Mentor
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Dont Let the Sun Go Down on Me – Elton John
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Chapel Music
Probably the greatest mentor I had in music was Community Chapel, the church I attended for 8 years. I eventually got up the nerve to actual minister on the piano in a few outreaches. This is a short compilation of the music that came out of our church. I listened to and played only Chapel music from 1979-1987. It had a huge influence on me.
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You and I – Stevie Wonder
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Martha My Dear – The Beatles
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Open the Eyes of My Heart – Michael W Smith
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Tiny Dancer – Elton John
My piano inspiration in the 70s. This is his classic song Tiny Dancer. He sang this live when my sister Alice and I saw him in Berkeley, CA, October 1972. I became a big fan of his that year. I played a lot of his music in the 70s and continued to train my ear to play by ear as I did. I suppose I have him to thank for that. After years of practice, I was able to sit down and play any song by just hearing. At any rate, Tiny Dancer was one of his first hits when he and Bernie wrote very poetic music. His first music…
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John Denver, a poet and balladeer and an inspiration
In my Sacramento years (1975 on), my musical taste became a bit less rock and a bit more folk and country. I fell in love with John Denver’s music. I think at this time I started taking more of an interest in the lyrics of songs. Up until now, my interest in music was melody, harmony and beat. I never paid much attention to lyrics. Denver’s music was two things to me; beautiful acoustic guitar duets and lyrics about nature. No one could sing about nature like Denver. Here is a good example. I’ve often wondered why I love this song about a misunderstood nature zealot. That is not really…
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James Taylor – another favorite artist
Ive been a fan of James Taylor since his first hit, “Fire and Rain” in the fall of 1970.