
- Blues
- Jam Band
My Grandmother was from Chicago, she played Piano in a Lady's Boarding house on 78th Street. She taught me to push the tempo with the left hand ( the reason why; is it to give the music life, people will get up and dance, drink more, you'll have fun, at the end of the night, the club owner will pay you more.
In 1959 my father built a telephone answering machine; with a very expensive piece of equipment just invented, called the tape recorder. People would call, but no one ever left a message, so he let me play with the tape recorder.
Long story short.. I got some better microphones to experiment with, I became a Musician. I started writing jingles (30-second radio ads). Between 1974 & 1994, I built 6 recording studios, 5 paid for with Jingles & 1 built in to a club, with equipment donated by the local radio station if I stopped selling
I always will be playing on the street. Ever since I started back in the late 60s I'd be making at least three times minimum wage in front of any liquor store. During the pandemic there were times when I would make 15 x minimum wage.
Lots of young guys just out of school, that played a little guitar and sang a bit, would tell me they wouldn't do it, too chicken, stage fright, they had other things to do ? I suspected they were busy looking for a girlfriend, I'd ask them if they had a Girl friend ..none of them did ?
I I would say to them "Get a backpack or a big suitcase, and some stuff to make it look like you're travelling, just put it behind you, and I'll guarantee you, about every hour and a quarter, there will be a girl coming up (a potential girlfriend) and ask you if you have a place to stay for the night.
It worked, once the very next day; the guy showed up at my regular spot, had all the stuff, and just like that, he had a steady Gig as a Musician and a Girlfriend !
StreetJelly is Live Music Streaming, eConcerts, and Online Busking! Musicians perform live for tips.





