This is from my earliest days in Seattle, or possibly just before I got there.

     My guitar was a present from my Dad and my sister on my 20th birthday. I had been learning a few basic chords and a handful of songs on a crappy guitar I found in my parents’ attic, and I sensed it was an instrument that I might develop a long-term relationship with. Although I bought a beautiful 12-string guitar while in Seattle,  it’s my Birthday Guitar that I continue to play, the guitar I take with me everywhere.

      I think my very first songs I learned how to play were Neil Young’s “Needle and the Damage Done”, “Where have all the Flowers Gone?”, and one or two Cat Stevens’ songs. I discovered early on that I enjoyed making up my own songs more than learning others’ songs, and that’s pretty much what I still enjoy doing to this day. I have a growing collection of music instruments to play with, but my Birthday Guitar remains my steady companion.