I come from sturdy Alabama farming stock, from pecan orchards and peanut fields. By rights my favorite flower ought to be something straightforward and simple, something that thrives in red clay and drought—zinnias, maybe, or marigolds or black-eyed Susans. It’s true I’ve always been fond of these ordinary yard flowers, plants that drop their own… → Read More

Dear Dr. Fish (Frank); I know that doctors don’t often get to hear from their patients about the good things they have done for them. If the patient is doing well, you never see them again. If they are not doing well, you see them all the time and in either case you don’t get… → Read More

Dear Ray; I’ve hoped that over the years we could have crossed paths so I could share with you, in person, the impact you inadvertently had on my life. My whole life. If I could see you, it would have gone something like this….. “Hi Ray! Do you remember back in the summer of 1973… → Read More

Dear Tom; I know that in the past I have made reference to your influence on my becoming a musician but I feel the need to let you know, once again, what that has meant to me. When you first came to visit our family in California I was a mere nine year-old boy in… → Read More

Dear Mrs. Cooke, After eight years of parochial school my parents cast me into the less civilized environs of public middle school where two bullies trapped me in a corner of the hall and demanded my lunch money in return for “protection” from other bullies. If I refused, they warned, I would take a beating… → Read More

There are dozens of people in my life who helped change and enrich it immensely – a suggestion made, a helping hand, an introduction – but none influenced mine as much as did K.W. Lee. The Charleston Gazette was an amazing place to work in the early 1960s when I was there as a fulltime… → Read More

Dear Ray, For years, I’ve wanted to get in touch with you to thank you for what you’ve done for me and my family. It’s rare that you can trace back so many fruitful careers to a single source. After you connected me with Billboard, I corresponded for the magazine for the next several years,… → Read More

Mr. Kauffeld, I was 12-years old when I read your book, Snakes and Snake Hunting. It opened a whole new world for me. I can remember going out with my father’s old fireman’s boots, a noose stick and old pillow cases to hunt for and collect snakes, always remembering your tales of hunting snakes in… → Read More

Dear Edward, Before we’re each overtaken by dementia, I want to thank you for a few things. “For what?” you must be thinking. “What have I ever done to please him?” Well, for one thing, your ever-present sense of humor somehow became infused in mine, and that has proved to be a strong asset in… → Read More

Dear Pete, You were my first guitar teacher. I was seven years old and it was 1969, Rockville, MD. Classical and Flamenco were the styles of choice. We also delved into some Fingerstyle Blues. My parents discovered you. I don’t remember how. They both loved your playing, especially the “Pete Gutterman Blues.” I still play… → Read More