About Me

What can I say? Like most people, music has always been a big part of my life. I love to listen to great music and perform whenever the opportunity affords itself. My guitar playing is rather straight forward (nothing fancy)--just a little picking and strumming, mainly to accompany a story/song verse. I've never considered myself a strong songwriter, but more an interpreter of songs--though I do try to write songs from time to time as a wee-bit o' inspiration passes by.

I appreciate many different styles of music, from bebop jazz and progressive 70s rock to blues and folk, alternative country, singer/songwriters and acoustic guitar performance. Some of my favorites: jazz--Charles Mingus, Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, many others; singer/songwriters--Greg Brown, Gene Clark, Tom Russell, Townes Van Zandt, Randy Newman, Ray Davies, John Prine, Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Gram Parsons, John Hiatt, Gilian Welch/David Rawlings, Steve Earle, Guy Clark, Hayes Carll, Peter Rowan and many others; rock/blues/progressive--Eric Clapton, John Mayall, Buddy Guy, Albert Lee, all the "Kings" (BB, Albert & Freddie), Sonny Terry/Brownie McGhee, Santana, Yes, Jethro Tull, Donovan, Leo Kottke and many more. And the usual band of suspects: Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Gordon Lightfoot, CSN, etc. Favorite guitar players: Clarence White, Albert Lee, Jeff Beck, Ry Cooder, Leo Kottke, Doc Watson, Tony Rice, Carlos Santana, Larry Carlton et al.

On a personal level: I've been married to my wife, Cheri, for over thirty-seven years. We have five kids (Heather, Taylor, Sara, Collin & Tanner) who kept our household very active for many years, as you can imagine. We live in Ceres, CA, in the Central Valley midway between San Francisco and Yosemite National Park--lotsa hot summers and very pleasant spring and fall weather.

By the way, the photo below was taken at San Jose Family Camp in the High Sierras near Yosemite back in summer 2004. That's me in the middle with the 3Amigos, Jim Haughey (left) and Bill Guraro (right). Bill and Jim then moved on to become part of the Amigos Music ensemble in the San Jose area.

Turlock Farmer Market May 2021

BradSongs/lyrics:

YOU DON’T GET IT NO MORE

Crowds bereft, mind’s adrift

Day-glo clothes, frozen nose

Fall in line for supper time

You don’t get it no more

Chorus:

Oh – ee, glidin’ so high

No time to take a faster train

Lookin’ out over yonder plain

You don’t get it no more

Man-child stare, friends beware

Times a-changin’ by the city fare

Newsprint screamin’ from the headline scare

You don’t get it no more

I’m so tired of being wired

Lost control payin’ toll

Ask around at the lost and found

You can’t get it no more

Oooh, Sher Kahn and his brother Don

Could not keep from workin’ on

Climb the ladder to the higher floor

You don’t get it no more

COLLIN SONG

There is a little baby boy, his name is Collin Brown,

We put him on the kitchen floor, watched him crawl around

Collin Brown, little baby, Collin Brown

He got into the laundry and he got into the books,

But when he headed for the garbage bin, we give him dirty looks

Collin Brown, my baby, Collin Brown

He tore up all the magazines, he’s bouncing off the wall,

Now he’s leaning on a cupboard door, a’waiting on a fall

Collin Brown, my baby, Collin Brown

Now our little boy’s begun to walk ‘cross that floor,

And if that wasn’t bad enough, our sanity’s no more

Collin Brown, little baby, Collin Brown

He’s now a budding ten year old, so much of life ahead,

A smile, a hug, a sweet good-night, we tuck him into bed

Collin Brown, young boy, Collin Brown

Our little boy has grown a bunch from that day down on the floor,

The days and months have come ‘n’ gone, so many times before

Collin Brown, my young man, Collin Brown

If truth be told he’s been a joy, it’s happiness he’s brought

We’re really glad to have him here, we love him such a lot

Collin Brown, little baby, Collin Brown

COUNTRY BLUES

These country blues’ve got me down,

Can’t read the writing on the wall

And these city blues, they got me down,

No, I ain’t got no one at all,

Well the time has come, to get away

And it’s there I’m gonna, there I’m gonna stay

I’m seein’ sunny skies, a pair of big blue eyes,

A’lookin’ toward my face

Thinking happy times, and peace of mind,

How I love this place,

Well the time has come, to get away

And it’s there I’m gonna, there I’m gonna stay

Now I’ve gotta friend who’s a-travelin’,

He’s on an open road again

It’s a long, dark street--a hole so deep,

It never seems to end,

And the time has come, to get away

And it’s there I’m gonna, there I’m gonna stay

Well, the sun’s a-risin’, but the air’s so bad,

I gotta leave this city today

So I’ve been suckered ‘n’ I’ve been had,

Time to blow this town away,

And the time has come, to get away

And it’s there I’m gonna, there I’m gonna stay

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