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One man band pen and paper in hand - Rhyme and Reason with Tony Funderburk
I just wanna be your one man band
Back in the last quarter of the last century I was sitting in my choir class listening to a couple of upper classmen talking about how much they liked a certain song. They were impressed with the vocalists and their ultra high harmonies. The name of the song was One Man Band. And the band was Three Dog Night. I hadn’t heard of them before that, so I made sure to listen to the radio until I heard the song. And those guys were right. Wow. Some high and tight harmonies! I quickly became a Three Dog Night fan. (If you prefer to listen rather than read, check out this episode of the Rhyme and Reason Podcast)
Fast forward and I’ve actually been a one man band
America is a great place to explore by highways and byways. Back in the 80’s me and my little blue truck, Ol’ Blue, saw a lot of those roads (He wasn’t Ol’ Blue back then). Now, when I say a great place to explore, I don’t mean every part of every place was great. We saw some cool cities, towns, and venues…and we visited some that were, shall we say, not so cool.
But the point is, I got to see a massive amount of our land and get paid to do it. Either as a member of four-piece bands, or trios, or duos, or as a one man band, music paid for my travels. Sometimes I’d have some down time from the bookings and I’d just zoom across country to be somewhere just so I could say I’d been there. For example, I had some time on a weekend between a two-week stay in El Paso, Texas. What did I do? Sit in the room and watch MTV? Not on your life. I knew I was right on the border of New Mexico, and it was just a hop, skip, and short cruise to Arizona.
While the other guys laid around our hotel rooms, I jumped in Ol’ Blue and zipped across I-10 until I reached Arizona. Hadn’t been there before,
at that time, and now I could add it to the travel notches on my belt.
Another time I finished a solo stint in Oklahoma, and I had a week before my next booking. So, I buzzed across Okie land on Highway 50 and drove all the way to Durango, Colorado. My mountain bike was on the rack on the back of the truck, so it seemed like the mountains were the logical choice. It was awesome! I rode my bike during the day and explored downtown Durango each night. Stayed in a funky little mom and pop motel at the north edge of town and wrote some songs. I had some serious “me” time back in those days. And most of the time it was because I could be a one man band and sing for my supper. (and pay all the bills, too)
Why am I telling you about my former life?
Stories.
And experience. Lots of experience. My travels took me in all four directions up and down and back and forth in America. I got to experience more kinds of people, places, and things than you might imagine. I’m certain those experiences gave me a lifetime of creative ideas and ammunition for writing and songwriting. And I’m sharing this with you because, in case you didn’t know, I hire my services out.
Yeah, I actually write, produce, and perform for businesses, organizations, and marketing and branding. You can see and hear tons of samples all through my website. And you can hear even more on the Rhyme and Reason Podcast. I’ve shared scores of songs on there you won’t find here on TonyFunderburk.com
If you (or a business owner or entrepreneur you know) need or want some help burning your brand into brains, contact me today. Use the simple form over on the side of this page and tell me about your project. I can help you build an audience AND make you unforgettable. Sound like a hot air promise?
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By Tony Funderburk
5
55 ratings
I just wanna be your one man band
Back in the last quarter of the last century I was sitting in my choir class listening to a couple of upper classmen talking about how much they liked a certain song. They were impressed with the vocalists and their ultra high harmonies. The name of the song was One Man Band. And the band was Three Dog Night. I hadn’t heard of them before that, so I made sure to listen to the radio until I heard the song. And those guys were right. Wow. Some high and tight harmonies! I quickly became a Three Dog Night fan. (If you prefer to listen rather than read, check out this episode of the Rhyme and Reason Podcast)
Fast forward and I’ve actually been a one man band
America is a great place to explore by highways and byways. Back in the 80’s me and my little blue truck, Ol’ Blue, saw a lot of those roads (He wasn’t Ol’ Blue back then). Now, when I say a great place to explore, I don’t mean every part of every place was great. We saw some cool cities, towns, and venues…and we visited some that were, shall we say, not so cool.
But the point is, I got to see a massive amount of our land and get paid to do it. Either as a member of four-piece bands, or trios, or duos, or as a one man band, music paid for my travels. Sometimes I’d have some down time from the bookings and I’d just zoom across country to be somewhere just so I could say I’d been there. For example, I had some time on a weekend between a two-week stay in El Paso, Texas. What did I do? Sit in the room and watch MTV? Not on your life. I knew I was right on the border of New Mexico, and it was just a hop, skip, and short cruise to Arizona.
While the other guys laid around our hotel rooms, I jumped in Ol’ Blue and zipped across I-10 until I reached Arizona. Hadn’t been there before,
at that time, and now I could add it to the travel notches on my belt.
Another time I finished a solo stint in Oklahoma, and I had a week before my next booking. So, I buzzed across Okie land on Highway 50 and drove all the way to Durango, Colorado. My mountain bike was on the rack on the back of the truck, so it seemed like the mountains were the logical choice. It was awesome! I rode my bike during the day and explored downtown Durango each night. Stayed in a funky little mom and pop motel at the north edge of town and wrote some songs. I had some serious “me” time back in those days. And most of the time it was because I could be a one man band and sing for my supper. (and pay all the bills, too)
Why am I telling you about my former life?
Stories.
And experience. Lots of experience. My travels took me in all four directions up and down and back and forth in America. I got to experience more kinds of people, places, and things than you might imagine. I’m certain those experiences gave me a lifetime of creative ideas and ammunition for writing and songwriting. And I’m sharing this with you because, in case you didn’t know, I hire my services out.
Yeah, I actually write, produce, and perform for businesses, organizations, and marketing and branding. You can see and hear tons of samples all through my website. And you can hear even more on the Rhyme and Reason Podcast. I’ve shared scores of songs on there you won’t find here on TonyFunderburk.com
If you (or a business owner or entrepreneur you know) need or want some help burning your brand into brains, contact me today. Use the simple form over on the side of this page and tell me about your project. I can help you build an audience AND make you unforgettable. Sound like a hot air promise?