My Best Friend composed by George Frank. He wrote it for his son John when he left home to join the Navy at 17 years old. An adventure for his son and memories for George. This is a pretty waltz with a story many parents understand.… Read the rest
Today is my 77th Birthday and I celebrate with a song. There is No Tomorrow – a love song explaining “now is forever when love is true.” Pretty much describes our lives. All we have is the now, today to enjoy, love and cherish. We hope there is a tomorrow, but we live in the now and with our memories. I paged through my fake books looking for a song for today and stopped here. Then, after I practiced it, I realized it is a tune with many names. LOL “There’s No Tomorrow”, written by Al Hoffman, Leo Corday and Leon Carr, is one of two popular songs based on the Italian song, “O Sole Mio” (music by Eduardo di Capua). (The other was “It’s Now or Never”, popularized by Elvis Presley.) The biggest hit version of the song was recorded by Tony Martin, which charted in 1949.… Read the rest
Happy Father’s day. I can still hear Eddie Fisher singing Oh My Pa Pa. Beautiful song. A tribute to my Dad. He passed on when I was 15 and wished I could have known him as an adult. But, not to be. Here are some memories from long ago.… Read the rest
When Johnny Comes Marching Home for Memorial Day. Many a proud parent has said goodbye to their son or daughter with a prayer that they will be safe and return. Sadly, many gave their lives for us and we are forever grateful for their sacrifice. Happily, many did return, not the same person that left, but they did return. Johnny Comes Marching Home is about that longing for the return of loved ones. Although it is from 1863, the sentiment has never changed though the many wars and many years. “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” was a popular song from the American Civil War that expressed people’s longing for the return of their friends and relatives who were fighting in the war. Patrick Gilmore wrote the song during the Civil War in 1863 for his sister Annie as she prayed for the safe return of her fiancé, Union Light Artillery Captain John.… Read the rest
Another Sunshine Song. Open Up Your Heart And Let The Sunshine In. A Facebook friend asked about the song. I looked it up and slightly remembered it. Once I started playing it, I did remember singing it back in the good old days! Thank You for the memory. I hope you enjoy singing along and feeling a bit of sunshine! This was written by Stuart Hamblen in 1953 and released it in an album in 1956, “It Is No Secret.” When he was 18 years old, Stuart took a job on KAYO-AM radio in Abilene, Texas, becoming radio’s first “singing” cowboy. He went on to write many songs including “This Ole House”.… Read the rest
Beautiful song my friend has asked me to play quite a few times. It’s a rainy, Spring day in Ohio, so a wonderful day to think about What A Wonderful World we live in. “What a Wonderful World” is a song written by Bob Thiele (as “George Douglas”) and George David Weiss. It was first recorded by Louis Armstrong and released in 1967 as a single, which topped the pop charts in the United Kingdom.… Read the rest
Danny Boy. Never could get through live performances without a few request for me to sing Danny Boy. Never an easy song to sing unless you are an Irish Tenor. Several of my personal friends recently asked if I was going to sing Danny Boy? So here is Danny Boy. Mr. Roland suggest I use the pretty chorus to back me up because they are definitely great singers. LOL This was adapted from an Old Irish Air by Fred E. Weatherly. I hope you enjoy this beautiful song and and sing along as most people like to do.… Read the rest
Sunrise, Sunset. I was looking for some waltzes to play since I haven’t played many. I found Sunrise, Sunset which is a waltz. Not quite a normal waltz, but a very pretty song I would normally play at a Nursing Home for the more mature folks. I didn’t do much fancy videoing with it since nothing seemed to fit very well. Just plain music with Mr. Dino. I hope it might warm you up on a cold day. “Sunrise, Sunset” is a song from the musical Fiddler on the Roof written in 1964 by composer Jerry Bock and lyricist Sheldon Harnick.… Read the rest
Happy Valentine’s Day. What better song than Little Things Mean A Lot. Always a favorite of mine. During this time of Covid, nothing seems more important than the little things. It was written in 1954 by Edith Lindemand and Carl Stuitz. Beautiful song. I hope you enjoy it.… Read the rest
Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup. Nice song for Mr. Dino. I have always enjoyed playing this song. I love Nat King Cole’s version done in 1956. “Darling, Je Vous Aime Beaucoup” is a popular song with words and music by Anna Sosenko in 1935.… Read the rest
Count Your Blessings. Happy Thanksgiving. I have always like this song and often played it. It really touches my heart. I think my Roland 4X did a great job with fantastic strings and violin. It is often difficult to realize how blessed we are during times of turmoil. “Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)” is a popular song written by Irving Berlin and used in the 1954 film White Christmas. It is commonly performed as a Christmas song, although the lyrics make no reference to the December holiday. Thank You to vimeo-free-videos at pixabay for the beautiful background.” If you’re worried and you can’t sleep, Just count your blessings instead of sheep and you’ll fall asleep counting your blessings”… Read the rest
Wings of a Dove. Good song for the times we are living in! I saw this on Brandy’s list for 1961 songs. I was 17 and remember it. Nice upbeat tune. After playing for a half an hour, my fingers switched to a swing 4 beat version. It was fun to do. I can hear the wonderful fills and runs the accomplished players would do, but I am lucky to make my 76 year old fingers move at all! I had a lot of fun working this out.This is my 76 year old lady swing! LOL Couldn’t find any neat graphics, so it is basically music. “Wings of a Dove’ is a country song written by Bob Ferguson in 1958. “Wings of a Dove” was most popular when it was recorded by Ferlin Husky in 1960. The Ferlin Husky recording went to number one on the country charts for 10 nonconsecutive weeks.… Read the rest