[Chicago Sandy]

From an old broad, welcome to our splendid addiction!

I gave up playing several times: once, at 21, the day after a gig when I was in law school, I got my first-semester grades and promptly locked my guitar case. 7 years later, after taking it back up when Bob was on call at the hospital every other night and I would otherwise have either gone crazy with boredom or drowned in overtime legal work, I put the guitar away at 33 when our son was born. Played strictly for fun (mostly bass) with a neighborhood band and then in my temple's klezmer band and talent shows after I went back to work at 41. After my boss and receptionist heard me play at temple at 46, they told me to go for it. My boss even said, "Pretty soon you'll be on tour more often than in court." I scoffed, "Who'd want to hear what a 46-year-old has to say?" My receptionist answered, "I would!" From then on, I practiced harder, wrote more and eventually went back to doing open mics and then gigging--first solo, then in a couple of duos and a trio.

So here I am at 61--one solo and three duo albums later (and currently recording both my second solo and third album with my current duo), touring several times a year for a couple of weeks at a time, having played on local, regional and national radio and living my dream. The only law I practice now is for friends and other musicians, and I keep my license mainly to be in the annual Bar Assn. show. Am I famous? No. Will I ever be? No. Am I a virtuoso? No, but my chops get the songs across. Do I get the respect of my musical colleagues? Somewhat, even though I'm still fairly far down on the folkie food chain. Do I love the sound of people telling me how much they enjoy my music? Even more so than the respect from my peers. Way more so. Do I love to sit and play, write and sing? Duh. If for some reason I can no longer play out, will I keep playing, writing, and singing? As long as my fingers and vocal cords will let me!

Don't give up until they pry your guitar from your cold dead hands. (By then, you'll be playing another stringed instrument at a higher-altitude venue).