Long time, no posting! I've taken a long, long hiatus from the Rock and Romance Cruise Blog. In fact, I had been debating pulling the blog down altogether, until I recently saw a post from Danny Paterno on the Rock and Romance Cruise Chat.
Danny is the bassist for Troubadours, The Music of Carole King and James Taylor. I'm sure many of you met him on board last month. Along with being an accomplished musician, he's also a talented writer who artfully detailed, on the 70's Rock and Romance Cruise Chat, his memorable encounter with Don McLean. His story reminded me a bit of one of my past posts about brushes with fame that I've had on the cruise.
Danny's fantastic story also made me realize that there is a need for longer stories about our experiences on the R&R cruise and our collective love of music.
I've invited Daniel to share more with us on this blog, and I really hope he will! I also encourage all of you to contribute stories, too. Facebook is our key channel for staying engaged when we're not on board, but this is an opportunity to delve a little deeper.
So, if you missed Daniel's story about meeting Don McLean on the FB Group, here it is (yes, I asked for permission to publish it). Thanks Danny! And, please reach out to me on FB if you'd also like to contribute content. I'd love to make this a living blog for content that communicates the magic of music and our beloved cruise. Meeting Don McLean - By Danny Paterno
I was supposed to meet the other members of Troubadours at the baggage claim before catching a van to the Hyatt in Miami on our way to the Rock and Romance 2024 Cruise. Because my plane was a little late and because I had to hike about 2 miles from the very farthest point away from the baggage area, (we were dropped off on the TARMAC because all other gates were occupied!) I missed my van. For a second, I thought I was sunk; then I found a Star Vista Transport woman who said that they were looking for me, and If I hurried, I could jump on a van that had one more seat and was waiting outside.
I gave my bass and my bag to the driver, and he stowed the bag in the back and placed the bass on the floor next to two of the other nine passengers. The front passenger's door was wide open, waiting for me like I was some kind of VIP or something. I felt kind of bad for making all these people (other performers, I figured) wait for me. I jumped in the passenger's seat, turned around quickly, and, looking into the middle distance, said, "I'm really sorry, guys, for making you all wait, I got here as fast as I could." I turned around to buckle my seatbelt.
The guy in the middle of the bench seat behind me said, "Don't worry about it, there's no hurry, we've got nothing going on today." I turned back around as he extended his hand and said, "I'm Don." He motioned toward a woman on his left and said, "This is Paris," and he pointed at the guy on his right and said, "This is Mike." (Severs).
I did not have time to be star-struck. Even though Don was, and is, a musical hero of mine, I was already at the point where I had apologized for holding him him up, and he had told me it was no problem and had introduced me to his girlfriend and one of his guitarists. - I felt a warm kinship with this man who was addressing me in a kind, relaxed manner.
Of course, I had to tell him that is was a real treat to meet him, relating how important and transformative "American Pie" was to me as a child. I raised my hand up to the ceiling of the van and said, "For me, it (the song) was up here, at the very top of my favorite songs growing up." I wanted to say more about how it still makes me think critically about the social movements of the 60s and 70s, but he said in an animated way, "Well, you get to hear it TWICE!"
I said I was looking forward to it and turned around as the driver took off from the airport and we cruised out of the shade and into the sun. Don started talking to Mike Severs about guitars and all the great guitar shops they visited in Nashville. The band had recently played at the Opry; it was Don's debut at the venue. He was talking about how he's got too many guitars already, but, somehow some vintage Martin acoustic guitars are too beautiful and great sounding to pass up. Gretsch guitars came up, as well. Now they were talking guitars: a subject which is a favorite of mine - something I know a fair amount about. I figured I'd throw my hat into the conversation . . .
I asked Don if he had been to the old Martin factory in Nazareth Pa. Well of course he had been! I told them about how I used to visit the Guitar Maker's Connection, which is on the first floor of the original 3-story brick building, where they had a huge, dark room full of "B" parts that Martin would not use because of cosmetic or other reasons. I told them about how I searched through hundreds of necks, tops, backs, sides, and bridges, choosing what seemed to be the best to make guitars with. I wound up making 3 acoustic guitars with that Martin wood: a 12-string and two 6-strings (one strung in Nashville tuning). We talked about guitars, Dick Boak, the great guitar builder who headed the Martin factory for years, the Ryman Auditorium, the pros and cons of roasted wood, guitars which have been artificially aged (he hates "em), and how Old Guitars just sound better (I agree)..
So here I am in the transport van, talking guitars with Don McLean! How does something like that happen? You never know when you might meet someone who has been an important part of your youth, and in my case, someone who inspires you musically, lyrically, and emotionally throughout your musical development. (I'm glad I missed that first van.) A down-to earth man and a legendary artist: Don McLean kicked off my first cruise in the best possible way. I will never forget this great journey. Thank you, Don.
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