First before I begin my story, it is important for you to know that I can’t carry a tune in a bucket these days. I will also tell you that back in the late sixties I was the lead singer in a local group known as the Military Comb. Our name was a reference to a lyric in a Beatles song. They were a group that had some success about the same time. We mostly played for dances out the Shortline. Other groups were not always interested in traveling to Pine Grove and Reader.

My singing was okay, but the guys in the band were great musicians and their sound covered my caterwauling out, Devil with A Blue Dress. We had fun and made a few dollars on the weekends.

We even played a couple gigs at Davis and Elkins college. We were in the big time we believed back then. Kids just wanted to dance and hear music they knew. There were several other bands in the area that were really good, and a few of them, if given a chance, could have had some success. The Talisman, The Night Walkers, The Golden Tones, and The Gay Blades. Back then gay simply meant you were happy.

Most every Friday and Saturday night there were dances at the Youth Center in Steelton or at the Memorial Building. The old gym at the high school sometimes held dances, but it was like a dark dungeon and the sound was terrible.

DJ’s in the summer time spun up the records at the pool for dances. “Happy Hoyer” was one of the most popular DJs. He knew how to make money at weekend dances. He would kick off the dance at Bruce Park and then turn the record playing over to me, and head off to another dance in a nearby town. He made pretty good money and was generous to those of us who kept the sound going while he made the rounds.

I’ll bet you didn’t know that I got a chance to be a radio DJ. Radio WETZ gave me a shot at being on the radio, and I enjoyed the opportunity. I did ok with playing music, but when it came to reading the news and advertisements, I had difficulty because of my dyslexia. Didn’t know what it was at the time, I just figured I was not gifted with the ability to read out loud. Still, I had a couple shows where I played music and took requests.

I have always enjoyed music, and I can listen to most any kind for a period of time. But no rap or any of this hollering crap you hear today. I want to hear a story told by the singer and not hear a head banging noise.

Many singers I have enjoyed have now passed into singers’ heaven. Each of their passings, seemed to take a few of my memories with them. When I hear their songs today, my hair is not so white, both of my ears work and I visualize a young man with his life ahead of him, looking back from the mirror.

Gordon Lightfoot, Jim Croce, Dan Fogelberg and Don Williams, each of these men sang songs that were short story’s and were instilled into my youth. Don Williams’ song “Heart of Hearts” gives you the feeling that life is going to be okay with the sunrise. Dan Fogelbergs’ song, Leader of the Band, was written for his father. The words were his gift to his ailing father. But they are also words for each of us who has lost someone. Jim Croce sang two songs I can relate too, Photographs and Memories. It is a song that when I look back at a lifetime taking pictures, the ones of my Mary are still special. When I see her all those years ago when we first started our life, for an instant, it brings back how special she was to me and still is. Croce’s Time in a Bottle, a song that reminds me that like the sands in an hourglass, life is passing, And the fact that each day is special and we should enjoy each one, because we are not sure how many grains remain in the glass. Some songs are about love found; others love lost. Others tell tales such as Gordon Lightfoot’s’, Edmund Fitzgerald. After hearing his words, you can understand the pain and sadness the families of those on board felt when hearing their loved ones were suddenly gone. We each may have had a sudden tragedy in our life and the pain it brought is real. But Gordon’s songs shared that pain so the families of the Fitzgerald could move on, and it may give you some way to move on also. Songs that you could listen to and feel like you gained something from their words and the gentleness of their voice.

One of my most enjoyed singers’ James Taylor is still with us. He sings one song and when I hear it, it gives me pause. I listen to the gentle sound of his voice and music. I can close my eyes and find my way back to the sand bar alongside Fishing Creek, as I lay on the warm sand. I can hear the sounds of the birds, and the splashing of fish nearby. The warm summer breeze tells me I am home.

I have given you a list of songs that to me can restore peace in a hectic day. I have shared this gift with you. I ask that you find a quiet place, and put on James Taylor’s, Copper Line. Close your eyes, and I hope it brings peace and joy along with a few past memories as you look back Through the Lens.