My Grandfather's Secret Life in Music

This is a bonus clip. Way back in episode 2, I interviewed Steve Van Kirk about the day he recorded my grandfather performing his original song: I REMEMBER IN MY HEART. Steve also mentioned in his interview that he and his friend decided to cover grandpa's song many years later and gave it to him when he was very sick. Steve was told that my grandfather began crying when he first heard the recording because it meant so much to him. Apparently, my grandfather played it over and over again until the day he died.  Luckily, my mother recently found this cover song on an old cassette tape. I wanted to play it for you now. It features Steve Van Kirk on guitar and Dex on vocals. I believe they recorded it in 1992. I hope you enjoy it. It's very special to me, because it was very special to my grandfather.

In this episode, I interview Steve Van Kirk. Steve is a fellow musician and has recorded a lot of music over the years. He's also the guy who posted my grandfather's song on Facebook, which inspired this entire podcast. The song is called I REMEMBER IN MY HEART and when I heard it recently for the first time, I was blown away. It's a rough recording, but it's haunting and it really got to me. Steve will take us back to that day in 1975 when he and my grandfather, Tony, sat down to record it. He will also tell us about his relationship with my grandfather over the years, including a special moment they had right before he died.

In this episode, I interview my cousin, Nicky Kerr. Nicky is a talented musician, singer and songwriter. As soon as I discovered the song I REMEMBER IN MY HEART, a song that our late grandfather recorded back in 1975, I had to share it with her. I had no idea he was a musician and a songwriter. I hoped that Nicky would find the lost recording a way to connect with our grandfather, and because she's a professional musician and songwriter, I had to hear her thoughts on the song. I also asked Nicky to do something special for this podcast. I asked her to learn how to play and sing Grandpa Tony's song. We will play and examine both versions of the song in this first episode.

My Grandfather was a mystery to me.  He immigrated to America from Eastern Europe.  My mom said that he had a very hard life.  His English wasn't very good and when I was a kid, we didn't have much of a relationship.  Unfortunately, he died when I was young.  I never really got to know him.  Decades later, I was scrolling through my Facebook Feed and came upon a post featuring a song that my grandfather had written and performed.  I was blown away.  My late grandfather was a musician and a songwriter?  I had to learn more, before it was too late.  This podcast is dedicated to discovering my grandfather and the musical side of him that I never knew existed.  This is: My Grandfather's Secret Life in Music.  www.MyGrandfathersSecretLifeInMusic.com