Cass I do NH gigs with some friend singers. We only play Gospel music, but the residents absolutely love to sing the standard hymns (eg How Great Thou Art), Gaither favorites (eg Because He Lives, He Touched Me) and the more upbeat southern gospel songs like On the Jericho Road, Just Over in the GloryLand. Key thing for me is a variety but I try to weave in a different theme each month. I take along a song sheet as well which I get the ADs to copy, so if ever you want to see one let me know here or on facebook.

Blessings

Here is the "king" of nursing home jobs..
http://garymurway.homestead.com/Index.html


I will get the password again, so you can read in detail.."How to succeed"..


The password is....oscar



[This message has been edited by Fran Carango (edited 06-16-2009).]

To refer to him as the KING of Nursing Homes may be a bit of hyperbole, but I do love the idea of his mobile performances.

Maybe I could strap a Bose Compact to my back and to a strolling kind of thing...

What few audio files I could listen to sounded nice and he seems like he "gets it"

Good for him...we need more entertainers tuned in like he is...

------------------
Bill in Dayton

[This message has been edited by Bill in Dayton (edited 06-16-2009).]

One thing to note is to play what you were hired to play. If you're hired to play Gospel, then play...at least mostly Gospel music. If you're hired to play a variety...don't lock into one style.

This messes up the AD's programming. They'll schedule for example 1 gospel act a month and a variety act a month. If the variety act plays too much religious based material, it'll potentially upset the residents who came to the activity for the variety that was advertised, not a gospel show...

------------------
Bill in Dayton

Bill, Gary can literally could work 5 gigs a day (nursing home) at $150 a pop...and has the know how to work the job the way it should be worked....Can play any song spontaneously in any key, and knows how to have them participate..He also knows how to keep the personnel in his favor...Now , what part of being the "king" ..do you not understand...

Fran- I didn't say anything negative at all about this guy. Not a word...Nor will I based on what I've seen of his work.

The number of shows a guy does doesn't impress me very much. Some guys are great bookers and only marginal entertainers. Your pal sounds like the real deal, but heavy volume has its price tags and limitations and quality often suffers.

If he makes that kind of money then that's great for him. Understand though its as much a reflection of the location/region that he's in as opposed to purely his skill.

The story on the website supports completely that he knows what he's doing, no question about it.

You say he can play any song in any key? Well, according to his website, he's using midi files and a midi guitar. So, really...he's able to play any song he has a midi file for or can figure out the chords on the fly. I've never heard of anyone knowing every song, have you? To change keys using a midi file ain't exactly rocket science. I'm also curious how often the residents request a tune in a different key?

Participation is like "nursing home entertainment 101," Of course he's adept at it.

I'll repeat, he sounds like a very very good, talented, dialed in entertainer who is providing a unique service. I've nothing bad to say about him at all.

There are dozens of guys who really "get it" and service nursing homes at a high quality level. I just thought you exaggerated a tad when you called him the King.



------------------
Bill in Dayton

Bill, actually Gary uses a RA 95 arranger with his midi guitar..I hardly recall him using midi files at all..

And yes he has a great recollection of tunes, as does my old buddy ..Uncle Dave..

I also am amazed how both these guys can remember the lyrics to so many tunes...

No exaggeration..

I'll confess, I don't know the first thing about MIDI Guitars. I misunderstood the wording on his website.

He's a guitar player, who's studied a long time and really seems to have the sensibilities
of the audience first and foremost. I'd love to hear him live, I'm sure its a treat...



------------------
Bill in Dayton