For Musicians Only--What was the first song you learned

[studiogirl]

Thank you studiogirl! I had not heard that tune before -- very nice indeed! Did you know that the late great John Entwistle of Who played the bass and French Horn?
I actually studied French Horn in Germany and in Utah as a music major. But I was a wimp -- didn't like being a "starving musician" so I got into consumer electronics instead.

Have you heard the Hellecasters?

I didn't know Entwistle played any horns...how cool!

And yes, I'm very familiar with the Hellecasters!

[MsUp]

Chop sticks on the piano.
My Dad taught me Danny Boy, on my new acoustic, when I was 12 1/2 (although I loved The Beatles, I really wanted to play like Segovia).

[pocomann]

Thank you studiogirl! I had not heard that tune before -- very nice indeed! Did you know that the late great John Entwistle of Who played the bass and French Horn?
I actually studied French Horn in Germany and in Utah as a music major. But I was a wimp -- didn't like being a "starving musician" so I got into consumer electronics instead.

Have you heard the Hellecasters?

I didn't know Entwistle played any horns...how cool!

And yes, I'm very familiar with the Hellecasters!

Jack Nietzsche made be think of them, maybe a similar genre. Danny Gattin also. But no French Horns as far as I remember. Love John Jorgenson from Hellecasters, DRB and who has done a lot of studio work or other bands and soloists. I was listening to Back from Rio, Roger McQuinn today -- he's on that one.

[waldo]

I can't quite remember the first song, but it was definitely something by Tom Paxton. Rambling Boy, perhaps.

[drmojave]

the first song i learned from start to finish was bill dogget's "honky tonk" as done
by the beach boys. the bass line was so easy, the high arpeggios were simple, the chord fills so natural. i thought that learning the guitar would be easy. NOT!
-
the first song i sang and played was "farmer's daughter" by the beach boys. i did a dirty version for my friends so they could make their pathetic attempts to be ginchy.
-
the first song i performed in public was "today" by the new christy minstrels. i did it at a church show with the girl next door. she sang some incredible harmonies. halfway through the song, i forgot the lyrics and the chords. i shrugged my shoulders and walked off the stage. the pianist was puzzled. i have had stage fright ever since.
-
the first song i played with another was "take it easy" with my good friend saltman. one mind playing 2 guitars.
-
the first song i/we recorded was danny kirwin's/fleetwood mac's "sunny side of heaven". we thought we were so "good". the tape does not lie. we sucked. it was a motivation to practice. we eventually nailed it. we have, on occasion, dazzled folks with that tune.
-
my first studio recording was saltman's "all of my time". a great song which i have since re-written and re-arranged. $85 for one song in 1980.
-
my first song that i wrote and recorded was "day on the green". it is an instrumental. it was recorded at the first version of the saltmine studios. i still have a fuzzy copy on tape. i am actually quite proud of that tune.
-
the first song i had played on the radio was "whirlpool in a hurricane" by the hypgnostics. i wrote it in folk mode. saltman wrote the lyrics in about 20 min. when the song was in the can, it sounded over-produced, over-bassed. it is a good tune though. i may resurrect it. it was fun to play it onstage. females seemed to like it.
-
now, i go back to my roots. i am a folkie, country rocker. poco, burritos, buffalo, gene clark, byrds, hillman/pederson/bryson/desert rose are my roots.

[Bogeyfire]

Dr. Mojave,

Good to see you posting. I've been wondering about you! Love the Avatar. Totally "ginchy"!

[drmojave]

hey mark:
been spending much time in ocean beach, love san diego, bbq house is splendid. hodads is good, but i would not wait in line for it. july/august sucks in riverside. family reunion in the mountains for a week. tired of travel. travel is hard work. i sympathize with the boys. not going anywhere for awhile. delta charged me $15 each way to check a suitcase. the car rental agency gouged me (they don't know with whom they are dealing). the branch manager better work with me, or i will have his job. will be at the richie shows for sure, should be a great gathering of the nuts.

[Bogeyfire]

hey mark:
been spending much time in ocean beach, love san diego, bbq house is splendid. hodads is good, but i would not wait in line for it. july/august sucks in riverside. family reunion in the mountains for a week. tired of travel. travel is hard work. i sympathize with the boys. not going anywhere for awhile. delta charged me $15 each way to check a suitcase. the car rental agency gouged me (they don't know with whom they are dealing). the branch manager better work with me, or i will have his job. will be at the richie shows for sure, should be a great gathering of the nuts.

Now, that's a "NUT"!

Good to hear from you, Mr.! I wish I was hanging in O.B.. However, that would only get me in trouble. You know, you would expect something as underground as headshops from the 70's would never last. I think "The Black" in Ocean Beach is exactly the way I remember it in collage in the mid 70s! Complete with Washburn guitars on the wall, Yes and Zep black light posters next to them.

I step back 30 years when I walk into that place.

[drmojave]

the black is cool. scored some martin sp's there. cow records is great. a little pricey, but good stuff. they had a fine poco collection. i had a poco tee shirt on. met some fine folks, mike and patty, who should be at the belly up and coach house richie shows. we had a nice long talk.
-
met some very cool people from switzerland. anna had a buckskin cowgirl deal going, cowboy boots, the whole deal. the very embodiment of "ginchy". nice foks. their next stop was las vegas. they were aglow with anticipation. met a bond trader from seattle who was doing his job in his hotel room at the beach. had some friends from arizona show up. we had 3 rooms, took over the courtyard.
-
dozens of ways to get into trouble in OB, but mostly it is tourists and families, strong police presence. OB hotel is my home base. right on the beach. play guitar on the beach walk at 2am and attract a small group of listeners. walk the pier a few times a day. it is the longest pier on the west coast. up and down newport ave, i always seem to walk 5 miles a day in OB. i had shin splints for a week.
-
jeez, i love OB. OB is a freak show for sure. i call it "berkeley by the beach". i fit right in. we had 6 people for dinner at the bbq house with drinks all around, $52, and some of the best ribs you will ever have.
-
saw tears for fears at humphrey's. awesome. amazing how many hit songs they have had.
-
haven't been on for awhile, first thing i do is hi-jack a thread. sorry guitarbro. jimmym is usually the one who hi-jacks threads.

[DieHardPOCOFan]

In the first (of many) garage bands as a drummer, it was Revival from ABB's Idlewild South. That one took a long time to perfect, but once we had it down it was pretty magical.

On guitar, I believe it was Clapton's "I Looked Away". Not an easy one for a first effort.