A Gift Of Music For A Child

Chicago—I remember when I was a little guy growing up, being raised by my part-time mother. Part-time because she found places and people to do the job she was incapable of, raising a child. I was on my own from age 14 on.

For a while my mother had an older sometime boyfriend who made a modest living as a singer in Chicago nightclubs. He played a guitar and attempted to impress my mother telling her in front of me that when I turned 12 he’d give me a guitar and teach me how to play it. I really wanted that to happen and it never did. I never learned how to play any musical instruments and feel deprived to this day.

As an adult, I could have bought something on my own but that would never have been the same. I’d have enjoyed the gift and more importantly the instruction and attention from a caring adult.

If you play something well and can afford it, find a needy kid that wants the gift of music and help him or her out. I wonder how many legendary entertainers got their boost in life from a musician.