles, Hendrix, Dylan, The Stones, Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys – all used the drug experience to enhance their creativity. It has been demonstrated scientifically that the hippocampus and amygdala, anatomical portions of the human mid-brain, are responsible for spontaneous and inventive behavior as well as pleasure, rage and sexuality. Newer medical imaging techniques, such as PET scanning have demonstrated more development of these areas of the brain in persons with higher than average auditory and visual artistic aptitudes.  Possibly a common thread that explains but does not excuse the florid use of drugs, alcohol, and hallucinogens amongst musical geniuses is the need to stimulate these areas of the brain more effectively, thus fueling the creative process, at least from the perspective of the artist. Are there other “fuels” to satisfy the needs of the limbic system of artists and musicians? How can we get more satisfaction without the inherent risk to life?

References

Everything Was Right: The Beatles' Revolver      . (n.d.).            Public Radio Exchange      . Retrieved January 8, 2012, from http://www.prx.org/pieces/15368-everything-was-right-the-beatles-revolver

THE BEATLES BIOGRAPHY. (n.d.). Lyrics. Retrieved January 8, 2012, from http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/the-beatles-biography/9b5665a6978fdf4b4825685d00067ce3

Skiffle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (2011, December 25). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 8, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skiffle

The FIRST record to feature The Beatles name. (n.d.). What's New at rarebeatles.com. Retrieved January 8, 2012, from http://www.rarebeatles.com/photospg/bon64.htm

Revolver (album) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (2012, January 7). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 8, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolver_(album)

"Revolution, n. t. (2012, January 8). The Beatles - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 8, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles

The Beatles and drugs | The Beatles Bible. The Beatles Bible: songs, albums, history, profiles, places, photos and more.. Retrieved January 8, 2012, from http://www.beatlesbible.com/features/drugs/

Ph.D., R. J. (n.d.). Hallucinations. http://brainmind.com/Hallucinations88.html. Retrieved January 6, 2012, from brainmind.com/Hallucinations88.html

Black, H. (2001). Amygdala's Inner Workings. The Scientist, 15(19), 20.

APA formatting by BibMe.org.

The Beach Boy's Pet Sounds entry

Imagine a young white boy in California in the 1950's with a deep-seated passion for music and harmony. Brian Wilson was this boy, and together with his two brothers Dennis and Carl, a neighbor, Carl Jardine, and. Cousin, Mike Love, their transformational rock group, The Beach Boys, helped shape the future of music in the last half of twentieth century America and in the westernized world. However, accompanying every gift is a curse, and The Beach Boys were no exception. An oppressive, overbearing father, substance abuse, and a lifetime of legal disputes plagued this band, for their lifetimes. Brian Wilson, the primary creative and driving force behind this American legend band was most affected, to this day.

In his earliest years, Brian was considered musically gifted and he recalled being particularly moved by " Rhapsody in Blue", by George Gershwin. As a boy, Brian would frequently ask friends to his home in Hawthorne, California, to obsessively create and practice intricate harmonies in the style of one of the most influential musical groups of his youth, The Four Freshman. Interestingly, Brian was partially deaf in his right ear, by some reports as a result of blows to the head inflicted by his abusive father and later meddlesome manager and father, Murray Wilson.  Another early influence was the inventive rock and roller, Chuck Berry. Later he would be embroiled in a legal claim filed by Chuck Berry for utilizing his sounds in the song " Surfin’". Mr. Berry was awarded monies for this infringement. This was sign of things to come.

Brian Wilson was the primary force behind the early sound of The Beach Boys. One of their first songs introduced to the southern California surfer culture of the early 60's was "Sloop John B". It was a takeoff of the old folk song of the same name, but now imprinted with the vocal harmonies and rock beat of Brian's earliest inventive years. The significant influences of Chuck Berry and The Four Freshmen were evident. Southern Californians and an America embroiled in racial tensions were also hungry for a "white boy band" to compete with the significantly repressed but enormously popular black artists of the times such as Little Richard, The Ronnettes, Bo Diddly, Chuck Berry and Ray Charles. Elvis Presley had already made inroads in this regard.

The earliest recordings of The Pendletons, the name of Brian's initial band, were descriptive of life in southern California, particularly in the surfing scene, of which his brother, Dennis, was an active participant. This association prompted the initially unwelcome change of the band's name to The Beach Boys at the insistence of their first major record label, Capitol Records.

In a story not dissimilar to the path taken by many musical groups, the direction imposed by band members, the record label, and a misguided manager imposed enormous pressure on the creative center of the group, Brian. As a result, Brian left the band to concentrate on his creative nature at his own pace and without being encumbered by those individuals who at the time surrounded him. The result was " Pet Sounds", which has been considered by many critics to be a seminal musical creation in the history of rock and roll. Brian utilized layering different sounds, unexpected in the general world of recorded music at the time, such as unusual instrument combinations, such as cello and electric guitar, synthesizers, and barking dogs. By layering these sounds and incorporating Phil Spectre's "Wall of Sound", Brian was able to invent a new sound that particularly sounded "big" on the AM radios of the 60's. He was able to create a dynamic effect of reverb and layering not yet easily produced by the dynamic effect processing of the times. “Why Do Fools Fall in Love” is a perfect example of the Phil Spectre sound.  His " Pet Sounds" album was one of the first psychedelic rock albums of the times. Both his album and the Beatles' Revolver utilized the available technology of the time to achieve extraordinary results, quite similarly to the Mercury and Apollo space missions, accomplished with slide rules and spontaneous ingenuity and risk.  Of particular interest was his use of the theremin, an instrument that is played by the performer passing his or her hands in proximity of two antennae, thus producing an eerie processed sound, such as in "Good Vibrations".

Sadly, Brian Wilson continued to have addiction issues to the same drugs that may have early on given him a closer look at life, similar to the experience of The Beatles' acid trips. The highs were productive; however, the lows caused Brian to withdraw and engage in a continuum of legal battles regarding song rights and income derived from earlier hits of The Beach Boys.

Although Pet Sounds is considered a remarkable album in the development of early American rock, I am less moved as a listener when I compare this work to Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band.     

No question he is a musically gifted individual, but that gift alone doesn't create the legend. Early in his career he heavily emulated The Four Freshmen and Chuck Berry, even to the point of legal altercation. Later in his creative process, he began with the sound of Phil Spectre and built upon that effectively. America was in need of its own rock representatives. Elvis and The Beach Boys fit that bill. Unlike Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Star, Brian Wilson did not have the " depth on the bench" with The Beach Boys. He was the Beach Boy. He didn't have a Sam Epstein or George Martin. He was writer, composer, arranger, and producer. Trying to do it all was too much to handle, even for Brian Wilson.

It is interesting to listen to "Pet Sounds" in mono and stereo. Ideally, I would like to listen to the mono tracks on an AM car radio in order to appreciate the technology of the time. I greatly preferred the stereo tracks on my stereo headphones, for that is how the technology is currently designed. For the 1960's, Pet Sounds was ahead of its time. Despite appreciating the album for its accomplishments, to me it will not as an entire album have the lasting impact that Revolver or Sgt. Pepper has had.

Bibliography

The Bob Edward’s Interview with Peter Ames Carlin, Author of Catch A Wave: The Rise, Fall and Redemption of the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, The Bob Edwards Show, Audible.com August 2009

The Beach Boys - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (2012, January 7). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 8, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beach_Boys

Brian Wilson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (2011, December 26). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 8, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Wilson

Chuck Berry - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 8, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Berry

The Four Freshmen - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (2011, November 7). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 8, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Four_Freshmen

Pet Sounds - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (2011, January 5). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 8, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet_Sounds

APA formatting by BibMe.org.

Welcome Entry - Rudolph Rustin

Welcome to my Music History Blog.  My name is Rudolph Rustin.  I am from Charleston, South Carolina and I am an avid lover of the auditory and visual arts.  I grew up in Charleston, South Carolina and Raleigh, North Carolina and as a young child I was introduced into the world of acoustic folk and bluegrass music. I can remember when I was about 5 years old, my neighbor was Ray Blouin. He was one of the “Wayfarers”, a folk trio that was a contemporary of the Kingston Trio and The Brothers Four. They played throughout the United States and were wonderful and personable people. Ray was the banjoist and lead tenor. The guitarist and baritone was also a neighbor, Dick Bailey. He had a captivating voice. They frequently involved me as a child listening and singing along, as this was a popular form of family entertainment in the 60’s. There was no Internet, video gaming, texting, or computing to distract families. Of course there was Vietnam, Kennedy, Nixon, and abundant availability of drugs as we entered the 70’s. Our generation was never short on vices.   Folk music was popular, and I would participate in family gatherings where we would trade songs and stories. The times with my family and Ray Blouin imprinted the love of music into me forever. This is still a popular part of the music culture in southwest Virginia and the Carolinas today. At age 13, I began to play the guitar and had to learn by listening to records, lifting the needle, and re-playing the song, over and over. I was finally able to get a phonograph player that had a 16 speed, allowing me to play the music at half the tempo of the 33 speed recordings. This became particularly handy when I picked up the 5-string banjo at age 14 and got Pete Seeger’s banjo album of popular favorites.  I had no formal instruction, for when I was twelve I lived in the country in North Carolina. There were no radio stations in the area – talk about painful! I would go to the “Western Auto” store and wait for the new 45’s to arrive and try them out.  My first purchase was “Hello Goodbye”, The Beatles. The flip side was “I Am The Walrus” – all for the grand total purchase price of 30 cents!

I was actively playing until age 20-32, what I call “the gap”. I entered the medical profession and playing music was all but abandoned due to the time commitment of training. Remember the 10,000-hour rule? It really applies in surgery, and that time is stamped out in a time span of about seven years after college and medical school.

After finishing residency and moving back to Charleston, I re-invented my interest in music, stimulated by a visit to a friend and guitar luthier in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia. Spending a weekend at his house created a spark in me that will never again be extinguished. I began playing, writing, recording, and engaging other artists. It has continued to develop in a positive way.  In 2008, I took an aptitude test in Atlanta, Georgia, at The Johnson O’Connor Institute, at the behest of several of my medical colleagues that as well had a passion in areas outside of medicine. After the O’Connor experience, I decided to put in my 10,000 hours and develop a second career in music. So here I am. I see music production today as a team effort. There is an ever-burgeoning development of independent artists, producers, writers and studios that will constantly challenge the paradigm of major label and major artist development. I do not see myself entrenched in that industry. Instead, I want to develop a regional niche in production and songwriting by developing a team of several songwriters, musicians, instructors, promoters and producers to develop local musicians and artists successfully in advertising, local performances (house concerts of the 60’s) and partnering with local businesses interested in loco regional success with their neighbors. Our community is abundant in great talent that is thirsty for nurturing and development. I just need to remember “no” will not always be the answer as long as I can further develop a meaningful product during my 10,000 hours.

Rudolph