Stevie Ray Vaughan Remembered!

Today, August 26th, 2005 marks the 15th anniversary of
Stevie Ray Vaughan's last show before he passed on
tragically in a helicopter accident in the early
morning hours of August 27th, 1990.

Stevie had an immeasurable impact on my life as a
musician. In every interview he would talk about his
heroes and the guys he looked up to,...so I'd go seek
out records by these guys. Albert Collins, Magic Sam,
Hubert Sumlin, Albert King,...the list goes on and on.
I bought, borrowed and stole recordings and soon my
Blues CD, tape, and vinyl collection was chock full o'
amazing music from the Delta, Texas, Chicago and
beyond. Stevie, along w/ records by B.B. King, and
Buddy Guy got me hooked on the Blues.

Stevie also talked alot about his battles with alcohol
and drugs as well as his relationship with God. He
seemed by all accounts to be one amazing person. A
person that I never got to meet, but feel as though
I've gotten to know through his music, interviews, and
testimonials by his friends, family, and fans.

I was lucky to see SRV live in concert the summer of
1990 before he died. I'd only been hip to him for a
short time before, having had a friend loan me his
record output up to that point which was 4 LPs.
Remember LPs?

Anyhow,...putting those vinyl slabs on my parents
record player back in the late 80s and then being able
to see the man himself perform live were a couple of a
very few life changing events that I've had as a
musician and it forever altered my direction as a
player, listener, and fan.

For that, I will always feel blessed and grateful.

Thank you Stevie.

Sincerely,

Alastair Greene

Go to: Alastair Greene's website
Click on "Past Shows" on sidebar to hear Alastair Greene
on BluePower.com

You Know When You've Done Something Right!

In the world of the internet, the internet will always let you know when you've done something correctly. You receive letters from folks who read what you wrote and have serious thoughts about your article.

When I wrote for Cash Box Magazine, I had the same type of feedback. Sometimes I wrote columns that people loved and vice-versa. With Cash Box, the time frame was altered because there was a relatively small community on the web at that time. Almost all correspondence was by what is now known as "snail mail". Now....I get hit square between the eyes as people from all over the globe pronounce judgement on what I have chosen to write.

Such is with the article of July 20th....fret2fret....Are You There?

I would like to thank all the people who took the time to write and research what I wrote and then took the time from their schedules to respond.

Here is a re-print of the last email sent. I received this today:

Hi Guys: Well, I "fell for" the tempting ad and paid the $27.99 and (as one of the earlier comments states) it really is simple. It's almost TOO simple. But like lots of powerful things (like learning to type) it sounds simple (Just put your fingers on the keyboard and think the letter onto the screen) learning and using are two different processes. Any tool sitting in a draw will not be useful - it's potential lies in the form and function of the tool and the skill of the user. Fret2Fret...worth it? ($35CAD - Canadian dollars for me) - Yes. But, then again, I can type at over 80 wpm, and when someone told me (After years of hunting and pecking) that is was worth the $48 for a Typing Program. My first thoughts were the same as some of the other commentors - "I'm not gonna risk that kind of money" Now, when it comes to learning intuitive skills (like typing or playing the guitar), I invest - not in the software - but in my own ability to learn. Thanks to Fret2Fret - and some time and some serious practice, I expect to be buzzing along the fretboard, just as I buzz around the keyboard typing this comment. Cole in Canada.

After all the pluses and minuses are added and subtracted, the above email is an excellent piece of advice. If you can afford it; try it and do your best to learn the most you can. Even if you only learn the notes on the fretboard, you're ahead of the game.

Thanks to all who sent us letters. We appreciate your support on this issue. In a world where you are beaten on the head every thirty seconds to purchase something amazing, it's refreshing to see there are people who still believe in the honest approach.

Have a great day!
John Rhys
BluePower.com