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Our friend and fellow Santa Cruz guitar player Alex Austin Sailed over the Horizon 3 years ago today.
He and I gathered in his Green Parrot Recording Studio ( room in his home) on the east coast of Florida and played our collection of 6 or 7 SCGC instruments. Alex and my wife Dee would sing old “Front Porch Country” songs and I was privileged to throw in a few chords and a bit of harmony. I have posted them doing “Orphan Girl” on the forum…look it up, it’s very good.
Alex introduced me to the original SC Players forum and to Elliott Capos and to Blue Chip Picks.
He always said he knew he would not be the greatest guitar player in the world so he learned how to sing. He had a wonderful low voice and it was perfect for the “Train Songs” and the Southern Scots- Irish folk songs that he loved.
He and Dee sounded like June and Johnny even though he was in his last days.
I have his last CD in my Jeep and I still get a bit teary when I listen to him…..He was trying so hard to finish it before the end he knew was coming………
He loved the SCGC Players Forum and was never afraid to express his opinion. I know that some of the current members talked him out of leaving the forum when he thought it was going off the tracks……He was a force…..I miss him to this day and I’ll always remember him commenting on my style of playing.
He would always say “I’ve never seen a thumb play bass and treble at the same time”.
We attended his and his partner Jims last performance at the now torn down ‘Old Mill Taverin in St Augustine . Fl..
It was a sold out crowd and they played until Alex just did not have any more to give…..He loved it. He played his SCGC RS until he just could not go on……..
We lost him too soon….. I so wanted him to play the 1934 Zorro but he left us before it was finished.
RIP Friend Alex……
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Alex told me that I should play “The Claw” before he passed away. Shortly after Alex died my house burnt down so my guitar playing and “The Claw” got put on the back burner. It’s been difficult for me to get back into the swing of things . After losing our house our springer spaniel died, then my sister died, our son had a mental breakdown, then my mother died and finally our cat died last week. This stuff just keeps coming in waves.
I recently completed the construction of a small music studio. I will record and post “The Claw” for Alex. It may take a month or so but I will do it.
I told Alex that I was never a big country music fan but I know good music when I hear it. I told Alex that back in the early 60’s I purchased a 45 of Andy Williams singing Moon River by H. Mancini. I was very young then about 12 or so. The B side of the record had this tune that I had never heard of before which I thought was just as good as Moon River to my amazement. I’d never heard of the song or guy who composed it. The tune was I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.
I miss Alex. He was a great guy and an inspiration.
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We all must go.
To quote Woody Allen, “ I’m not afraid of dying; I just don’t want to be there when it happens.
A few years ago we lost Mad Dog. Bob and his wife Tomi opened up their house to SCGC players one night with Indexless(?) DigDog, Daniel, Eric Skye, Alex Brumel, and yours truly. Lots of playing, conversation, the love was expanding. It’s been a few years, so I may be mixing different nights.
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Alex has gone full electric. Darie and I met him in Manhattan and took him to a party in Brooklyn at Howard’s House. He also looked me up with tix for the Grateful Dead Fare Thee Well shows in Chicago 2015.
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