My Influences:
Dr. John Huntsberger, Legend
This week, I'd like to draw your attention to an Austin treasure (really, a national treasure who happens to reside in Austin, TX).
This remarkable human being has done many things in his life, accomplished many goals and helped and inspired many people. He is simply amazing.
I met John at the Austin Banjo Club, an organization he helped found, in 2001. Another great man, Jon Bailey, poked me until I agreed to check out this gathering of odd musicianers. I walked in expecting to hide in a corner, observing. A certain somebody had no plans on letting that happen. John hollered over the din of the banjos and told me to come over and sit next to him so I could look at the Club's book while they played.
The next thing I knew, I was somehow hypnotized into playing my banjo-uke with this crazy bunch. I was also paying visits to John's house.
It was decided by council vote that Dr. John Hunstberger earned the esteemed title, "Legend" in 2002. In fact, he has the honor of being one of only three that hold this coveted rank in Austin, Texas.
Over the years and a number of visits with John, as well as some gigs together and even some Veterans' Lunches, John has shared so much of his wisdom and experiences with me. He has shared a lot of happiness and has shown me a great example of how we should all live our lives - always constructively, always light-hearted-ly, always helpful, always intelligently, always curiously! (In other words, always musically!)
Dr. John Huntsberger, Legend
This week, I'd like to draw your attention to an Austin treasure (really, a national treasure who happens to reside in Austin, TX).
This remarkable human being has done many things in his life, accomplished many goals and helped and inspired many people. He is simply amazing.
I met John at the Austin Banjo Club, an organization he helped found, in 2001. Another great man, Jon Bailey, poked me until I agreed to check out this gathering of odd musicianers. I walked in expecting to hide in a corner, observing. A certain somebody had no plans on letting that happen. John hollered over the din of the banjos and told me to come over and sit next to him so I could look at the Club's book while they played.
The next thing I knew, I was somehow hypnotized into playing my banjo-uke with this crazy bunch. I was also paying visits to John's house.
It was decided by council vote that Dr. John Hunstberger earned the esteemed title, "Legend" in 2002. In fact, he has the honor of being one of only three that hold this coveted rank in Austin, Texas.
Over the years and a number of visits with John, as well as some gigs together and even some Veterans' Lunches, John has shared so much of his wisdom and experiences with me. He has shared a lot of happiness and has shown me a great example of how we should all live our lives - always constructively, always light-hearted-ly, always helpful, always intelligently, always curiously! (In other words, always musically!)
Here's a link to The Austin Banjo Club where you can find a small bit of biographical info on our good man as well as some good info on the Club, another Austin treasure!
http://austinbanjoclub.org/people.html
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention The Austin Traditional Jazz Society. John helped this organization take root in Austin and we'd be less a city without it.
http://www1.onr.com/atjs/
You can catch John playing his banjo around town, lately at Quality Seafood, with his band Shucks and Oyster Po-Boys.
Thanks for the great friendship, John! Thanks for being a great guide, too! The quality of my life has risen quite notably because of your presence in it. I'm a lucky man to know such a fine human.
I look forward to your return to Austin and the music that we will play then.
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"Treat the Earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children."
- Native American proverb
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