happy people sing the blues
Biscuit Miller
I've spent the past week enjoying the Emerald Coast of Florida in the beautiful community of Destin. This area's sugary, white sands and crystal-clear waters are some of the few places I had not previously visited in the Sunshine State. I highly recommend a journey here. I place it at the top of all the beaches in a state with many from which to choose.
One of my go-to activities is to search out local music venues and enjoy some live tunes when I travel. Graffiti's Funky Blues House last night did not disappoint. The New Orleans-themed restaurant and bar hosted a blues band with some excellent musicians. Among them, and at the forefront, an older gentleman took to the stage with a custom Dean bass with checkerboard sides and back. A wide black and white checkerboard guitar strap reflected off the stage lights as he stepped up to the microphone.
"Biscuit" was in his natural element and controlled the band and the room. It took only a few lines into the song to realize that this experienced singer had been around the block many times. He possessed a warm and humorous stage presence that seemed as comfortable as a pair of old jeans.
I've always enjoyed blues music. I like the simplicity and soul that resonates from a slightly distorted Gibson or Strat melded with the raspy voice of a seasoned vocalist and the driving beat of powerful bass and drums. Having listened to many hours of this style of music, I find it an interesting phenomenon. Blues singers are rarely "blue." They are usually a happy lot!
Blues singers lament about how much they "been done wrong" in a large percentage of their melodies, and they do it with facial expressions that range from excruciating pain to utter hilarity. In the end, they always seem to come out smiling. "You done me wrong, baby, but I done moved on."
After the first set, Biscuit came off the stage, and since he was from Indiana, my home state, I had to find out from whence he hailed. Though he spent many years in Chicago, which is perfectly logical for a blues enthusiast, he had now lived in my birthplace, Indianapolis, for a long while. Having established a little rapport, we invited the old player to our table. To our delight, we spent the next half hour looking at photos of five grandchildren and a host of famous musicians with whom he had played through the course of what was a long, successful career. Names like B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, Albert King, and Stevie Ray Vaughn appeared alongside Biscuit in picture after picture. He had even played with the Blues Brothers on the first of Ackroyd and Belushi's extraordinary film of the same name.
So, here we were in the blues capital of the world – Destin, Florida – I'm joking, of course, in a small venue with few in the offseason attendance, chatting with a well-known artist about everything from family to music and life in general. Biscuit explained his philosophy of life and reminded me of a fundamental life lesson. This old sage, who spent most of his life in an industry plagued with people enamored with fame and fortune, was contented and happy. Somehow the typical trappings of his vocation had passed by him.
Biscuit has a secret. In his own words, "I just enjoy life. That's what I'm about. Life is meant to be enjoyed, and it's too short not to do so." He explained that he has friends and acquaintances who travel through existence with a down in the mouth attitude, always complaining or finding faults about nearly every situation. But that is not his way. From our short discussion and the smile with which he sang the "blues," I'd say this philosophy has served him well.
It is an interesting phenomenon that one can sing the blues with a smile on their face. Perhaps that is because their contentment and happiness come from a deeper place. In his paraphrase of the Bible book of Ecclesiastes, I think Eugene Peterson captures the secret.
7-10 Seize life! Eat bread with gusto,
Drink wine with a robust heart.
Oh yes—God takes pleasure in your pleasure!
Dress festively every morning.
Don't skimp on colors and scarves.
Relish life with the spouse you love
Each and every day of your precarious life.
Each day is God's gift. It's all you get in exchange
For the hard work of staying alive.
Make the most of each one!
Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily!
This is your last and only chance at it,
For there's neither work to do nor thoughts to think
In the company of the dead, where you're most certainly headed.
(Ecclesiastes 9:4-10 The Message by Eugene Peterson)
One never knows where wisdom might reveal itself. Last night it was at the Graffiti Funky Blues House in Destin, Florida. Thanks, Biscuit!
Live Inspired!
Don Mark
P.S. Don't forget to check out my new YouTube channel. If you are looking for thoughts on leadership, watch my interview with Dr. Tracey Jones of Tremendous Leadership. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LJXXo55xoI&list=PLaKLrhHVcOOLywqzBGUsMHTSJoZQELb8S&index=1
