When I consider the years I’ve spent playing music, I can look at them in no other way than with appreciation. I am grateful for all the opportunities I’ve had to play and perform music, and that I have had enough support from the venues and the people who come out to hear live music that I was able to support myself playing music.
From Miami to the road, from Denver to Houston and New Orleans, even the earliest years in Kansas City and St. Louis, and in smaller cities like Lake Charles, Louisiana, and Gulf Shores, Alabama, I was paid to sing and play my music. To me, that has always meant that I was at least good enough for someone to pay me to play, and that is powerful, encouraging, and gratifying.
Did I get rich playing music? Not at all. But I did make enough to live comfortably and even invest for my future. Was I a celebrity? Absolutely never. But wherever I play, there are still people who come to listen to my groups and applaud what we do.
We have talked many times about how much joy playing music brings you. When you have finished a night where you and the band have played well, there is nothing more satisfying. When the music is right, there is nothing that feels quite as good in quite the same way.
I think the golden rule of life is spend it doing something you love. For those who are fortunate enough to make a living making music, that is truly a lifetime labor of love, one for which we could not be more appreciative.