As some of you know, I am a full-time, career musician. I've played with pop music stars, jazz giants, and I even gigged for Motown during their Detroit days.
In 1985, the future Mrs. Notes and I left a 5-piece band due to personnel problems, and started a duo,
The Sophisticats. Since Florida is a retirement destination, we targeted the mature audience. At that time we played music by Frank Sinatra, Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Sarah Vaughan, and other songs of that era.
As time went by, and the old folks went to the great gig in the sky, replaced by the early Baby-Boomers, we did Elvis, Buddy Holley, Chuck Berry, Drifters, and other early rock songs.
More time passed, and it was the music of our peers. Beatles, Aretha, Sting, Donna Summer, Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell, and so on,
Lately, quite a few musicians have left the earthly stage. They didn't go as young folks, like Hendrix O.D.-ing, Otis falling from the sky in an airplane, or Lennon getting shot by a crazy person. Instead, they are expiring from old person diseases. (Aaaaaarrrrrrrggggggghhhhhh.)
As time movies on, there are more and more songs that were recorded by artists that are dead in our songlist. Not just those of my parents/grandparents generation like Count Basie, Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, or my older sister's generation including Elvis Presley, Bill Haley, Sam Cooke and others. But of my own generation - and even those who belong to people from younger generations, Adele, Zac Brown, Bruno Mars, and so on.
Other than the younger peole songs, so many artists in our
songlist are no longer with us, I realize that more and more we are playing ghost music.
So instead of The Sophisticats, perhaps we should change our name to
Ghost-Buskers (Who ya gonna call?).
But since we are firmly established as The Sophisticats, we'll leave the name Ghost-Buskers to someone else.
Insights, incites and a little humor by Notes ♫
Norton Music
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