You meet a lot of very interesting, wonderful people while playing the NH, assisted living, and retirement community circuit. Some are famous, some not so famous, but they all enjoy the entertainment we provide. I've met retired judges, governors, mayors, bankers, corporate giants, many, many musicians, and some regular folks that no longer have the ability to live on their own because of physical limitations. Each of these facilities is a community into itself. They have resident councils, which usually consists of a cross section of folks that provide input to the facility staff pertaining to many facets of the overall operation. In some instances, the resident council determines who will regularly provide entertainment, and who will not.

Some individuals on this forum mistakenly believe that those of us who work the NH circuit have never performed with a live band, or don't have the talent to perform with a live band. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In reality, the vast majority of us HAVE performed in bands, often playing instruments other than an arranger keyboard.

Some, such as my piano-playing friend Joe Ayala, performed with several top stars in the entertainment world. If I recall correctly, Bill Corfield was also a piano player prior to switching to an arranger keyboard. DNJ was working with a band as an accordion player when he was very young. As a young man, Don Mason was an outstanding trumpet player, but now prefers the versatility of an arranger keyboard. I was a solo guitar player and singer at age 20, playing smoke-filled bars and nite-clubs until the wee hours of the morning. I eventually started a country band that grew to five pieces and stayed relatively busy until the early 1980s when I became a full-time outdoor writer. Back then, I still played an occasional weekend job, but not on a regular basis.

For the most part, nearly every person I've run into over the years that works the NH circuit is an extremely talented musician/entertainer. A significant number of them have been professionally trained, many have won musical awards, some have nationally published albums, and they all have one thing in common--they love what they do. Most make a fairly good living, and like most entertainers, I suspect they'll continue to perform as long as they have the wherewithal to do so.

My first senior oriented job was in the mid 1980s, when an assistant director of a senior center came to me during a private party and asked if I would be available for a one-hour performance at a local center's luncheon. We agreed on $50 for the job, I arrived early and set up my gear. The room was elegantly decorated, crisp-linen tablecloths, flowered center-pieces, silverware, etc.. I could never in a million years have anticipated what was in store for me that day.

The doors opened, and people ranging in age from 60 to 90 swarmed into the hall. It was 12-noon and they were dressed as if they were attending an evening banquet and dance. The lights were dimmed, there was a relatively large dance-floor surrounded by the dining tables, and the atmosphere was perfect for dining and dancing. When I introduced myself the entire room fell silent, while more than 100 sets of eyes stared at the band--ME! It was a bit intimidating to say the least. The very fist song I played and sang was "As Time Goes By," which immediately filled the dance-floor with folks that were still agile enough to get up and dance. At the end of the hour the AD asked if I would continue to play for another 30 minutes or so. I ended up doing another hour, and she paid me an additional $50.

That was a long ago, but I can still vividly recall that day. Now, I'm confident that my story is no different than any other entertainer that works the NH circuit on a full time basis. The vast majority of us have worked the nite-club, restaurant, bar circuit, put up with drunks and cigarette smoke, endured low pay, got home at 3 a.m., and at the time, loved every minute of it.

Now, we perform for people from all walks of life, and as Deane Peters (Hammer) said, you just never know who will be in the audience. The one thing you can be assured of is that they'll be courteous, fun-loving individuals who enjoy good music. They're not forced to be there--they want to be there.

Would I ever go back to the Nite-Club circuit? Probably not. Sure, I still fill in for friends once in a while who are having health issues, but the pay is still lousy. Fortunately, you no longer have to put up with cigarette smoke, the audiences are a bit younger, and by and large, they don't know how to dance. When it's an older crowd I still pack the dance-floor, but getting home at 2 a.m. is not something I enjoy.

Today's job is a little different than most. It's a poolside job that begins at 5 p.m. at a marina, a 60th birthday party for a Polish immigrant who keeps his boat next to mine. The guests will include several people from Poland, plus some from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy, Germany and Cuba. The music will have to be diverse,upbeat, I'll have to sing songs in several languages, plus put up with the challenges of an outdoor performance using an arranger keyboard. Should be a fun day--especially for us old timers.

Cheers,

Gary