Dave Sobol
My earliest and fondest musical memory is sitting with my grandfather and singing along with the aptly named "Sing Along with Mitch" television show. He'd bounce me on his knee and we'd sing and laugh and he'd sing, "Davey... Davey Crockett... King of the Wild Frontier"...
In my hometown of Norwich, CT, I started learning to play the guitar when I was ten. My Mom helped me get my first guitar…"rent to own" at $8.00 per week, including the lesson! I'd go to my lesson every Wednesday night, after my usual crying and begging NOT to have to go because I hadn't practiced during the previous week. (Note to aspiring guitar players: "Ten minutes a day, every day, beats one hour, once a week just before your lesson… no kidding…")
The first tune I learned was Winchester Cathedral by the New Vaudville Band. (It was the only tune I could think of when my guitar teacher asked me what tune I'd like to learn... my Grandfather used to sing it.) Once I had learned that, my Pep and me were a duo!
One sad Wednesday nite after my guitar lesson, my Mom and I got home to a phone call from my Meme that my Pep had passed away...
I let my teacher picked out my next tune... See Me, Feel Me from The Who's rock opera "Tommy". But at ten years old, I really couldn't relate...
What I could relate to was singin' and playin' and having people sing along with me and havin' fun!...
So that was it then... I started learning popular tunes and playing for as many people as I could; my parents' friends, highschool dances, restaurants, nightclubs, backyard parties, campgrounds and fairs, you name it!
And that's what I still do now... when I play, I'm having just as much fun are you are! I really like doing this.... and it'll show!