I'M EXCITED BUT SLIGHTLY DAUNTED BY MY NEW BLOG!

Daunted only by the prospect of keeping so much information in coherent form! Today, in installment #3 I'll attempt to establish some sort of a pattern. Since this blog will revolve primarily about my life in music, it makes sense to start at the beginning and explain how music became just about everything in my life.

I was born in Saranac Lake, N.Y. in 1927, the first child of Phil and Estelle Klein. Three siblings were to follow at extended intervals: 1933 Rosemary; 1937 John; and 1941 Julie. Neither my mother nor father were trained musicians, but both had much inherent musical talent and a deep love for music. Music was apparently a key factor in their courtship. I remember many after-supper car rides with them in my early life. I'd be in the back seat and Ma and Pa would be singing their favorite songs together in two-part harmony as we rode along in the beautiful Adirondacks country. As a matter of fact, back then, my Ma sang all the time! I'm talking about when she was doing housework, cooking, or whatever! Those melodies and many of their lyrics were being burned into my child's brain. Later, as my own musical talent developed, this meant that I had hundreds (if not thousands) of tunes which I could play by ear! My present repertoire of songs that I can play without music in the thousands. I owe her!

In 1936 (when times were getting tough) Ma decided that I should have piano lessons. My teacher was a young woman, Loretto Leonard. Yes, Loretto...her father didn't like Loretta, the feminine spelling of the name, and he condemned her to go through life with the masculine version of the moniker!) Miss Leonard had just graduated from the Eastman School of Music with high honors and many awards, and I had the huge privilege of having her as my incredibly talented and inspiring piano teacher. At the time the lessons began, we lived in an upstairs apartment and Ma purchased a used upright Wegman piano from Ward Leahy, our insurance agent. I was off and running, and all my siblings were also to take lessons from Loretto Leonard - in tough times - when lessons were $1.00 each. A buck was not peanuts in those days!

The first sign that musical things were destined to happen to me came when I was an altar boy, and started to work out for myself how to play (in the key of C - without music) the many hymns I was hearing at church. I'll end here by mentioning that MANY piano teachers would have discouraged me from doing this. Not Loretto Leonard! She simply allowed me to do my thing, but insisted that I not neglect the regular work she assigned.

I was well on my way to being a player. My life was to be totally involved in music! My blog will explain how it all happened, despite many life-threatening experiences which I as a hare-brained kid had during my growing-up years. Strangely enough, the "hare-brained" part continued well into my adult years. How the hell I ever reached 82, I'll never understand!!

How many hare-brained octogenarians do you know? Come back and learn more from this one!