by Dominic D.

Created on: December 29, 2008

Most people whom I have met in my life's travels have said that music was in my blood, but I wish to correct them. Music is not IN my blood, music IS my blood. It courses through my veins giving me life to cope with the tragedies of my life and without music, I would have stayed the introverted, shy, quiet person of my youth.

My world changed when I read an advertisement in some magazine I was reading at the age of twelve. It had something to do with writing a song and becoming a star for something like thirty nine dollars. I was hooked and immediately wrote a song called, "I'm Nobody's Pal."

Excitedly I ran to my parents with this "hit" song in my hand and I asked them to send it to the address in the ad along with the thirty nine dollars. I don't remember exactly what my parents said, but the bottom line was that it wasn't going to happen. They were not going to give them the thirty nine dollars. Back in those days, that was quite a lot of money. However, even though I was dejected, I bought a noebook binder and began penning lyrics onto loose leaf paper and putting the songs in the binder. Through my youth and several marriages later, that binder has always remained. Each song was dated and I could actually see my growth through those songs.

At thirteen years old, I wanted to take up guitar lessons. My parents, although not having much money, somehow scraped up enough to buy me an electric guitar( I believe it was from Sears) and sign me up for guitar lessons. I also formed my first band then and we performed at neighborhood block parties carrying our equiptment on our red wagons and pulling them to our shows. We weren't very good but we managed to keep getting jobs.

Six months of guitar lessons and I quit. I felt I wasn't advancing in the music I wanted to play. The lessons became boring. My parents let me quit, but I pestered my dad for another, better electric guitar and amp(This one was a National) with a Fender princeton reverb. He caved in and bought it for me. He also bought me a Shure PE 585 microphone as I was now the lead singer in my band. People who saw me perform could not believe I was the same shy kid who was afraid to talk when they would see me belt out songs. All I coulsd say is that music let me express myself in ways regular words could not.

As I grew older, I taught myself how to play piano and drums, and the bands continued along with my songwriting and although I fell victim to love and marriage, it did not slow down my music creativity. Through sad times, I would strum my guitar in soft comfort, and through good times, I would rock out joy and enthusiasm.

Music remained when My wife left me, and music consoled me through the death of my daughter. I have never stopped being in some band of some sort, and I have never stopped writing songs. Through my life, music has walked beside me and without it, I might never have left the safety of my room. Without music, I might never have experienced this walk that I have taken, and I live with no regrets.

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