Set the Music Free.

This one is called 'A Good Guitar'.

Bluegrass is not a CRIME! Here is a poke my own love for Bluegrass.

The Raven guitar pickguard Here's a new pick guard that I created for folks who own a Raven, acoustic, guitar. My Uncle Urban used to own one and I have been watching EBAY to see if one comes up for sale. So far no luck.

Life and Death

Feel the Bluegrass.

I got a notification, via Facebook that a fellow musician, from my Jam group was having his birthday and I wondered what to send him. Jerry Lund is a song writer, and fun musician to play with, full of good humor and musical advice. At first I thought I'd write him a birthday song that was unique and totally original, but I couldn't seem to get it to fit, perfectly to music so, in the end, I decided on a poem format. This is the poem I sent him. It is called 'The Birthday Wish'.

Country Music

The language of the Soul

Flowers and Butterflys

Sometimes, while I'm working, a song will come over the Musac feed that will catch my attention, (not that often), but when it happens I am often hampered by poor hearing and you'd be amazed at the lyrics I think that I am hearing. I often get so fasinated with what I know are the wrong lyrics that I pursue this theme and write my own song based upon the work I am doing. Thus it was, recently, when I I heard a Billy Joel tune called 'For The Longest Time'. I started to come up with lyrics the way I would write it and chucled my way through the whole shift. By the time I went home, This is what I had in my head. I call it, 'The Longest Time'.

Here is an illustrated lesson I made up for my Jam Group's website, (Westman Jams). It illustrates to process of switching between the chords of G-major and D-major via a simple six step run.

Here is an illustrated lesson I made up for my Jam Group's website, (Westman Jams). It illustrates to process of switching between the chords of D-major and G-major via a simple eight step run.

Learning about Complex-Alternate-root-string rhythm in C-major & 3/4 time.

Learning about Complex-Alternate-root-string rhythm in C-major & 4/4 time.

If at first you don't succeed, take another whack at it. Some errors in the previous posting might have led to confusion so I re-did this lesson and hopefully this one is more accurate. Learning about Alternating-root-string rhythm in C-major & 3/4 time.

Learning about Alternating-root-string rhythm in C-major & 4/4 time.

Learning about single-root-string rhythm in C-major & 3/4 time.

Learning about single-root-string rhythm in C-major & 4/4 time.

Are you looking to learn to play a musical instrument but just aren’t bright enough to accomplish this? Here’s just the thing for you!

Brought to you by the 'Union of Starving Commercial Musical Artists'.

Why? The eternal question.

Mountainside

Red Leaf & Flower Swirl

Sing

Paradise

Howlers

Cross

Rose Shield

Evolution - for better or worse.

Meadow Lark

Green Flower

Family

Floral & Vine Pattern

The Wrangler

The Gift

“A Birdie Told Me” I'm back, just like a bad check. I have a little gift to offer, however. While illustrating the poems of Adel Millar , I came across this gem and I have been saving it up for just the right moment. To be honest, I've been simply dying to show it off, but I promised myself to introduce these poems gradually so I had to be patient and suffer from the anticipation, but today is the day. Its been nice, warm and sunny and seems like just the time for a poem like this. So... HERE IT IS! The Adel Millar Poetry Project is pleased to present, from the collection of personal poems written by Adel Millar, “A Birdie Told Me”. She scribbled a note beneath the poem, mentioning the fact that she had sent it to Nick (That's my Uncle Urban Heath) to see if he liked it? Obviously he did. She mentioned that he read her a birdie poem of his. That would have been one called “A Birdie Said”. If you wish, you can find that poem among my poems from the 'Urban Poetry Project' but the poem of the day comes from my Aunt Adel. I offer up “A Birdie Told Me”.

I guess that there is a time when everybody questions if God is out there, if he hears our pleas, if he even cares about us. It's only natural that we sometimes question God in those dark hours when the world seems to be set against us. It is in these moments of dire need that we, either give up upon our God, or find our faith and re-affirm our commitments and beliefs. I get the feeling that my Aunt Adel must have experienced one of these moments in life and found her faith again, and with it, hope. The Adel Millar - Poetry Project proudly presents another poem from the life and thoughts of Adel Millar. This piece is called "Make Room".

Once again I return with a bit of poetry, from the Adel Millar poetry Project. This selection is, in fact two short poems dealing with memories. Thus I have entitled the pair 'Reminiscence'. This selection contains the poems 'Remembering' and 'Memories', both written by Adel Millar. I hope you will enjoy these scraps of poetry.

Sometimes Bluegrass audiences can be a little protective about their music.

I am pleased to present yet another poem from 'the Adel Milar Poetry Project'. This one is called "The Thanksgiving Tree". I know it is not the time of Thanksgiving and yet I would suggest that it would serve us well to be reminded that every day offers us both trials AND blessings. As hard as it may be to comprehend, sometimes even our trials are a gift to us. They can help us to become stronger. Even when this does not seem to be so, surely, we must acknowledge we should remember to be thankful for our blessings when we receive them. It would seem insincere to wait until that one date on the calendar to express our gratitude for the good things we have received. And so I shall not wait until Thanksgiving rolls around to post this poem. I would also like to express my thanks to the good Lord for my good fortunes in still having so many of my aunts and uncles who are alive today. I never cease to be amazed by the awesomeness of the members of my father's family and their husbands and wives. Now and then I learn something from the generation that proceeded me which impacts my life greatly. I miss those that have left us but that only serves to remind me not to overlook the ones that remain, such as my aunt Adel Milar. My goodness, I am getting dizzy. It must be the altitude. I think I'd best get down off this soap box and get on with presenting this poem. So, here, I offer up "The Thanksgiving Tree".

As I go through these poems I think of how things had changed in the time span of my aunt Adel's youth and mine, and yet... in some ways thing weren't so different. In her youth, folks did not travel much. The reasons were both economic and tecnological. Families did not have much money to spend on cars and gasoline. In her days the cars themselves were not very reliable and the roads, at best, were difficult to navigate as they were mostly dirt roads. School, therefore, was like a social experience. One met with other kids and families that otherwise you didn't get much oppertunity to speak to. Lifelong freindships, often sprung up from the school playground. School was an escape frome the everyday drugerie of isolated lives spent mostly at home. I'm not saying that these folks lived in caves. I'm just saying that people didn't have as much opertunity to get out and socialize as we do these days. Even in my youth, living on a small farm 10 miles from town, travel was limited. The only thing you could be sure of was that you'd be going to town to attend school. In my aunt Adel's youth, school must have seemed a Godsend and in the following poem, you can see this. The 'Adel Millar, Poetry Project' is pleased to showcase another of Adel's poems. This one is named "Mimosa". Mimosa was a one room school that severl of my aunts and uncles, in the Goodlands area of Manitoba, attended durring the 1920's and 30's. Without further addew I offerup "Mimosa".

Another Hank Williams Sr. Commemorative pick guard.

Here is a pick guard dedicated to 'The Man In Black', Johnny Cash.

The 'Adel Millar Poetry Project' presents another of Adel Millar's works. This one is called "Desperate". My Aunt Adel suffered cronic back pain from which she could find no relief. In spite of several operations the pain did not seem to receed. Unless you have suffered such constant discomfort, you would find it hard to imagine what it is like to live with that. Eventualy she got an operation that did help relieve a lot of the pain and although it still bothers her some I would say that she lives an rather active life these days. At her age I'd consider her quite amazing. Of course... I always did consider her quite amazing. This poem was dedicated to one of her many friends whom, at a desperate moment, delivered unto her a very simple and yet very precious gift. The message, here, is that the smallest of things can make the biggest of diferences. I would offer up to you... "Desperate".

I just purchased a Chinese guitar of the Renaissance brand name. It was a very affordable acoustic guitar but it had the best tone amongst all of the guitars in the shop. I decided to make this pick guard for it.

A new piece of pickguard artwork. Here is a pickguard depicting Hommer Simpson celebrating the legalization of Marijuana in some states in the U.S.

Here the second installment in the 'Adel Millar Poetry Project'. It is a short poem entitled "Remember". As I grow into my later years, I begin to see that memories are strange things. You for get so much and misremember many things. I think... that the last things you forget are the good things. Even having passed through the harshest of times, it is the good things that stand out and the trials and tribulations that seem to fade away within one's memeries. Adel's poem, 'Remember' speak of how dear, old friends are some how never replaced no matter how many new friends you may aquire in your life. I hope that you folks will enjoy this ode to a friend.

It is very fasinating the things that you will learn when you start researching a subject and go into it a little deeper. My Aunt Adel Millar let me borrow her album of Urban Heath's poetry, given to her by Ilene Heath. After having illustrated and digitized it I returned it to her. She quite accidently let it slip that she also had written poetry. Naturally I was intrieged and asked her if I might borrow her collection of her works. At first she was insistent that these poems were not as good as Nick's and therefore not worth putting out in the view of the public, but I assured her that, from what I could see they seemed quite good and that her family would appreciate access to these documents of poetry. Yesterday, I recieved a small package, from my Aunt Adel, in the mail and was delighted to find these poems by her hand. I would like to pass them on to you for your enjoyment. I think that they represent something special.Here is my first installment in what I am calling the 'Adel Millar Poetry Project'. I hope that you will enjoy these poems as much as I did. I recommend that they be viewed in full screen mode. The first in this series is a collection of three 6-line poems which I am refering to as Mother's Poems.

When is enough, too much? Most people know that I am crazy about acoustic guitars. I've even told some people how many guitars I have. But I wonder if they can imagine just what that many guitars look like and how much space that they take up? The last place I lived in was a single basement room and even then I must have had at least nine guitars. I must say that I didn't have much room for anything else. Then the floors of the basement started leaking water up through the cement, durring heavy rains and I had to scramble to find a way to store all those guitars off the floor in order to keep them dry. It was clear from the start that I needed a shelving system that could hold a lot of guitars all in one space. What I needed was a, dedicated, Guitar Rack. I'm not talking about a huge guitar stand that just holds the guitars. I needed a rack that could contain all of my guitars in their cases and, hopefully have some space left to store all the other instruments I had. Where do you purchase such a piece of furniture? Try as I might I couldn't find anything remotely like this and finnaly I realized that I would have to build it myself. Trouble is, I'm no carpenter. What I ended up doing was purchasing several wooden, crate lumber, shelves from the hardware section of Wal*Mart. I selected these shelves because they were easy to assemble and as modifiable as an erector set. Once completed, in it's original location, it could only store the guitars on the lower shelves. When I moved to my current diggs I was delighted to find that the place had close to an eight foot ceiling. This was a good thing because I was still aquiring guitars and other instruments. So it was back to Wal*Mart for more shelves and I simply expanded my Guitar Rack verticaly to have two functional levels of guitar storage to double it's capacity. Now even that is full with instruments. Some folks are alcohalics, some are chain smokers, some are addicted to drugs and I am addicted to acoustic instruments. Well, at least my reletives won't have to fight over who gets my money, when I die. I hope they like guitars... well I do, anyway so I guess that is all that counts. Here is a list of the instruments I currently own. I have 15 six-string acoustics , one twelve string, a square neck slide steel guitar and a six-string Banjo. Oh, and there is the Yamaha six-string which is currently on lone to Amy Trottz, as well. I also have two mandolins, one on the rack and one currently on lone to my brother, Wade. I also have a Strumstick, two Autoharps and my father's violin. Also on the rack is my old trumpet, I don't dare play that anymore, and two harmonicas. Also on the Rack is a practus amplifier, a double guitar stand and a camera tripod. and this is how it looks when they are all in place. What do you think? Maybe I went a little over board? I don't know. I saw a really nice guitar on ebrandon... no... No... ... NO! I don't need another,,,,, well it is a very nice instrument... maybe if I were to build an addon... Here we go again....

Flamenco - A Spanish classical theme

Something to crow about.

Here is a design for those cowboy traditionalists.

As far back as I can remember, my uncle Nick used to do this song that he wrote to the tune of 'Strawberry Roam' Like so many of his songs, he never wrote it down, but years of piecing it together from my memories has resulted in this mostly accurate if, perhaps, somewhat incomplete set of lyrics of his 'Batch Heater Song' This, also, is recorded and on offer amongst my video library/

My uncle Nick wrote many songs over his lifespan. Sadly he did not write most of them down nor recorded the music of most of them for posterity. That being said, this song I managed to get on tape before he died and so I know exactly how it goes. I have a recording of it amongst my videos, if you'd care to hear it. Here are the lyrics to a song I sang at his funeral, called 'Going Home'.

Here is one of the last poems of my uncle Nick's, (Urban Heath), that I have to offer up. It's called 'The Red Headed Fiddler' and I am not sure if it was written about one of his brothers, two of which played the fiddle, or not. Perhaps it was meant as the lyrics to a song. I never got a chance to ask him about it. Anyway... here is 'The Red Headed Fiddler'.

Wide Open Prairie This is a poem that is meant to give folks a feel as to what the prairie lands of Canada are like, if you have never been there. To say the least, the place is big! There are not so many hills and trees to interrupt your view. Cities and towns are very small and farms are widely dispersed over hundreds and hundreds of square kilometers. It can be a lonely place, if you haven't learned to love it, but for those who have, it is a difficult place to leave. My uncle Nick passed away in 2012 and was buried in the cemetery of Goodlands, Manitoba in the south-west corner of Manitoba. This poem was selected, by his wife, to be written on the back side of his grave stone. When ever I stop by to see him I always pause to read it.

To Be A Heath Sometimes a name can seem like a great weight born upon your back. You must either live up to it or live it down.One thing is for certain; no matter how far you may travel through life you can never, completely, leave it behind. My family and pretty much all the Heaths I know of, share many similar traits. Most are great story tellers and they are usually very firm in their core beliefs. Their hard working folk but they always are eager to set aside some time to laugh and visit. This poem speaks to the burden and pride that comes with one's family name..

Ode to Montefore One of several one-room schools that nearby the farm where my Uncle Nick grew up was the old Montefore School near Waskada, Manitoba. He attended school there and the Heath boys played music for many of the dances held there, Like almost all of those old buildings, it's completely gone now. There is not a stick or stone left of the old school house. That's progress I suppose. This poem was written, by Nick, especially for the commemoration of a cairn erected on the spot where the old school once stood.

Musty the Blue Nosed Mooster Sometimes a poem is just about having a little fun. There aren't always deep lessons attached. My uncle Urban wrote this poem to entertain his children.

More Than Just A Dot Urban Heath was not the only member of my extended family with a poetic bone in his body. Brent Millar's poem, 'More Than Just A Dot' speaks, eloquently, of the importance of the concepts of home and roots. I love this poem because I, like he, came from a small town out on the prairie.

City of Lights Sometimes we get to thinking that we are the center of the universe. We think that the world revolves around us, but really, we are just a tiny piece of God's creation. Now and then we are reminded of this. That is, sort of,, what this poem is about.

I never understood why farmers were always so insistent upon which brand of tractor was the best. Having grown up on the farm, using these implements, I generally found most brands of tractors to be equally reliable. In the later years I have concluded that, for the farmers who where around at the time that tractors took over from steam engines, tractors where like miracle machines. They did, easily, twice the work of horses but with the third of the weight of steam engines and required only a fraction of the preparation to get up and running. So tractors where king in the countryside and your tractor was a matter of pride. My uncle Urban grew up on a farm where John Deere was the brand of choice so, naturedly, when it came to writing a poem about tractors, the John Deere to center stage. Here is a poem simply entitled, 'Johnny Deere'.

Even in my time folks, in the country, never traveled very far except on special occasions. We went to school, bought our groceries and supplies and did our banking and business in the local towns in our area, Only if there was something we couldn't get locally did we go to the larger towns and cities. In my uncle's day, just going to the local town could be a major event requiring all kinds of preparation and pomp. 'Going to Town. is a poem about this very thing and how a simple trip into town could become an adventure.

My uncle, Urban (Nick) Heath, was a bit of a cowboy poet and he often wrote poems dedicated to familiar facets of his past. Having attended one of those one room country schools, in the days of the horse and cutter, the old country school was an important social hub and thus it makes sense that he would feel a strong connection to them.. Here is a poem, simply entitled 'Country School'.

Talking-Technical: Take a bunch of men and plunk them down in front of a mixer board and any thing could come out!

The Boundary Commission Trail This is a poem about the old Boundary Commission Trail, which was a trail the Royal Mounted Police used to travel west across the plain of Canada in the early years when the prairie provinces were still part of the North West Territories. ... from the collection of Urban Heath

Beas and Beauty My Uncle Urban, (Nick(), Heath would write poems upon almost any subject that might cross his mind. Some of these might seem frivolous, (and who says that is wrong, but upon deeper consideration they may represent a deeper understanding of life. ... from the collection of Urban Heath

A Toast To John This was a poem written for the occasion of the dedication of my Great Grandfather, John Heath's homestead as a Centennial Farm. ...from the collection of Urban Heath

Freedom-2

Wings in Flight

Shooting Stars

Outstanding

As Free As The Wind

Dark Horse 2

Pink Birds

Gray Bird

Birds Looking Down

Hummingbird Circle

Four Birds in the Branches

Peacock in Flowers

Moon, Flowers, Ring

Bird on a Branch 2

Blues Dog

Birds Flight & Flowers

Golden Flowers & Leaves

Denim Hawk

Blackbird Amongst the Flowers

The Leader Of The Band written and recorded by Dan Fogelberg cover by Elger Heath I have always said that my model, in life was my Uncle Nick, a.k.a: Urban Heath. He was the one shining light in my youth who taught me to be the kind a man one should be. Life is full of plastic role models like old western fa-sades. They have big front but there is little behind them. They're just movie props. My Uncle Nick was the real thing! His actions where guided by his heart and wisdom. He did not jump to conclusions or judge folks by their exterior. He looked beneath the surface and sought the good within. He saw, in me something, with value when everybody else was more then willing to write me off as a lost cause. He taught me to play guitar and showed me how to sing. These things would see me through the hard time until the sun finally did shine upon my face. 'The Leader of the Band' is a song about a man, much like this. Written and originally recorded by Dan Fogelberg, it tells the story of a man who never got the chance to say thank-you to his hero and father. Like the hero of this tune, Nick was the leader of his family band. He was not the oldest, but they followed him because of his great talent and ability to project the music. He was not an only son, by any means but I can attest to the loneliness of being under appreciated so that part of this song applies to me. You see, I saw Nick and his brothers as the old guard of entertainers. I could no imagine that my generation would give up on making music the way most of them did. With Nick most of his brothers gone, I fear that I have become the lone old guard and my time will soon come with no one to follow in the family tradition of music. Oh there are a few, like leaves, scattered to the wind but they don't, or can't, get together to share their music. Thus when the leader of the band passes away, the band ceases to exist like a wisp of smoke. Still, I celebrate my heroes life and try to live up to the standards that he taught me, both in music and in life itself. A man is what he can make of himself, with what ever materials he has available to him. In the end, I had good materials to work with so I hope I make a good man, like my Uncle Nick was. Here is my simple cover of Dan Fogelberg's 'The Leader Of The Band'.

The Rose written by Amanda McBroom recorded by Westlife cover by Elger Heath I sat down with a friend of mine to work out a couple of songs that she wants to sing at a wedding the first was a piece called 'The River ' and the second 'The Rose'. Strange that both of these titles are single words and both begin with the letter 'R'. … I wonder if there is a meaning in that? At any-rate... I posted a recording, I made, of 'The River' yesterday. Today I sat down and recorded a simple cover of 'The Rose' as well, … and here it is. This is just a simple, one-track cover of the song, 'The Rose'.

The River written & recorded by Garth Brooks cover by Elger Heath A singing friend of mine asked if I'd Back her up, with my guitar, when she sings at a wedding. Judy foster wants to practice two songs. One is Garth Brook's 'The River' and the other is 'The Rose'. I've done played 'The Rose' but I've never done 'The River'. So, today, I took out my Yamaha and tried to record this song. It's just a simple, one-track, recording but I thought that it didn't come out too bad. Well..., you be the judge. Below is my cover of Garth Brook's 'The River'.

I Can't Walk written by Anthony Banks, Michael Rutherford & Phil Collins recorded by Genesis cover by Elger Heath One of my favorite rock bands has gotta be Genesis. Trouble is, my guitaristry and singing style isn't very suitable Rock & Roll So it isn't very often that I tackle the rock songs that I like so much. Still..., I always say that you should never let the things that you can't do stop you from doing the things that you want to do. So here is a simple, acoustic cover of the Genesis number, “I Can't Walk”. One of the things I have always known that I COULD do was to be able to step up in front of a microphone and a crowd of strangers and make a fool of myself with out the least feelings of regret. Turns out I have another unique talent. I can often manage to talk others into stepping up in front of a crowd to make fools of themselves, as well. Hummm... I wonder where I learned to do that? I talked a few of my musical friends into doing the Genesis walk, that they do in the video of this number, while I sang this piece. It was hilarious! Here's my version of “I Can't Walk”.

Tenderly Calling written by Jan Garrett recorded by John Denver cover by Elger Heath (a request from one of my dad's cousins, not for the song but to hear a particular guitar being played. Several years back my brother Raymond and I took a trip down to southern Minnesota to take my dad to visit some of his relatives, on his mother's side, down in the states. I am in the habit of taking my guitar when I am traveling to entertain myself, at night, in the motel when I'm in an unfamiliar town. One of the last relatives we got to visit was Don and Darlene Williams. As we entered their kitchen I noticed two instrument cases sitting on the floor. One was a violin and the other a guitar case. “Somebody's planning on playing some music!”, I shouted, excitedly. No... it turns out that Darlene had these instruments but nobody played them anymore and she wanted to know if we wanted to take them up north when we headed back to Canada. I'm not sure to whom the fiddle belonged but Darlene said that the guitar was hers from her youth but she did not play it anymore. I was shocked that somebody would just GIVE me their guitar and I told her that I couldn't just take her guitar. It was her instrument, after all. She said that It wasn't going to get played there and was just sitting in a closet. I finally agreed to take the guitar but the fiddle was of no use to me as I could not play it and my dad's Al-timers left him unable to play it either. So it was that I ended up with a 1960's era, Harmony, folk-style, acoustic guitar to add to my collection. When I got it home I had it checked out, it was in playable condition, and put it on my guitar rack with the others. A few weeks back Darlene, who looks in on my Face Book page, from time to time, asked if I could record a tune using her guitar. I thought, sure! The trouble was it was a case of seeing the trees for the forest. I had so many guitars on my guitar rack, all in their own cases, that I didn't know which was hers. Wouldn't you know it. Hers WOULD be in the hardest place to get at, but get at it I did, finally. And so... I sat down, today, to record a song for Darlene, utilizing her guitar. The song I chose was a John Denver piece called 'Tenderly Calling'. Oh by the way, Darlene didn't play any music during our visit, those years ago, but I dug my guitar out of the backseat and entertained her most of the afternoon. She was quite surprised to find that Canadians played Bluegrass. I told her, “Well of course we did, along with Country, Folk and Gospel.” She seemed to enjoy the music. I know I enjoyed playing it for her. Here is my cover of 'Tenderly Calling' as played on Darlene's 1960's, Harmony Guitar. The instrument was never the best sounding instrument and its string were rusted something terrible. Add that to the fact that the guitar was poorly set up and I'm not the guitarist that I once was and you'll have to excuse that its not the best bit of nusic I have eve played. Still..., it could have been a lot worse. Here is my cover of Tenderly Calling

Life's A Dance written by Allen Shamblin and Steve Seskin recorded by John Michael Montgomery cover by Elger Heath A week ago I was invited to a small, amateur music jam after two years of musical Isolation. I wanted to show up with some fresh music, pieces that I had not done at a jam before, perhaps that I had never done at all. I looked through my vast collection of lyrics and I came across a John Michael Montgomery tune called, “Life’s a Dance”. Written by Allen Shamblin and Steve Seskin, this is a smart piece of lyrics with an valuable message. I'm astounded that I had not done this before. The music is nice, not that hard to play, it has a real lovely piece music to it. Here is my cover of “Life's A Dance”.

Fishin' In The Dark written by Jim Photoglo and Wendy Waldman recorded by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band cover by Elger Heath This is a rough video recorded by a friend who could not help but to sing along, forgetting that her voice was closer to the microphone than the singer was. I guess that's what happens when you hit the groove, just right. Everybody wants to sing along. I entitled this video, 'The Breakout Jam' because it was a small jam with some close friends and amateur musicians, after nearly two years of Covid lock-down. At last, we could escape our self-imposed internment and cut loose and and just have fun. The time had come to stage a breakout! Somehow, 'Fishin' In The Dark' seemed the right tune for this jam. We had been waiting all winter for the time to be right... A song written by Jim Photoglo and Wendy Waldman it has a bouncy and up beat tune with excellent lyrics that I had never done in public. I felt like shedding my reservations and trying out something new, for me. The recording was done with a smart phone, so the video is grainy and lighting gets wild, at times, not to mention the background noise. I felt that, in spite of all of this, it turned out pretty well and reflected the excitement of the afternoon. Here is my cover of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's “Fishin' In the Dark”.

My Uncle Used To Love Me written & recorded by Roger Miller cover by Elger Heath If you hope to entertain a crowd, with your music, you need a vast variety of music. This may include ballads, fast, rocky songs, bluesy stuff, serious music and, yes, funny tunes as well. Roger Miller was a master of novelty music although not all of his music was like that. This tune, however, was and used to be one of my favorite Roger Miller songs. It is, however, a difficult piece to sing for two reasons. First: Some of the lines are REAL tongue twisters. Second: A few of the lines in this song are so long that I tend to run out of breath while trying to sing them. All of that said, its a real good song to learn and a challenge worth overcoming. Here's my cover of “My Uncle Used To Love Me”.

Calling You written and recorded by Hank Williams Sr. cover by Elger Heath O.K. The last few songs I have recorded have been, somewhat more recent pieces but my roots go back to my dad's family playing music in the living room. So, much of my heart and soul is invested in the old country classics by Johnny Cash, Roy Acuff and, of course Hank Williams Sr. One of the old gospel songs that they used to do was an old Hank Williams song that dates back to his very first record. It is a gospel piece entitled, 'Calling You'. It's a nice piece of lyrics with a simple but wonderful bit of music and, up until now, I have never recorded it so today that is the song I set out to cover. Here is how I remember 'Calling You'.

It Don't Hurt written & recorded by Sheryl Crow cover by Elger Heath I guess, you could say, I've lost my faith in modern music. This wasn't something I gave into easily. I want to believe that there is good music, that will appeal to me, being created all the time but its just been so long since I heard a new recording that I could even stomach. These days its either Hip-Hop, Rap, or a cross of the two. The lead instrument seems to be the the drums. I know somebody likes it, it just isn't me. I don't expect there to be a lot of good music, just a tune or two every blue moon. The last time I heard a new song that I liked was in the 2,000's. It's not that I'm against new musical idea. Its just.., yeeee-uck! This stuff is awful! There's no rhythm, there's no rhyme, sure there's lyrics but they don't make any sense and the lyrics fit together like a puzzle with a dozen pieces missing. What happened to artists like Travis Tritt, Alan Jackson or Sheryl Crow! YES, I said Sheryl Crow. Her lyrics make sense and her music gets your heart pumping. I didn't just crawl into a cave, you see. I listen for good music and, when I hear it, I like to show it to the world. Nobody needs me to tell them about Sheryl, of course. She hit the stage like an A-Bomb and every body felt her impact. Here is a recording I attempted of one of her tunes, probably the first hit I ever heard her do called, “It don't Hurt”. This is what good, modern music ought to sound something like. Not my cover... her original recording.

Mrs Robinson written by Paul Simon recorded by Simon & Garfunkel cover by Elger Heath Here's a tune that I have always loved but every time I tried to record it it never seemed to come out right. Simon & Garfunkel recorded this piece in the late 60's, you might have heard it as part of the soundtrack to the movie, 'The Graduate'. 'Mrs Robinson' swaps back and forth between a flat key and a natural key in the chorus and verses. It is the perfect song to illustrate why you should learn to play all of the chords, without the use of a capo, because you can't play this song without utilizing a few accidental chords. When recording this number, I was doing fine with the first track, and maybe I should have just left it that way, but I though it needed a harmony track in the chorus. That may have been the mistake I should not have made. I'm not sure my harmony works well here. In the end..., I guess, you'll have to be the judge on that. Anyway..., here is my cover of Mrs Robinson.

Rubberhead written & recorded by Stompin' Connors cover by Elger Heath Here's another cover of a Stompin' Tom Connors. O.K, so it's Valentine Day! Not EVERYBODY has a good outcome, when it comes to love. Tom has the perfect solution to rejection. Just get another girl and tell you ex to take a long walk on a short peer. Trust Tom to turn a disaster into a laugh. Here's my cover of Stompin' Tom Connors tune called, 'Rubberhead'. Hope you enjoy it.

Livin'On Love written & recorded by Alan Jackson cover by Elger Heath Just finished setting up my new, audio recording station and thought I'd best test it out to see how it worked. So I grabbed my guitar and ran an old Alan Jackson number through the microphone, on a single track, and this is what came out. Sure, it could have been better but that's not the fault of the computer, its the fault of the old amateur singing at the microphone. “Livin'On Love” was released, by Alan, in 1994... was it only THAT long ago? It seems like ages, now. This is not a complicated piece but it caught on like wild fire. I liked it and still do. Here is my cover of Alan Jackson's hit, “Livin'On Love”.

Send My Body Home On A Freight Train written & recorded by Randy Travis cover by Elger Heath I remember when Randy Travis appeared over the airwaves. He and Ricky Skaggs brought traditional Country Music back to in style. Sadly that trend would not last but while it did, man... what a ride! One of Randy's hits was a tune that I hadn't recorded up until now so I decided it was time to try my hand at a song called, 'Send My Body Home On A Freight Train'. This piece was written AND recorded by Randy Travis. Here's my one track cover of 'Send My Body Home On A Freight Train'.

My Hometown written & recorded by Bruce Springsteen cover by Elger Heath My hometown was a little mark on the map called Reston, Manitoba. It was a small town near the Southwest corner of the province near the Saskatchewan boarder. While I have few fond memories of it I can say one positive thing about it. The folks knew how to maintain a small town. Even back then, small towns were shriveling up and dying off. Some could have almost passed for ghost towns, if not for a few cars on the streets. The folks of Reston, however, kept there houses painted and their lawns mowed. The main-street was clean and neat and their schools and park were well maintained..., for a while. Gradually, however as the elevators closed and the small farms sold out to the big farmers, the streets of Reston emptied out. I can remember the main-street being packed with automobiles, on a Saturday night and the theater being full during movies. These days you could fire a canon down a sidewalk, along the main-street, and not hit anybody. This is the fate of most of the small towns throughout the west. I'll bet many of you can tell the same story about your hometown. Bruce Springsteen wrote and recorded a song, called 'My Hometown', that expresses the sense of loss one feels as one watches your hometown die. I've always liked this tune but until today I never attempted to cover it. Today I brought down my guitar, from the rack, and recorded a cover of this piece of music. Its a simple, one-track recording but I didn't think that it came out all that bad. Here is my cover of, 'My Hometown'.

The Lonesome Moonlight Waltz music written by Bill Monroe guitar cover by Elger Heath One of the greatest accomplishments, in my learning to play guitar, has to learning how to pick. Throughout all of my youth I corded and threw in some guitar runs that I'd leaned from my Uncle Nick but I never believed that I had the dexterity or skill to actually pick on the guitar. I had no formal training and had no idea as to how to go about learning, and so..., I didn't. After joining the Westman Jams, I gradually found myself as the guy that some folks would turn to to supply an instrumental break when they sang at the mic. The trouble was that I couldn't actually pick. I just filled in with cording and a lot of guitar runs. That's when I realized that I HAD to learn to do SOME kind of picking so I spent a lot of my spare time trying to learn how to convert runs into actual, add-lib guitar picking. I didn't see it as real picking until a dobro player, by the name of Ken Harman, walked up to me, prior to the start of a jam, and complemented me on my picking. Now, Ken could actually pick and I was surprised that someone so skilled would complement ME on MY picking. I told him that it wasn't actual picking because pickers don't cord as they pick and he told me that, in the old days, picking and cording, at the same time, was quite common though he said that he hadn't seen anybody do it in a long time. As Reg started to grow more ill and picked his guitar less and less, it fell to me to supply more and more instrumental breaks for other folks. I didn't mind but I was NO Reg Jones and I knew it. Still, if there is ONE thing that I am good at, it's stepping up in front of a crowd of strangers, with a mic in my face, and making a fool of myself. What's more I don't mind doing it. There were a few tunes that I spent a fair amount of time on, mostly fiddle pieces, until I could do them fairly well. One of them was called 'The Lonesome Moonlight Waltz', which was written by Bill Monroe. This damn Covid thing has been slowly driving me mad, and with nobody to play music with and no drive, inside, to play alone, I've let my skills slip. You know what they say about ridding a bicycle. Well... maybe you never forget how but you can, sure as heck, loose your edge and climbing back into that bicycle seat can be a painful experience once you decide to get back on it. Between growing older, loosing my dexterity and hearing and my hands growing numb I'm having a real hard time getting back into my stride again. I've been taking my guitar to work each night and practicing singing and playing. Some nights I'm not half bad, while on others, well..., let's just say that, there is a lot of work to be done to get back up on that bike. Today, I decided to do something I haven't done in a while. I decided to make a video recording. Not only did I challenge myself to play my guitar, again, but I was determined to do an instrumental. I didn't expect it to come out perfectly, and it didn't, but it didn't sound too bad either. This is just a simple one track recording of an old fiddle tune I used to love. This is me playing Bill Monroe's 'Lonesome Moonlight Waltz'.

The Longest Time lyrics written by Elger Heath music from the Billy Joel number called 'The Longest Time' As I work, on the graveyard shift, the store radio pumps out old classics all night long. Most of these I hate but, once in a while, they play one that I actually would like to learn. Thus it was on the night they played that Billy Joel number, 'The Longest Time'. Now this is a great tune and I paused to listen but a mixture of radio over an intercom, lots of background noise and my extremely poor hearing meant that I could not make out the words, very clearly. Now, I've heard this tune many times in my youth but I had never learned it and the fact that I could not make out the lyrics made me somewhat angry. Now, when something like this happens I don't get furious, I come up with my own lyrics to the tune. As it was closing on Christmas and the store was flooding us with more and more work, and less and less time to get the work done in, I decided that 'The Longest Time was and excellent title for a labor song so I worked up these lyrics and scribbled them down, when I got home. I must say, in spite of the insanity of a stressful shift, I laughed my ass off the whole night long as I came up with verse after verse to describe my working environment. At one point, a morning staffer entered my isle, just as I was singing part of the chorus that went like this..., “Ohhh, ohhh, ho, hear the worker whine!”. He tried to pretend he didn't hear me but he chuckled under his breath and I knew that he knew what I was talking about. These things make me smile as I work. Hope it does the same for you.

Santa Claus Is Watching You Tonight A new Christmas Carol to the tune, 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town'. lyrics written by Elger Heath I have always been suspicious of the motives of others. Its in my nature to question things and people. While working at the Walmart, around Christmas, the intercom is always blasting out Christmas Carols. One, in particular, caught my attention. 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town' is a cautionary tale about children being on their best behavior. I thought that Santa's behavior would not be allowed in most countries, these days, as it borders on mass, private information harvesting collecting various personal data that could be used for blackmail purposes. Seeing the potential threat of potential identity theft, that Santa was revealed to harbor, I felt that it was my duty to expose this thug to the, seemingly unaware, public so I penned these lyrics that, I think, pretty much sums up this scumbag's nasty side. Of course, its only written in jest, and yet..., could it really be that this guy has been pulling the wool over our eyes all along??? Well..., listen to this, dark, poem and you'll have to be the judge.

written & recorded by Tom T. Hall cover by Elger Heath Tom had a way of writing songs on quirky subjects from a different perspective. 'I Like Beer' is a perfect example of this. Where other country artists would write about beer swilling honkytonks and drowning ones troubles in alcohol, Tom T. Hall wrote about the pleasures of beer for its own nature. All of that aside, the lyrics where humorous and well written and the tune had a slightly unique style. So here's to Tom T. Hall and his infatuation with..., ahem..., beer. This is another, early, recording I made so its audio quality leaves a little to be desired. Still its a piece of the past, frozen in time, so I' decided to keep it and put it out here. Hope you don't mind. p.s, I don't actually drink alcohol. I'm not against the consuming of spirits. Its just that I never really developed the habit, myself.

Beautiful Brown Eyes written by Alton Delmore recorded by the Bailey Brothers cover by Elger Heath Here is an old recording of an Alton Delmore song called 'Beautiful Brown Eyes'. There are many artists who have recorded this number, in many ways, but the closest to my liking is a 1950's recording by the Bailey Brothers. The piece is a very classic Bluegrass/Country song kept simple and yet beautiful. Please excuse the poor recording quality. I made this cover in my early days and hadn't yet figured out all the filters involved in the multi-track recording program I was using.

Time Flies written by Francis Savage Mckinlay & John Kirland Reid recorded by Johnny Reid cover by Elger Heath Some years back, a fellow that I deeply respected said something I felt inclined to disagree with. He said that There just wasn't any good country songs being written anymore. Now this guy used to tour in a band that performed all over Canada and the Northern States. He started the local Jam and I didn't feel I should challenge his opinion because he had done so much and I had done so little, in comparison, but I had to speak up and say that good Country music was always as rare as hen's teeth. You always had to shift through a lot of airplay to pick out the gems from all the gravel. Still I said that, if you listened carefully and patiently, there where still great songs turning up from time to time. Maybe as many as there ever was so it didn't pay to throw the baby out with the bath water. Well my friend passed away several years ago and I have reached the stage he was at, where I began to think that good Country was dead. Then the other day I was dialing my way through radio stations and I heard this tune and I paused long enough to listen to the lyrics and I KNEW that I just HAD to learn this song. Is it new or is it quite old? I don't know but its new to me and, if you've never heard it before, let me give you a taste of what it is like. Written by Francis McKinlay and John Reid, this is a touching story put to a nice piece music. It touched my soul, in part, because my father died with Alt-timers and I find that one is best to live in the moment because the future is extremely uncertain. So here is my cover of a Johnny Reid song called 'Time Flies'. Its a simple, one track recording but I thought it came out fairly well. I hope you like it as much as I did. Maybe Country music ain't dead yet.

Remember Me written Stuart Hamblen recorded by Ernest Tubb cover by Elger Heath A live recording at a small jam in Sprucewoods, Manitoba. Here's an old classic from the 40's. Though recorded by many folks, my favorite version was done by Earnest Tubb. Here's my cover of this piece.

Heaven's Just A Sin Away written by Jerry Gillespie recorded by The Kendalls cover by Elger Heath Today, being my day off, I decided to break out my Yamaha and record a new cover video. I haven't recorded anything in quite some time so I reckoned that I might be out of practice. Still, I thought that it wouldn't be a bad thing to give a tune a go so I selected a piece that I thought was fairly decent and set about recording and this is what I ended up with. The song is 'Heaven's Just A Sin Away', written by Jerry Gillespie and recorded by 'The Kendalls' in 1977. It was one of those Christian, Country Music numbers and as such I remember thinking that it was a little cheesy, at the time, but I also recall seeing that it was well written and had a good score to it. Over the years I have settled back upon it as a tune that comes to my mind and ear easily and as I looked over my lyrics collection today it jumped out at me as one of those decent songs that I had not, yet, recorded. So here it it is my cover of The Kendalls hit, 'Heaven's Just A Sin Away'. I hope you enjoy this. It's not perfect but it didn't come out all that bad, in the end.

Walking The Floor Over You written and recorded by Ernest Tubb cover by Elger Heath Listening to some old audio tapes of me and an elderly gentleman I used to play music, with I came across this recording of an Ernest Tubb number that I used to love. Clearly its an amateur cut but it touches me on several levels. First: I love Ernest and that deep, base voice of his. I could never hit those clear, low notes that he could but if I could... well I'd sing like that all the time! Second: Thanks to Covid-19, lock-downs & self-isolation I'd bet that most of us are starting to go a little stir-crazy with cabin fever and who, amongst us, doesn't long to see someone after all this time. So here is my cover of 'Walking The Floor Over You' with Jim McArthur on the Hawaiian, slide guitar.

Doctor Suess Working At The Wal Mart As a descendant of a family of story tellers, I tend to tell short stories about things that happen in life. This is a tale about me going over and over the thins I wished that I had told my boss when he assigned me a particularly frustrating task at work.

The Walmart Janitorial Crew Anthem lyrics by Elger Heath written to the music of 'The Little Brown Church In The Dale'. Here is another sample from my personal lyrics from the collection of Twisted Lyrics of Walmart. The story behind this piece goes as follows... Our Walmart USED to have a Walmart Sanitation Crew that did a splendid job of looking after our store. Then Walmart decided that it would be more profitable to hire an outside sanitation company to clean the store. So went to the neatness of our store down the tubes. One evening a fellow associate, from the Pets Department, started telling me how bad things where in his area of the store. It seems his major complaint was about gum all over the floor of the building. As he raved on about the inadequacies of the maintenance crew all I could hear was him growling GUM, GUM GUm Gum gum gum... and it came to me that there was a song in there, somewhere. I called it the Gum-gum Song but soon realized that it would NEVER get any real play-time over the air-waves with a silly title like that so I renamed it with a more dignified title, 'The Walmart Sanitation Crew's Anthem' but, just between you and me, it's still just the 'Gum Gum Song' with a fancy title.

The Christmas Snitch lyrics by Elger Heath Here is another piece of lyrics from my collection called Twisted Lyrics Of Walmart. This piece is called 'The Christmas Snitch', a new Christmas Carol for the Covid-19 Christmas Season. I hope it puts you into the Christmas mood.

This isn't exactly a song. It is more like a poem, written to a blues rhythm. It comes from a collection of lyrics and poems I wrote, that I like to call the twisted lyrics of Walmart. Sometimes when your hard at hearing, as I am and you work on the graveyard shift at Walmart, you hear a familiar tune over the Wakmart intercom, and you realize that your not hearing the lyrics quite correctly. Pretty soon, your writing your own lyrics to the piece and you can get some really strange results. I came home from work, early one morning and having listened to the news, over the car radio, all I heard was COVID -19. It was starting to drive me crazy so I decided to get that weight off my mind by writing a poem that I called the 'Covid Blues' Here is what I came up with.

Kingdom Coming Jim McArthur on fiddle and Elger Heath on guitar Many's a time I sat in this old Fiddle player's living room and corded to his violin. This piece may seem rather unprofessional but if you imagine what it would have been like in those tent camps, during the Civil war, this is likely as close to the music they played, in the fashion they played it, as you can get. I don't know the name of this tune, but if you do, leave a comment and let me know.

Carrot Juice Constitutes Murder written & recorded by the Arrogant Worms. cover by Elger Heath I wasn't very happy with my last video of this cover as the recording was terrible. In some ways the playing WAS better but the background noise was awful! Here is a later attempt at covering the Arrogant Worms number where I used a better microphone. Hope it is O.K.

The Bug Who Tried To Crawl Around The World Here's a Johnny Cash tune that I I've done before on this channel. Here, I'm just doing it a a jam. I always say that poetry and music have so much in common. Both try to establish a rhythm and stick to it. This piece is especially loved by me because it is also a story, complete with one of life's lessons. The man who taught me how to play guitar and sing was both a singer and a story teller. He often would sing these talking songs, which are really just poetry wing music behind them. I used to love to listen to him tell stories. I'd like to think that he would have liked this one. It's called, "The Bug Who Tried To Crawl Around The World".

The Tennessee Bird Walk _ I don't know what it is but, try to sing a serious song and all your fellow musician's minds go strait down the sink and all you can get out of them is absolute mush. At that point you either have to stop or just try and go with the flow and hope that something, recognizable, comes out the other end. As you will see, sometimes that just doesn't work out.

The Colorado Waltz cover by Judy Foster with Elger Heath on guitar. I would like to give the correct composer and writer to this tune but, there are so many different waltzes by this name that it is extremely difficult to pin don who wrote this one. Mind you, I'm not looking for the person or group that recorded it because I'm certain it has been recorded by lots of folks, but rather the original composer and/or lyrics writer. Now and then I hear a piece, at a jam, that I have never heard before. Some of these have been most enjoyable, for me. I know several waltz's including, the Tennessee Waltz, The Kentucky Waltz, the Big Sister Waltz, The Debbie's Waltz, the Mom & Dad Waltz, Midnight on the Water, Ashoken's Farewell, the Log Driver's Waltz, Du Du Liegst Mir Im Herzen, and Believe Me, if All Those Endearing Young Charms, Here is a new waltz that I didn't know and I think it is very pretty. It's called the 'Colorado Waltz' and here is Judy Foster to sing it for you.

A Fire Way Down In The Mine written & recorded by Stomp'n Tom Connors cover by Elger Heath In 1955, (I know, the placard of the video Says the fire took place in 1965. Just a typo.), A gas fire broke out in the McKentire Mine in in Timens, Ontario. It would spread to the Hollenger Mine, as well, before it was finnaly put out. Many experts said that the fire could not be extinguished and that it would spell the end for both mines. Over a thousand miners were praying that the experts would be wrong. In the end, They were. By sheer happenstance, Stomp'n Tom Connors was right in the local area, at the time, and wrote this song, line by line, with each day's news broadcast revealing more and more of the events as they happened. This is the story of a real Canadian mining disaster, written to music, as the events took place. Many of you folks will have never heard of the McKentire / Hollender Mines fire of 1955 but, thanks to Stomp'n Tom's song, You can learn about it today. Here is my simple cover of Stomp'n Tom Connor's 'A Fire Way Down In The Mine'. I hope that you find it enjoyable and educational.

Rage On written by Bob McDill & Dan Seals recorded by Dan Seals cover by Elger Heath When I first heard this song I knew that I simply had to learn it. Co-written by Bob McDill & Dan Seals, Its the story of how critical love can be, even if you know that it isn't real love. As the song plays out, Two different couples use Love affairs to attempt to escape the failings of their lives and circumstances. They know that the escape can't last but, for a brief while, there is is the illusion that they have escaped their bonds and have a taste of happiness. It won't last but, sometimes, a brief glimpse of freedom is all that you can hope for. Dan Seals' original recording puts you right in center of it all, just for those few, desperate, moments. If you haven't heard his recording of this tune I urge you to check it out. It's a genuine, country classic.

Look Heart, No Hands written by Howard Russell Smith & Trey Edwin Bruce recorded by Randy Travis cover by Elger Heath Last night I heard A Randy Travis tune that I hadn't heard in years. To be fair I likely never listened to it all the way through because I didn't think it was one of his better ones. Something about last night changed my mind about it, however. It occurred to me that this piece might actually speak to our reintroduction into society, when this pandemic is finally over. Folks have become so gun-shy, even me, that I fear we will not trust ourselves to step out of our houses, without a mask. Will we be able to find the courage to gather in numbers again and share stories and laughter? I think we may need to relearn how to take risks, again. Something so simple as going to a party or a jam may seem to be too much of a risk, and what about relationships? Will we have the strength to say, to ourselves, “Look Heart, No Mask!” I hope so. Life is all about taking risks. You can't cross the street without taking the chance that you may be run over. We can reduces those risks by looking both ways but... there will always be a risk. I want to think that, when this Covid thing is over, I will just scoot down to my local jam and share music with my friends and that they will do the same with me. At any rate, I decided to cover this number, written by Howard Russell Smith and Trey Edwin Bruce. Maybe you will find it inspirational, as I did. Give it a listen and see what you think. Is there a message in this piece?

Sixty Four Roses recorded by The Easter Brothers cover by Elger Heath Mother's Day has arrived and it makes me feel so sad. You see, as a child, I developed into someone who was simply unable to express emotions. The reasons for this are complicated, but suffice it to say that I was never able to tell my mother just how much I loved her. I'm not even sure if I could measure those feelings. Mom has been gone now for so many years and mother's day always reminds me of what a poor son I must have been. Make no mistake, however. I did love my mother VERY MUCH. And I suppose that is what makes me so sad on this day. At last I can express my feelings for her and she is no longer here to hear me. Still I take comfort in knowing that, if there IS a heaven, then she is up there and I'm sure that she knows. An old tune comes to mind and so I pulled out my ELGER GUITAR and recorded it, today, in honor of mom. The piece is called 'Sixty-Four Roses'.

The One on the Right Is on the Left written by Jack Clement recorded by Johnny Cash These days it's hard to tell who stands for what. The Conservatives demand that the Liberals spend more money, while the Labor Party wants them to be more fiscally responsible. The world just went right down the rabbit hole..., but then..., that's always been the way it is. Folks will say and do what ever they think will get them support, even if they know that it is the wrong thing to do. I was messing around with my guitar, on my lunch break, last night and I remembered this old Johnny Cash tune with the lengthy title of, “The One on the Right Is on the Left”. It occurred to me that this was a piece that I had never recorded, so, I decided to break out my recording studio and do a new recording, today. Here is my effort at “The One on the Right Is on the Left”. It made ME laugh. I hope it does the same for you.

I'd Be Better Off (in a pine box) written by Johnny MacRae and Steve Clark recorded by Doug Stone cover by Elger Heath It is not uncommon for Country songs to focus on the lost love topic. The air waves are littered with such tunes and I'll bet you could name a half-dozen of them just off the top of your head, right now. The key to making one of those songs stand the test of time is to find just the right phrase to make jump out and catch the listener's attention. This tune was alright, as far as I was concerned, right up until the second last line, when the writer changed the verse by just a few words. 'I think I'd really rather die, go to hell, and face the devil'. Believe it or not, that little modification is what grabbed my attention. It expressed the futility of the singer's emotions in that one line. Just a little change in the chorus, at just the right moment. Sometimes that's all it takes to really get your point across. It's a trick that a lot of great song writers employ to break up the monotony of repetition and to emphasize the point of the message. It's so simple, but quite effective, and Johnny MacRae and Steve Clark utilized it here to great effect. Then, add to that Doug Stone's interpretation, in his recording of this piece, and you have the makings for a hit. Here is my, basic, cover of this number.

Ten Foot Tall & Bullet Proof written & recorded by Travis Tritt cover by Elger Heath Here's a Travis Tritt number that had me laughing my butt off, when I first heard it. The character in this song has TWO things in common with me. Neither of us can dance or fight. This piece is called, ' Ten Foot Tall & Bullet Proof '.

The Waltz You Saved for Me music by Wayne King and Emil Flindt lyrics by Gus Kahn instrumental cover by Elger Heath recorded by … unknown In my father's family, almost, all of the boys played an instrument and they did so when an where ever they gathered. My father played the fiddle. He wasn't a very good fiddle player but he loved to play his fiddle. I played the acoustic guitar and corded for him when he was at home. I did not learn to pick guitar as my job was to supply rhythm and timing. It was not until I left home that I spent any time, at all, trying to learn to pick. As most of my musical experience, up until then, was playing along with fiddle tunes it came naturally that I would set about to pick those tunes. Now picking a fiddle tune, on a guitar, changes the rhythm of a piece and sounds quite different on a guitar. Some of those old tunes, I can put a name to, while others are familiar to me, only in the music itself. This tune is a mystery to me. I'm not even sure I ever heard my dad's family play it and I sure can't put a name to it. Perhaps its just an accumulation of several fiddle tunes all rolled up into one piece. Perhaps, I may have created an original tune with this. I don't know so I call it, “The Unfamiliar Waltz”. If you know the name of this piece, please let me know in the comments below. Now I said I didn't learn to pick until later in life, so you can expect that I'm not a very good picker. Please excuse my short-comings in this piece.

Tell Me I Was Dreaming written by Bruce Ray Brown & Travis Tritt recorded by Travis Tritt cover by Elger Heath In 1995, Travis Tritt put out a new song entitled “Tell Me I Was Dreaming”. It wasn't your standard Country Music song, but then Travis wasn't your standard Country Music artist. He came along shortly after Rand Travis and Ricky Skaggs put Country Music back on the road to tradition and shook the can up again with a more rocky style. Bruce Ray Brown & Travis Tritt teamed up to write this heart-breaker about a man attempting to come to grips with the ending of a relationship. The music is quite a deviation from the standard fair and the lyrics are incite-full and heart rending. With all of that being said, it's not, actually, a very difficult piece of music. Some basic rhythm and a couple of minor chords and you've got it. Its not extremely fast or complex in chord progression. My only fault, in this recording, is that I didn't do it in the right key for me. I kept having to switch back & forth between higher and lower octaves, as I sang. The recording is somewhat poor, because I recorded it at a jam in a, nearly, empty hall. The video was recorded on an old I-pad. I hope its not too bad.

Walk Softly On This Heart Of Mine written by Jake Landers & Bill Monroe recorded by Bill Monroe & the Kentucky Headhunters cover by Elger Heath Originally recorded by Bill Monroe, in 1969, this piece was written by Bill Monroe & Jake Landers. It never struck me as the kind of tune Bill Monroe would be suited to, and perhaps that's why he isn't often heard singing it. Twenty years later, in 1989, The Kentucky Headhunters re-recorded this number in a more Rock-a-billy format. This is the version that I first became acquainted with and the version that is closest to this recording. The lyrics and music didn't change, but the rhythm became quicker and rockier. A mandolin playing friend of mine and I used to do this tune, at the local jams, all the time. I experienced some synchronization issues with this recording, but it gives an idea about the types of Rock-a-billy music that I love.

written by Connie Harrington & Bonnie Baker recorded by Chad Brock cover by Elger Heath Perhaps I'm a little strange in this but I always look for the deeper message buried within the lyrics of the songs that I love. Once I have found the message, I can concentrate on getting the feeling right to the piece. I then proceed to close my eyes and sink into the mood of the lyrics as I sing the song. Written by Connie Harrington & Bonnie Baker, this piece speaks to me of the sad fact that we are charmed into abandoning what we need in order to seek the things that we desire. Sometimes we wind up making our desires come true.. but at the cost of the things that we actually need to maintain our happiness. That's what this song is about and the lesson to be found within this story. Chad Brock's excellent voice and singing style brings this story to life. If you haven't heard this piece, before, I recommend that you seek it out, in it's original format, on YouTube and listen to Chad Brock's recording. It certainly is an nice piece to learn. For now, here is my cover of 'Ordinary Life'.

Cripple Creek Old folk tune. Unknown writers I set about to record another piece and the tune that came to my hands was an old bluegrass number called Cripple Creek. Nothing fancy here. Just a simple guitar version, slow and easy. I thought it turned out O.K. What do you think?

The Rope written by Stephanie Davis recorded by Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands cover by Elger Heath As is my habit to do, I picked up my old guitar and recorded another cover tune this morning. The song I chose was a piece that was recorded by Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands, called "The Rope". I selected this piece because it struck me as a wonderful story with beautiful lyrics and lovely music. The challenge to this piece is that it is not just a harmony tune, but its harmony lyrics do not match the chorus lyrics. This might trip you up. Add to that that the harmony part starts slightly off time with the lead, chorus. All of this makes this a difficult song to master, but a challenge is always a good thing. Anyway... here is my cover of "The Rope", written by Stephanie Davis

Whenever You Come Around written by Pete Wasner & Vince Gill recorded by Vince Gill cover by Elger Heath Every so often I get in the habit of picking up my guitar and recording another cover tune. It ain't so easy to do as it used to be. I'm quickly running out of tunes, that I haven't already recorded, that I would want to record. Add to that, the fact that my memory is getting so bad that I can't remember most the tunes that I used to love so much and I struggle with finding the next tune to record. Some times I begin with the name of an artist that I like. This week it was Vince Gill. Vince is a slow tune performer. He has a soft, smooth voice and his kind of music suits my style perfectly, even if my voice is all wrong for his stuff. The song I settled on was a romantic piece called, "Whenever You Come Around". Here is what I came up with. I hope you will enjoy this.

The Homecoming written and recorded by Tom T. Hall cover by Elger Heath I was bored, today, and decided to take an old guitar of mine off the shelf that I hadn't played in ages. Down came my Washburn. I half expected it's neck to be so out of adjustment that it would be unplayable but, to my surprise, it was nearly in tune with itself. So it was that I decided to record something, on this bright sounding acoustic, and the piece I chose was a Tom T. Hall number called 'The Homecoming'. So many times, me and my brothers and sisters journeyed home, for the weekend, to visit my mom and dad. This song speaks of the opposite family relationship where the son returns out of the blue, after years of being away, and then is off again, in a flash. I always found this piece to be heart breaking. It leaves me with a feeling of sadness for the father. Here is my cover of 'The Homecoming'.

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down written by: Robbie Robertson recorded by: The Band cover by Elger Heath Today, I could no longer resist the craving to create a multi-track recording. It's been a while. When you've recorded as many tunes as I have, it gets real difficult to find a piece that you like enough to record and are able to pull off, that you haven't already done. I found this piece in my lyrics directory and decided to give it a shot. First I want to make this perfectly clear. This is NOT a racist song. It is a song about the Confederate part of the American Civil War but there WAS more to that conflict then just slavery. Just the same, I'd like to take this moment to to make my view of the 'Black Lives Matters' clear. I see the demonstrations and unrest, in the United States, as a result of injustices and social issues that have been left unaddressed and ignored for too long. When you have a basic problem at the foundations of your society and you refuse to deal with that issue, it will come back to bite you sooner or later. The U.S. has ignored the double standards that colored folks face in their country for too long. This is not a recently occurring rag. It's an old injustice that has been allowed to grow into a wave of furry and a demand for justice. Still, it is never too late to address a major problem... if you are truly serious about correcting the unbalances. I hope the American public is listening to what's going on in their streets. Of course we, in Canada, have many of the same issues.Perhaps we haven't reached the same level of outrage, yet, but that's no reason why WE shouldn't be making a real effort to correct our injustices, as well. Here is my cover of a tune that was recorded by The Band called "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down"

We're Here For A Good Time (acoustic cover) written by: Brian Smith, Raymond McGuire & Sam Hawksley recorded by: Trooper (1977) cover by: Elger Heath On a sunny afternoon, in mid August, I drove down to Sprucewoods to join up with Judy Foster and others. As it turned out, I was an hour and a half late for the jam and I just got there as the others were leaving. That just left me and Judy for another hour and a half. That didn't stop us from having a good time, however. Here is a rock classic, from the 70's, that I heard as a lad. It seemed to fit the day, so I started off with that. This is my cover of "We're Here For A Good Time".

Wedding Bells (cover by Danial Finn) Judy Foster on the spoons and I on the guitar. written by: Boone Claude recorded by: Hank Williams I attended a little mini-jam in Sprucewoods, Manitoba Canada with my friends Judy Foster, Danial Finn and myself. Due to Covid-19 we were social spacing and I was unable to get Dan Finn into the shot, on my Ipad. The recording quality leaves something to be desired, both in video and sound quality, but I'm pleased that I caught this piece of music on record. Here is Danial Finn singing and old Hank Williams number, written by Boone Claude. It's called 'Wedding Bells'.

The Bug Song music & lyrics by Stomp'n Tom Conners A Canadian nationalist, when it comes to country music, Stomp'n Tom Conners produced an amazing number of original works about evryday people and events from most every province and territory across Canada. Many are hillarious while others are very serious, this is a man who's music should be checked out if your into music about the everyday working Joe. Here is my cover of his summer time classic 'The Bug Song'.

A Legend In My Time written and recorded by Don Gibson. I grew up with, what used to be called, tear jerkers'. I got hooked on these heart break balids When I was just a yonker. A Legend in My Time is an old country standard, not often heard today, that in many ways suits my style of country blues very well. Listen to the word play and tell me if you don't agree that this is a really well written tune.

The Bug Who Tried To Crawl Around The World: original artist Johnny Cash Here is my cover of a rarely played tune from Johnny Cash's Album 'Everybody Loves A Nut'. How many of you have heard this one? My family had this album back home when I was young. Even after the family dog took a bite out of the outer edge of the record, leaving the first two tracks on each side unplayable, it was still my favorite record to play. Take a listen to this cover and you will see that even the Man In Black had a sense of humor.

True Colors written by: Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly recorded by: Justin Timberlake & Anna Kendrieck Old age is catching up with me, these days. My hands have grown numb and clumsy. My voice shakes and fails me, unexpectedly. I seem to lack the will to pick up my old six-string and play anymore. As I was working, last night I overheard a song playing over the radio. It was Cindy Lopper with 'True Colors' and I suddenly stopped short to pay attention. It's not as if I have ever been a big fan of Cindy or this tune but I have admit it does stir the heart. As I listened to the piece I realized that I had never really given it credit for what a great piece of music it really is. It's right up my alley, being a ballad, and I fell in love with it's message. In a world full of people it is easy to forget that every one of them is somebody. They all play a roll in our lives, be they far away or right next to us. These days we have gotten so wrapped up in our differences that we seem to have forgotten what we all have in common. We are Americans. We believe in freedom and equality and we strive together to make this country work. These days, however, we seem intent on tearing it down with bickering and hatred. I think it is about time that we stopped hiding in the crowd and stood together with our neighbors to proudly display our True Colors. So I made up my mind to pick up my guitar and record, at least, one last tune. I hope that you will enjoy this cover and find something in this tune to give you hope and strength.

The Grass Is Blue written and recorded by Dolly Parton I often encounter musicians who are constantly lementing that they just don't write good Country Music anymore. Strangely enough I seem to run accross great songs coming out all the time. I guess these people just aren't listening to the music that they are critisizing. True enough, you don't encounter great music every time you turn on the radio but then again you never did. You have to sift through mud to find the gold. Country music ain't dead yet! Here is a true gem from none other the legendary singer/song writer Dolly Parton. Take a listen to 'The Grass Is Blue' and you'll see what I mean.

The Tennessee Bird Walk written by: Jack Blanchard recorded by: Jack Blanchard & Misty Morgan cover by: Elger Heath Here is a fun little tune that was recorded by Jack Blanchard and Misty Morgan. It's called 'The Tennesee Bird Walk'. Whether they intended it to be a lark or a comment on polution and global warming, I don't know but I thought it would be a fun thing to record so I did and here is what I got. I was learning the mandolin, at the time, yeh... I never did get that thing down pat and so I threw it in here with a fast chop. Anyway, why not check out this video just for fun

Travelin Soldier written by: Bruce Robison recorded by: The Dixie Chicks cover by: Elger Heath Traveling Soldier, recorded and released by the Dixie Chicks in late 2002, was a big hit for this group. Its lyrics, by Bruce Robison, and music caught my ear right away. It's story touched my heart and you know how I love a great story. The Chicks did a bang-up job on this number and I won't be able to come even close to that but I had to give this piece a shot so here is my cover of 'The Travelin Soldier'. I hope you will enjoy it. If not... be sure to check out the Dixie Chicks recording. That one is fantastic!

I Am Strong written by: Jamie and Susanne Johnson & Jenee Fleenor recorded by: The Grascals cover by: Elger Heath Sometimes the best songs are the ones with a message so powerful that they make you cry. These are the hardest for me to learn because I often choke-up in the middle of the song. I heard this tune on a YouTube video by the Grascals that I recommend everybody should check out. Here is my simple version of 'I Am Strong'

Turkey in the Straw: played by Debbie Poliquin I have a tendancy to pick out fiddle tunes on the guitar quite a bit. Like a lot of fiddle players, however, I might know the tunes but darned if I know their names. Hey What do you know? There actually is a fiddle tune that I can put a name to. Of course there is no way I could play it. So my friend, Debbie Poliquin, comes to the rescue with this stirring rendition of 'Turkey in the Straw'. Its so rousing that it'll near as to bring anyone to yell out "Yee-haw!"

Daniel Prayed written by Ralph Stanley and G.T. Speer & recorded by the Johnson Mountain Boys Forgive me if you are a big fan of Bluegrass, but I have generally found most of this type of music to come off sounding the same after a while. Once you heard 10 different types of Bluegrass songs, you've pretty much heard them all. Bluegrass Gospel, on the other hand, is much more diverse and interesting. I was attempting to expand my Bluegrass repertoire when I heard a Johnson Mountain Boys recording of the song 'Daniel Prayed'. Now this is exciting Bluegrass music at it's finest. Listen to my cover of this tune and see if it doesn't tickle your fancy as well.

The Mary Ellen Carter written and recorded by Stan Rogers Here is a great piece of Canadian folk music written and recorded by one of the greatest Canadian folk singers ever to live, Stan Rogers. 'The Mary Ellen Carter', released in 1979, tells the story of the heroic efforts of a crew to raise their sunken ship. So inspiring is the song that it is credited with saving at least one life. On February 12, 1983 the ship Marine Electric was carrying a load of coal from Norfolk, Virginia to a power station in Somerset, Massachusetts. The worst storm in forty years blew up that night and the ship sank at about four o'clock in the morning on the 13th. The ship's chief mate, 59-year-old Robert M. "Bob" Cusick, was trapped under the deck-house as the ship went down. His snorkeling experience helped him avoid panic and swim to the surface, but he had to spend the night alone, up to his neck in water, clinging to a partially deflated lifeboat, and in water barely above freezing and air much colder. Huge waves washed over him, and each time he was not sure that he would ever reach the surface again to breathe. Battling hypothermia, he became tempted to allow himself to fall unconscious and let go of the lifeboat. Just then he remembered the words to the song "The Mary Ellen Carter". And you, to whom adversity has dealt the final blow With smiling bastards lying to you everywhere you go Turn to, and put out all your strength of arm and heart and brain And like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again. Rise again, rise again—though your heart it be broken Or life about to end. No matter what you've lost, be it a home, a love, a friend, Like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again. He started to sing it and soon was alternately shouting out "Rise again, rise again" and holding his breath as the waves washed over him. At seven o'clock that morning a Coast Guard helicopter spotted him and pulled him to safety. Only two men of the other thirty-three that had been aboard survived the wreck. After his ordeal, Cusick wrote a letter to Stan Rogers telling him what had happened and how the song helped save his life. In response, Cusick was invited to attend what turned out to be the second-to-last concert Rogers ever performed. Cusick told his story in the documentary about Rogers, One Warm Line.

Sunday Morning Comming Down written and recorded by Kris Kristofferson Sundays have always been strange to me. Living in the city, it is the one day in the week when the streets, which are always clogged with traffic, are completely emptied. You get the eerie feeling of one of those post end-of-the-world movies where all life has ceased and civilization has ground to a halt. In a way, that is what "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" is about. Kris Kristofferson wrote a song about the overwhelming sense of emptiness that fills a soul on an early Sunday morning, as one walks the streets of the city. I was never very impressed with the Johnny Cash version of this tune. It was Kris Kristofferson's own recording of it that, I feel, did it the most justice. Here is my simple cover of "Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down".

Black Waters: by Jean Ritchie I came across this wonderful song written by, folk artist, Jean Ritchie which protests strip mining that was prevalent in the Appalachians. I was so taken by the story and the superb writing and music that I had to present my cover of it here among-st my legends series. Listen and see if you don't agree that she belongs among-st the legendary musicians of folk music.

Big Bad John: written & recorded by Jimmy Dean If one thing can be said, for certain, about me it is that I have a weakness for sad stories and ballids. When I was young I heard the song 'Big Bad John' by Jimmy Dean. I was not all that impressed with it because I thought it was done in a rather frivolice manor and it just didn't appeal to me. Later in my life however I gave it another look and found that beneath the cheap country sound there was an incredible story of bravery and self sacrifice. The lyrics were well written and all that they needeed in my oppinion was music done with a little harder edge. I put more emphasis on the talking and minor keys and this is what I came up with. It wouldn't be a hit on top 40's country radio, but it grabs your heart and gives it a squeeze. Take a listen to this cover and see if you don't agree.

Road to Boston Due to some troubles I have had getting Sound Cloud to work, recently, I have resorted to re uploading some old recordings to Fandalism off YouTube. This is an old Instrumental I did some years back. I was never a very good guitar picker so please forgive if it isn't up top your standards. “Road to Boston,” was an Americans march heard often during the Revolutionary War. Copped from a British tune called “Road to London, the Americanized version, which went by other names such as “March to Boston,” was a nod to all the Patriots who flocked to Boston to offer resistance to the British forces occupying the town. The tune is now the official ceremonial march of Massachusetts. I'm most familiar hearing it played on the fiddle as it was quite a popular fiddle tune up in Eastern Canada. Thus it got carried west to the Prairie Provence of Canada like Manitoba, (my home territory). I'd like to say many thanks to those who commented on my request for the name of this tune. I would never have gotten this right with out help. So here is my own guitar cover of 'Road to Boston', (March to Boston).

The Everlasting Arms I put this video together to celebrate my many musician friends and their fellowship which has saved me from the demons of my past. If you suffer from depression as I have, then you'll know the feeling of never being good enough for others. I grew up around a whole town that had nothing good to say about me. Nearly through out my entire formative years I fell under the influence of constant verbal and mental abuse, by my school mates. No one ever stood up for me and it got so's I actually began to believe all the awful things that they said about me. Surely a whole town can't be wrong after all. Finally I decided that they must be wrong about me. I was a good person. Bright and good hearted. Surely it was they who were devoid of goodness. Of course it is hard to truly believe that when the whole world keeps telling that your wrong. I decided that if they didn't have any use for me then I didn't have any use for them. When I graduated from high school I set out into the world expecting just more of the same. Low and behold, it turned that it WAS my home town. It seemed everybody I met liked me and thought me talented and helpful. You could have knocked me over with a stick. For those of you suffering from depression, I don't know what will work for you, but believe me when I say this. If your friends can do nothing but make you feel inferior then trust me. They are NOT your friends. Go find some new friends. Ones that actually care for you as you are. They're out there just waiting to meet you.

The Eighth Of January We should all be blessed with friends to have fun with. I have come to see how lucky I am over these last few years as I encountered musicians, one after another, that I could sit down and play music with. Two such great friends are Debbie and Ben Poliquin. These folks often share an evening, now and then, with me as we sit down and play music all night long. Here, Debbie is playing a tune called 'The Eighth of January' but you may be more familiar with it by the name 'The Battle of New Orleans'. Call it what you will but I hope you enjoy this.

A Brand New Broken Heart written by Homer Jackson recorded by Larry Sparks In recent years I have joined a local jam group that themes it self around Bluegrass. Being a good old country boy, Bluegrass was not my strong suite so I set about to learn a new repertoire. I wanted to learn songs that the others might not be so familiar with as then they would not no how bad I was at Bluegrass. I found that much Bluegrass sounds the same, but like Country music, in amongst all the dredge are a few gems well worth listening to. Larry Spark's 'Brand New Broken Heart' is one of them. Take a listen and see if you don't agree.

I Know Your Married (But I Love You Still) written by Don Reno & Mack MaGaha Here's my cover of an intersting old bluegrass number that I got hooked on because of it's unusual chorus. It's unusual in that it's only two lines long. It's called 'I Know Your Married (But I Love You Still)'

Nobody's Darling But Mine: written & recorded by Jimmie Davis Another Recording of my friends Ben & Debbie Poliquin. This time Ben is on the guitar and doing the singing. Debbie is on the violin and I am in the background with another guitar. This is an old classic called 'Nobody's Darling But Mine'.

Debbies Waltz composed by Graham Townsend As a self confessed kitchen musician, I gravitate towards playing in small groups in kitchens and living rooms, rather than on stages and in halls and bars. Two of the folks I have had the great pleasure of sitting down to play with are Ben & Debbie Poliquin. The following song features Ben on the mandolin, Debbie on the violin and me stumbling along on the guitar. It's appropriately called 'Debbie's Waltz'.

A Farmer's S.O.S. music and lyrics by Elger Heath. Hello folks. I don't write many protest songs. Just the word protest causes people to stop listening... right away, but I encourage you to listen to this one because it expresses a critical warning that I think too few people have heeded up until now, and I fear time is running out for a lot of folks if something isn't done soon. I grew up on a small mixed farm in the south-western corner of Manitoba, Canada. That's a prairie province where much of the food exported to the rest of the world is grown. In the 1980's a draught hit my region and devastated food production and the lives of farmers. It went on for a full ten years. For ten years we didn't see any significant water fall from the sky. Our grain was so short that what did grow we could hardly pick up from the swaths because there was so little straw. Farmers, big and small, went broke on a massive scale. Things got so bad that farmers were committing suicide, hanging themselves from their own grain augers. The rest of the economy experienced a delayed effect. And by tightening their belts they managed to get by until near the end of that decade. Nobody seemed to care about the poor farmer, a victim of nature's elements and a heartless economy. By the end of the 1980's rain returned and the economy bounced back, but not for the countless farmers who had been broken and driven from their homes and land and sent scurrying, with their families in tow, to find work in the cities. Small towns virtually disappeared or shrunk to near ghost towns. Massive corporate farms bought up the land cheep. I was so filled with anger at my so-called urban neighbors that I scribbled out this song of protest called 'The Farmers S.O.S.' I would like you to take one message from this song at least. Farming isn't as easy, or simple, as you folks seem to think. It takes years of patience and experience in this way of life. These things you don't get from a college course. The managers of these corporate farms are neither equipped with the skills or the dedication to tough it out under similar conditions. It was a poor trade, small farms for corporate farms. Always remember that your economy is based on food production, not oil or manufacturing. You can't live on these. Some times farmers NEED YOUR HELP! Remember You will ALWAYS need farmers.

I'm All Right written by Phil Vassar recorded by Jo Dee Messina Jo Dee Messina is another one of those female country music artists that is taking advantage of the changing landscape of country music to leave her own mark with songs that practically jump right out of the radio at you. 'I'm All Right' is a perfect example of modern country music and how different it has become from the old formula stuff from the 1950's & 60's. GOD I love this stuff! Please sit back and enjoy this cover of Jo Dee's hit 'I'm Alright'.

Du Du Liegst Mir Im Herzen composed and written by Carl Eduard Pax A nameless German Waltz no more.... A while back I met a harmonica player at a jam that played this lovely waltz and having done it myself... but never knowing the name of it, I asked him if he knew the title. Low and behold he did. And informed me that it's name is 'Du Du Liegst Mir Im Herzen' or in English 'You, You Are In My Heart'. I can not tell you how important it is for me to know the titles of beautiful music like this. It is often recognized as an old German drinking song but... in truth it is a love song and a very lovely waltz. So that it might not be forgotten again I would like to include the lyrics both in German and English. I hope some one will find this informative and useful, so here it is in German. Du Du Liegst Mir Im Herzen Du, du liegst mir im Herzen du, du liegst mir im Sinn. Du, du machst mir viel Schmerzen, weißt nicht wie gut ich dir bin. Ja, ja, ja, ja, weißt nicht wie gut ich dir bin. So, so wie ich dich liebe so, so liebe auch mich. Die, die zärtlichsten Triebe fühl' ich allein nur für dich. Ja, ja, ja, ja, fühl' ich allein nur für dich. Doch, doch darf ich dir trauen dir, dir mit leichtem Sinn? Du, du kannst auf mich bauen weißt ja wie gut ich dir bin! Ja, ja, ja, ja, weißt ja wie gut ich dir bin! Und, und wenn in der Ferne, mir, mir dein Bild erscheint, dann, dann wünscht ich so gerne daß uns die Liebe vereint. Ja, ja, ja, ja, daß uns die Liebe vereint. and... the English translation... You, You... Are In My Heart You, you are in my heart. you, you are in my mind. You, you cause me much pain, You don't know how good I am for you. Yes, yes, yes, yes you don't know how good I am for you. So, as I love you so, so love me too. The most tender desires I alone feel only for you. Yes, yes, yes, yes, I alone feel only for you. But, but may I trust you you, you with a light heart? You, you know you can rely on me You do know how good I am! Yes, yes, yes, yes You do know how good I am! And, and if in the distance, it seems to me like your picture, then, then I wish so much that we were united in love. Yes, yes, yes, yes, that we were united in love. I hope I got all of this right and I hope that you enjoy this.

Ashokan Farewell composed by Jay Ungar I fell in love with this beautiful tune from watching the PBS documentaries about the American Civil War that it was the music to the credits for. As I listened I thought how though intricate it did not seem to be all that complicated or fast. I thought that amongst all the fiddle players I knew, surely, one of them would be able to play or able to learn to play this song. In order to see if it was all that difficult I set about to learn to pick it on the guitar. Now I'm not a very good guitarist so I figured if I could master it, surely any decent fiddler could. I don't know about mastering it but I thought it came out pretty decent. Sadly, only a few fiddlers I've played with have been able to or been willing to learn to play it. Here is my rendition of Ashokan Farewell. I hope you like it. By the way, as a point of interest, I found out something no doubt that you likely already know. This is NOT a Civil War era tune. It actually was written somewhere between the 70s and the 90s. I'm not sure when exactly.

Did You Fall In Love With Me written by Joan Lori Besen recorded by Prairie Oyster Somewhere around 1991, I heard this number on a cable TV music video channel. The band that recorded it was called Prairie Oyster, a Canadian group, and I wasn't acquainted with them. After hearing this song you can bet I set about to learn what else they had put out. As it turned out, they had quite a few great pieces but this has to be one of their best hits. Written by Joan Lori Besen, this is one heck of a country music love song. The lyrics are well constructed and the harmony of Prairie Oyster pushes it way over the top. If you aren't familiar with this band, I strongly recommend that you check these folks out. You can easily find them on YouTube. In the mean time, why not check out this cover.

Three Wooden Crosses written by Kim Williams and Doug Johnson recorded by Randy Travis Here is a song that caught me completely off guard. I was cruising YouTube, looking for some new music for my song book when I stumbled onto this piece, sung by Randy Travis. Now I am not sure if I ever heard this tune before but if so it never hit me like this. I virtually fell off my chair as I listen to this incredible story of tragedy and redemption. Written by Kim Williams and Doug Johnson, this is a masterpiece of Gospel story telling and is just the kind of piece that fits right into my style of music. I remember spending hours upon hours dying to get the mood right as I played it over and over again, in the effort to memorize the words. It's not an, altogether, easy piece to learn but it is more than worth the effort. Randy Travis was the perfect choice to record the piece and drove the song deep into my heart. I'm sure that you have all heard it before but, if you haven't, check out Randy's recording to get the full impact of the song. It's more than worth the listening time. In the meantime, check out this basic, one-track cover I made. Maybe it'll give you some idea what I'm crowing about.

Farmer Song written and recorded by Murray McLauchlan Around the middle of the of the 1970's Murray McLauchlan came out over the air waves with a simple piece called the Farmer Song. I wouldn't say that it was a master piece. It was short and the lyrics were fairly basic but like the lyrics said, "There was no farmer songs on the radio. Just 'Cowboys, Truck Drivers and Pain'". I guess folks figured that farming wasn't nothing to write home about. What is often overlooked about farmers, and I grew up one, is that it was us folks that laid down the foundations for most of the folks that came to settle in this land. We grew the food that the big cities required and red spring wheat that was a major part of what Canada exported in the early years. A couple of decades later the region I grew up in suffered a prolonged drought that lasted ten years. That was when I realized just how little appreciated farmers are . Our nation left us dangling in the wind while the agricultural industries bled us all dry. Murray's Farmer Song suddenly made a big impression on me and I have never forgotten it since, nor those terrible times of the 1990's. To me, farmers are tough, grizzled heroes, who just don't seem to know when to throw in the towel. I know my father was like that. A hard man to live with but there is nobody I'd rather at my back when things get tough. Here is my cover of Murray McLauchlan's 'Farmer Song'. If you listen closely you can still hear the pain and pride burned into a farmer's soul by those desperate years of drought and lean living.

I Can Make It OK Music and lyrics by Elger Heath Often in a divorce there are two viewpoints as to what should be done. One side wants to get it over with and just stop the hurting, while the other side wants to put the relationship back together. The trouble is that Relationships are complicated things and often neither side is quite sure why it stopped working in the first place. This makes fixing the relationship virtually impossible. I wrote this song to show just how hard it is to accept that a marriage is coming to an end for the later type. Even when they have no answers, they cling to the desperate hope that they will some how reverse time and put back all the pieces in just the right place to make it as good as new. Here is my song, 'I Can Make It O.K.' I hope that you will enjoy it.

In The Light Of The Moon music & lyrics by Elger Heath I have never considered myself a song writer because writing a song comes so hard to me. Some songs take years for me to write and then fine tune. One or two came over weeks or days but most never get completed. I hear about other amateurs like me who have written dozens of songs and I envy the talent they must have. To write so many original works on any given subjects seem like a gift I'll never have. That having been said, I have written one or two songs I consider decent and the following is one of them. I was playing around with old country standards increasing the tempo and trying them along a more rock-a-billy style and was surprised how you could re-vitalize a tired old standard into something people today would actually listen to. That's when I decided to challenge myself. I decided to take an old standard, that I hated so much that I'd sooner cut my right hand off then play in public, and make what I thought could be a top 50's hit from it. I settled on Buffalo Gal. I mean 'Oh My God!' How could anybody have sang that seriously? Well I decided to keep the first few lines of the original lyrics as well as the first several stanzas of the music and use that as a core to build a romantic love song around. To my amazement most of the song fell together in just a few hours and after a couple days of tweaking the verse's and chorus I ended up with the following piece called 'Dancing In the Light Of The Moon'. Actually I think it's one of my best works and almost completely original at the end of the day. Why don't take a listen and see what you think of 'Dancing In The Light Of The Moon'.

Green Fields music & lyrics written by Urban Heath As an avid fan of country music I, like most musicians, am a big fan of a particular artist. My hero, however wasn't rich or famous. He never cut a record nor headlined in any auditorium near you. He was just an everyday Joe who had a knack for writing and singing songs and he played a hell of great guitar. He was my uncle Nick although his actual name was Urban Heath. He taught me how to play guitar and sing and if you ever heard him you'd know that deep inside every song I sing there is a little bit of his style. Every time I play a tune or tell a story I think of him. Amongst the many songs that he wrote my favorite has to be 'Green Fields'. This is a song about growing up on the Western Canadian Prairies during the 40's and 50's. It speaks of a simpler time with simpler needs and desires and a love of home. Here is my cover of 'Green Fields.' Please take a moment to listen and see what you think.

Flushed from the Bathroom of Your Heart written by Jack Clement recorded by Johnny Cash If Johnny Cash was to sing a love song, this would be the kind of love song he'd likely do. He wasn't known for his sentimental music, with a rough voice and recordings about prison breaks and drug use and fighting. Actually, he did record this piece, although I don't think it spent a lot of time on the airwaves. Written by Jack Clement, this is a humorous poke at a heart broken ending of a relationship. Check out this cover and see what you think.

We Don't Grow recorded by Old Crow Medicine Show written by Ketch Secor & Willie Watson Looking for something new in Bluegrass Music I came across a string band known as Old Crow Medicine Show. The have a rough edge to their sound but that is part of their charm. Sure enough they are different and I fell in love with some of their music. A piece called “We Don't Grow” Really caught my ears and I knew I'd just have to give it a try. Written by Ketch Secor & Willie Watson, this song tells the view of the decent of the smoking community from the perspective of the farmers who used to grow the Tobacco that forms the basis of cigarettes. Like all good stories it show a side of a story that most folks don't ever see. At any rate, here is my cover of this great piece of music. Why not check it out?

Will You Miss Me written by A. P. Carter recorded by Ralph Stanley & the Clinch Mountain Boys I came across this old Bluegrass song by accident, on YouTube and fell in love with it right away. Sure it simple, but that is part of it's charm. It's seems oh so familiar, but with one line it changes the tune into something original. Although it was written and recorded by A. P. Carter and the Carter Family it is the version performed by Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Mountain Boys that really appeals to me. Thus it is in the Ralph Stanley mode that I recorded this cover. Please forgive my guitar. Clearly it is need of a neck adjustment, but I make due with the tools I have at hand. Here is my cover of this great classic. I hope you will find it enjoyable for an amateur effort.

Today I Started Loving You Again written by Merle Haggard & Bonnie Owens Fixing some old recordings that no longer play off SoundCloud. An old country standard that I did with a touch of bluegrass. This song never loses it's shine. It's gotta be one of Country Musics greats! Why don't you be the judge.

The Log Driver's Waltz: by Wade Hemsworth witten by Wade Hemsworth Fixing some old recordings that no longer. This time I got Wade Hemworth photo right in the video placard. play off SoundCloud. This is a really sweet waltz with a lot of humor. If you like this be sure to check out the Animated short film called the 'Log Driver's Waltz' on YouTube. I have been trying to avoid featuring too many tunes by the same artists but This one and 'The Black Fly Song' are so much fun I couldn't resist posting them both. Check out any material you can by Wade Hemsworth. He really does have a unique style.

The Black Fly Song music & lyrics by Wade Hemsworth I posted this piece here once before, off Sound Cloud, but that posting doesn't work for some reason, so here is my seccond attempt, this time from YouTube. Yes I know the the photo on the placard is of Gordon Lightfoot. Don't ask me to explain that. I messed up but the video is made and posted and I didn't see any point in trying to redoo it all at this point. Sorry Wade Hemsworth. Here's my effort at a Canadian classic tale about the perils of outdoor life in northern Ontario and it's Black flies.

(Leaning On) The Everlasting Arms written by Anthony J. Showalter and Elisha Hoffman recorded by The Grascals I created this simple placard video from an old recording I had done of this tune. When I realized I hadn't posted it anywhere I thought I ought to correct that. It's not that this is a great recording. Clearly I had some difficulties with syn-king the multiple audio tracks but it's not really all that bad. This recording is of an old Gospel tune written by Anthony J. Showalter and Elisha Hoffman. It's a really fun piece with great lyrics and music. I got hooked on this number when I heard 'The Grascals' do it on YouTube. If you haven't heard that recording you should check it out. This is a nice song to add to the songs you know. It's not that hard and is even better if you can get your friends to harmonize in the chorus. Here is my cover of “leaning on the Everlasting Arms”.

How Great Thou Art written by Carl Boberg recorded by various artists This is one of the greatest Gospel numbers that I have ever heard. It's lyrics are fantastic and its music is magnetic. I credited the writing of the lyrics to a Swedish poet by the name of Carl Boberg. It was translated to English and it is difficult how it could come out with this good a rhyming scheme. I have to think that somebody rewrote it be fore it was put to music but I can't find anything on that. As for who has recorded it, well just about everybody. I can't pick an artist who did a better version than the others. As for me, I think it makes a great addition to any singer's song book. It's a bit long but it's well worth memorizing. Here is my cover of 'How Great Thou Art'. You will have to forgive a few wrong notes by the mandolin, I'm just starting to learn that instrument and I wouldn't have mixed it into the recording if it didn't happen to add a nice touch there. I can live with a few off notes if you can.