Swansongs

In the Thirties my father was in a trumpet trio based in their hometown Jamestown, New York.  They were on Major Bowes Amateur Hour radio show in 1939, a forerunner of American Idol, and got enough votes from Jamestown to win.

When the war started, he enlisted in the Army Air Force. "as the WWII was closing down, playing trumpet in the Army Air Force Band at Chanute Field, 'Taps' and 'Retreat' were my signature."

Some time in the late Sixties or early Seventies he started composing songs on the autoharp. He also began collecting and playing ram's horns, usually with a trumpet mouthpiece attached. Most of his songs are based on Scripture, especially Psalms. He was always trying to get me to draw something for his print outs, which he pasted up himself. My drawing of him playing a ram's horn was re-copied into many generations, as were all of the drawings I did for him. 

He wrote a lot of songs.