My Dad and His Love of Music

My dad

My dad passed away last month, and rather than list facts here—that he was born in Kentucky to a German sharecropper and his wife, that he grew to be a successful man with a wife and six children, etc—I mention his love of music. I am grateful to my dad for many things, but I am most grateful for the love of music that he passed along to me.

In the earliest days of our family, Dad had an electric guitar and amplifier, and he enjoyed playing for fun. We watched Johnny Rivers on television and listened to Duane Eddy records on the stereo, and Dad thought Chuck Berry was the greatest. When I was six, he taught me to play “Secret Agent Man,” “What I Say,” and the Bonanza theme song on guitar, and I played those songs over and over. He sold that guitar one day and never played again, but he bought one for me soon after, and I’ve been playing ever since.

I recall the times Dad drove me and my musical equipment around to practices. I remember him taking a vacation day to watch my band play in a school talent show. I hear him singing as he walked through the house, and when I’m enjoying a tune, I tap my foot like he always did. I think of my dad every day, especially when I play guitar. Life’s better with music. Dad taught me that.

The Jerrys on Thursday Night Live at WZRD

The Jerrys Live at WZRD April 2018

The Jerrys played on Thursday Night Live at WZRD Chicago 88.3 FM on April 26, 2018. The 10-song set included new music from The Wind Cries Jerrys, covers of songs by Tommy James & the Shondells and The Kinks, and power pop songs pulled from the Jerrys’ catalog:

1. Be Yourself
2. Anna Marie
3. I Even Love You More Than Elizabeth Hurley
4. Ann Taylor Girl
5. New Wave
6. Hanky Panky
7. Space Cadet
8. Chicago USA
9. Every Girl
10. Where Have All the Good Times Gone?

Those familiar with the Chicago punk scene will recognize the drum head as the one used for Silver Abuse, as Robert Porche also plays with that band. Stay tuned for a new and improved drum head, as well as a possible live album later this year from The Jerrys.

An Evening with Karl Green of Herman’s Hermits

Karl Green 01

My wife and I attended an intimate performance and interview with Karl Green of Herman’s Hermits on WZRD Chicago 88.3 FM last night. We were rewarded for our early arrival with a great sound check performance that included snippets of such songs as the Beatles’ “Mother Nature’s Son.”

Karl Green 02

The live-air interview was conducted in front of a small studio audience who got to hear Karl and Mike Bruccoleri play eight Herman’s Hermits’ hits:

  • I’m Into Something Good
  • Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat
  • Listen People
  • Wonderful World
  • Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter
  • Silhouettes
  • I’m Henry VIII, I Am
  • There’s a Kind Of Hush All Over the World

Not only was it a treat to meet someone who has entertained and influenced me from an early age, but Karl made the evening a memorable one for everyone with his humor and great stories on and off the air.

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You can still listen to the show, visit The Karl Green Band website, and like his Facebook page. The British Invasion lives on!