30th Year Photos/#93
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Yep, this was my fourth workshop in 4 years (see#123)! It was located behind our home in Arlington, TX on Twin Willows St. from 1981 till 1984 (see #47, 51, 55, 125). Built several hundred instruments here and traveled a lot from here to festivals, mostly by myself. It was exciting making things happen all alone. But this project was not one I could handle all alone. This was the beginnings of my second album, “Timeless”, (see #52, 99, 109, 113) as I gathered musical friends from the DFW area and arranged tunes to record at “the shack” of Tom Smith’s.
Pictured here on the left is Ken Flemming on flat-picked banjo (Celtic style). Ken’s focus and energy makes him the best at whatever he chooses to do, including numerous instruments, his career and starting and producing the world renown Dallas Irish Festival (the second largest in the U.S.) for many years. He also became a strong Christian a fews years later.
Then on guitar is Jim Taylor - a story all it’s own (see #118). Jim was living in the Ft. Worth area while attending SW Theological Seminary. He showed up at my first retail shop in 1981 with his new hammer dulcimer built by Lee Spears back when I didn’t think there was another dulcimer player within a hundred miles! Like I said, that’s another story.
Then on my left, your right, is Sam Compton on fiddle (see #29, 57) who had played guitar for me as I competed in 1981 at the Southern Regional and National contest. He also purchased my first successful hammer dulcimer in 1979 at Winfield (see #96) so he was very important to me musically, competitively, professionally and particularly as a great friend and a wonderful Christian brother.
To his left is Tim Blair on bodhran, an Irish drum. He also played pennywhistle and recorder during this time. A fun and interesting gentleman who was a professional film lighting engineer in Dallas as it was becoming known for its movie production activities, especially in Los Colinas. I think he went back to Los Angeles and probably Hollywood - I wonder where he is and what he’s up to these days.
Well that was the basic roster of great musicians and great friends that helped me make great music on my second album. I’ll never forget how amazed I was at the music that would flow whenever we got together getting better with every practice session. They were all better musicians than I, no doubt, but they drug me to another level and I knew it as it was happening. I’ll be forever grateful to them and to the Lord for sending them my way, even if it was only for a single project.