Tim Baldwin's Musical Autobiography

Free Web Hosting Provider - Web Hosting - E-commerce - High Speed Internet - Free Web Page

Well, since you found your way to this page, you might have a vague idea of who I am, but then again you might be hopelessly lost in cyberspace and wondering who the guy is that's strangling that telecaster in the picture below. (I find myself wondering the same thing sometimes.) The whole answer won't likely be found in these pages, but for what it's worth, I'm going to give it a try.

Perhaps the most difficult question I'm asked is "What kind of music do you play?" The person making the query usually expects a succinct one or two word file card or index tab categorization, but life isn't that simple and neither is my music. I have strong musical roots in blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and acoustic folk music, combined with a love of jazz-like improvisation, funky rhythms, and respect for the singer-songwriter tradition. It's virtually impossible for me to claim allegiance to any single musical genre.

Ok, artistic integrity is cool, but no artist creates in a vacuum. The whole point of creating, beyond self-satisfaction, is to reach an appreciative audience. Often times a single responsive person can make the difference between a gig that's an artistic and emotional struggle and one that's a triumph. Music at it's best can be shared on so many different levels. Sometimes it's the rhythm, sometimes it's the melody, sometimes it's the passion in the performance or the imagery of the lyrics, but music is the closest thing to a universal language we have. Sure, there are regional dialects, but music played from the heart needs no translation.

Like many others in my generation, I started playing guitar in the summer of 1964 after seeing the Beatles in A Hard Day's Night at the drive-in, but my love for music had been established almost a decade earlier. The same Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Buddy Holly, Fats Domino, Larry Williams, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Everly Brothers records that inspired John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Keith Richards were a part of my record collection while I was still in elementary school. I still love rock and roll.

My introduction to contemporary folk music was Peter, Paul, and Mary's self-titled first album. Their interweaving guitar and vocal lines, soaring three-part harmonies, and their activist and humanist politics have always been an inspiration to me, and certainly form the basis for my love of the Indigo Girls, who have married the folk tradition with contemporary rock sounds to create a music of incredible depth and passion.

The influence of the Beatles, and of the Rolling Stones, both musically and sociologically, is incalculable. Both groups not only created dynamic original music, they also recorded some marvelous covers of songs from rock and roll's rhythm and blues roots, and inspired many, like myself to look deeper into alternative cultures. The Searchers were another eclectic band with roots in rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and acoustic folk music that contributed greatly to my musical development.

The Animals, through Eric Burdon's impassioned vocals and Alan Price's keyboards were my introduction to the blues, along with the Rolling Stones' cover of Howlin' Wolf's Little Red Rooster, but Michael Bloomfield's incendiary guitar work with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and Butterfield's own Little Walter-inspired harp playing were a revelation which led me to seek out the work of the awe-inspiring Howlin' Wolf and the incomparable Muddy Waters, two of my all-time favorite artists.

Strangely enough, it took me a while to fathom Bob Dylan's music. Bringing It All Back Home was the album that opened my ears and eyes. Like so many of my influences, he defies classification and categorization. I never tire of interpreting Dylan's works.

Jefferson Kaye was an evening radio personality on WKBW 1520 in the late 1960's who had come to Buffalo from WBZ 1030 in Boston. He brought with him his love and knowledge of the New England folk scene, and through his show introduced me to the music of Tom Rush, whose mix of traditional folk, acoustic blues, rock and roll, country, and the music of contemporary writers like Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, and Bruce Cockburn would become the model for my own solo acoustic performances.

A trip to an east side record store in search of rare blues records led to the purchase of Richie Havens' Mixed Bag album, and introduced me to another of my musical role models. I have long admired Richie's ability to put his own stamp on the songs of other writers, particularly Lennon/McCartney and Dylan, plus his unique guitar style and strong rhythmic base. Yet another major influence was his fellow Verve/Folkways artist Tim Hardin, whose melancholy lyrics and jazz/blues inflected vocals struck a responsive chord.

In recent years I've developed somewhat of a signature lead guitar style that seems to be a reflection of my personality, with strong blues roots and the artistic freedom of jazz improvization. I try to avoid copying licks (to the extent that such a thing is possible), but I would like to credit some of the guitarists whose work has influenced my playing: Chuck Berry, Hubert Sumlin (Howlin' Wolf), Albert Collins, Albert King, B.B. King, Lonnie Mack, Michael Bloomfield, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, John Fogerty, Michael Pender (the Searchers), Robbie Robertson, Carlos Santana, Mark Knopfler, Amos Garrett, Robben Ford, Steuart Smith, and J.J. Cale.

Beginning with Fats Domino and Huey Smith and the Clowns, and zydeco legend Clifton Chenier, through present day artists like Dr. John, the Neville Brothers, the Radiators, the subdudes, the Iguanas, Marcia Ball, Terence Simien, and Zachary Richard, I've always loved the syncopated rhythms that form the basis of New Orleans style rhythm and blues. Playing at the New Orleans Jazzfest remains one of my most cherished dreams.

I don't play much in the way of country music, but I've learned a lot of my vocal phrasing from artists like Charlie Rich and Willie Nelson, and I'm a big admirer of Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Jerry Jeff Walker, Rodney Crowell, Guy Clark, Ray Wiley Hubbard, and Townes Van Zandt. I can't play bluegrass to save my life, but I love to listen to Doc and Merle Watson, Tim O'Brien, and dobro diety Jerry Douglas.

One of the greatest developments I've observed during the past decade is the expanded role of women in music, both as featured performers and in supportive roles. Women bring an intensity and a focus to music that is similar to my own, and an honesty and openness to their writing and performing that is awe-inspiring. A short list of my favorite female recording artists would include the Indigo Girls (Amy Ray and Emily Saliers), Ani DiFranco, Rosanne Cash, Rickie Lee Jones, Bonnie Raitt, Cheryl Wheeler, Janis Ian, Catie Curtis, Sara Hickman, Michelle Shocked, Iris DeMent, Lucinda Williams, Gillian Welch, and Rose Polenzani.

A similar list of male songwriters would include Bruce Cockburn, Joe Jackson, Tom Petty, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Eric Andersen, Greg Brown, Peter Mulvey, Greg Greenway, J.J. Cale, Guy Clark, Townes Van Zandt, Willie Nelson, Tim Hardin, Mark Knopfler, and Kevin Connolly.

oh, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now

I played my first gig at a New Year's Eve party on December 31, 1964. From 1965 through early 1967, I played in a succession of rock cover bands with my friends Edwin Sutton on rhythm guitar and Michael Welsh on drums. Our setlists included songs by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Searchers, the Kinks, the Who, the Byrds, the Animals, and Love, among others.

I returned to playing music in 1969 after 2 years in the military, and in 1970 Hammond B3 organist Tom Kubiszyn and I formed Shelter with friends Ed Ryan on drums and Norm MacKenzie on bass. The music had changed with the times. Our setlists still included songs by the Beatles, the Stones, the Kinks, and the Who, but also featured songs by Dylan, Donovan, the Band, Traffic, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Santana, Steppenwolf, and Buffalo Springfield. Our creative peak was a medley from the Who's rock opera, Tommy, that built to a climax of breathtaking intensity.

The years between 1971 and 1995 were often frustrating musically, as other commitments and priorities took precedence, but I continued to learn and absorb new influences as time permitted, playing occasional solo gigs, and occasionally sitting in with various bands.

Since early 1995 I have been active in the Buffalo music scene in a number of capacities, both on and off stage. I've had the pleasure of jamming with literally hundreds of fine musicians in various settings. I hosted an open mic/open jam night at Mohawk Place for nearly two years, and also worked as a sound person for many bands and solo artists passing through Western New York, including such diverse acts as Richard Buckner, Freakwater, the Mighty Blue Kings, the New Dylans, the Rugburns, the Paperboys, Mad Pudding, Remember Alice?, Groovelily, the Low Road, and the Zimmermans, to mention but a few.

Perhaps my most cherished endeavor has been to organize and promote shows, under the banner of Missing Lynx Productions, at Nietzsche's and several other music clubs featuring local and regional songwriters and artists whose work I admire. I plan on dedicating a separate page to these wonderful friends.

Working with so many talented people stirred my own creative side, and I began writing songs with a vengeance a few years back. My own singing and guitar playing have improved immeasurably in recent years, even in the estimation of my own worst critic.

1999 has been a landmark year for me, as I have been blessed with the opportunity to play guitar and occasional harmonica on three friends' self-produced CDs: harmonica on "Charmed and Harmed" and lead guitar on "California Song" on Pamela Ryder's "Soul Ryder"; guitar and harmonica on "Years Ago" and lead guitar on "Feed The Fire" on "The Strongest Girl In The World" by Katie Miller; and recently, lead guitar on "Color Blind" on Aerin Tedesco's "Angels & Allegories" CD.

Welcome to

Havana Moon

(Tim Baldwin's Website)

Site Directory