I was and remain a huge fan. I'm even a member of the original Koo Crew and have the t-shirt to prove it. Sadly, it has shrunk so I can no longer wear it. Ahem.
I remember reading that when he was first developing an interest in music, he started learning guitar. But his dad told him that if he wanted to ensure he always had a music job, he would do well to master the bass guitar, as every musician and his dog wants to play guitar or drums, and they'll all need a bass player if they want to form a band. He took his dad's advice and landed a gig with the Outlaws in 1980, a southern rock band. He left them three years later and launched his own self-named group. His album "Midnight Sun" was the second one I ever purchased, and he is the only musician for whom I have collected every album. I've had his music on his LPs, cassettes, and the last two releases on CD.
Also he was born in the same year as my dad. That's bizarre.
The content of his music relies heavily on the theme of "Help me God!" - yet another niche he has filled, for this world is replete with people who need help and encouragement. I could easily pick some faves from across the decades, such as I Can I Will, Help Me Out, Won't Fade Away, or Be God, but after much deliberation (and a last minute change of mind) I'm going to go with 1992's Be A Man. Lyric sample:
When his disciples got up and ran
He walked alone on the road to be a man
His body broken, blood on the sand
Still he got up, got to be a man
The drove a spike right through his hand
He could have walked but he had to be a man
You wanna grow up? Well here's the plan:
Let the Lord teach you how to be a man.
You gotta hear this one.
.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments are welcome, but must be on topic. Spam, hateful/obscene remarks, and shameless self-promotion will be unceremoniously deleted. Well, OK, I might put on a little ceremony when I delete them.