During our “virtual” courtship in the summer of ’23, Craig sent me one of the songs that he had recorded – Misty Morning. He had put it on YouTube. I was mesmerized by his voice and listened to it several times a day. After we met and he played for me in person, I couldn’t understand why he wasn’t performing and sharing his talent. I got to hear him perform in his living room with his friend James Peters and his joy was apparent. He has written several songs and he gradually shared them with me over time. His songs tell relatable stories. He has performed for many friends and family and he is a natural performer. He started playing in bands when he was 15 and over the years, has been on small stages at various times and spent a lot of time playing with friends around campfires and on back porches.
Craig retired to Tennessee to be in the environment of songwriting and performing a decade ago but far a variety of reasons his performances remained mainly in his living room and back deck. The last time I heard James Peters and Craig play together, as James was leaving, he said to me “I hope you will support and encourage Craig’s music.”. Apparently previous partners were not supportive.
Unfortunately James unexpectedly died two weeks later and Craig did not pick up his guitar for about 3 months. What he enjoyed most was playing with others. In a part of the country literally covered with singers and songwriters, it is not necessarily easy to find someone to collaborate with. We started exploring Songwriter Rounds in May and he has been gradually working up to participating. It has been clear to me that he as good as or better than most we have seen. It was tricky to figure out how to be supportive but not pushy – after all, it is not me getting up on stage. Songwriter’s Rounds are organized by an individual in various venues around Nashville. Rounds are typically 30- 60 minute blocks. 1- 4 individuals may be booked during each block. More well-know writers get more time.
After months of practicing on a performance stage in our atrium, the idea emerged to do his first Songwriter’s Round on the anniversary of James Peters passing. This led to a conversation with Natalie where she agreed to sing the female part of his duet and then to perform some of her own songs that she has never performed at a Round. with Craig. With a specific goal in mind – a round with Natalie on October 24th, Craig went about making it happen. While the venues were already booked on October 24th, he got the Commodore Grille to give them a Round at 530 PM – ahead of the already scheduled rounds starting at 600 PM. Performing with Natalie certainly helped make this happen. They will each get to play 3 or so songs.
Hopefully he will have a GREAT experience and this will lead to getting booked in future Rounds on a regular basis which will lead to meeting individuals he can collaborate with. I would love to see the music studio on the 3rd floor get a lot of use.
In the meantime, I am making slow progress on the bass guitar. I have 4 songs now that I can play – one of them is Craig’s.
Tamara Unleashed 