Singer Songwriter archives

The anchors, the weather and sports reporters, the investigative reporters, and the editorialists all talked a blue streak night after night. So, it was ironic when Theo felt something like the stroke of a paintbrush across his heart. Because it wasn’t the same feeling as a physical paintbrush stroke.

And it happened as he listened to a late night, local talkshow host talk about something in the Bible. But the host didn’t sound like a preacher. He sounded more like a reporter who related current events to verses in the Bible. And every time he pointed out another truth, it tore away another layer of darkness from Theo’s eyes. The truth sort of pierced right into him like a needle in the hand of skilled nurse. No pain.

So, night after night, Theo would tune in. And night after night he’d hear more truth that he hadn’t heard from churches and other religious organizations. Plus, the talk show host included hilarious entertainment by taking calls from people, all around the country, who disagreed with him.

Theo noticed a pattern form. Many people from all around the country clearly despised the talk show host. And most of them could only express their contempt for him with insults and complaints. They refused to believe the words he read, directly from the Bible, were actually words in the Bible. Because, like me, they also hadn’t heard those messages in church. Or from any Christians they knew.

So, Theo tuned in to the show, for months. He couldn’t find any points of contention or disagreement with the talk show host.

And he enjoyed how the host ended his shows with “Do right. And risk the consequences.”

Then, one day, after watching a particularly entertaining episode of the show, Theo’s brain lit up with some lyrics. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. Theo’s an excellent songwriter. So, he wrote down the words, editing as he wrote (because that’s the best way). And he twiddled around with some chords and progressions as he ironed out the verses and chorus.

“There’s a blue streak like a paintbrush stroke through my heart.”

Right? You picked up on that whole connection I’ll betcha. And I bet you get this next line, too.

“It’s a cool light and it tears the darkness apart.”

How about it? The lyrics make a lotta sense, since you read a little bit of the backstory. Can I get an Amen? So, any guesses on the next line? Try these next two lines:

“I’m so near it; though it pierces me I don’t fear it.

I don’t know about you, but that gave me goosebumps. OK, maybe little goslingbumps. But I really enjoy observing a maestro’s mind at work.

Well, I’ve been writing up a blue streak about this story. So, I’m not gonna share the whole rest of the laborious and intense songwriting process with you. But you can rest assured, Theo included the line, “Do right and risk the consequences.”

Go get your own digital download of the Do Right Songbook Journal. And when you get your own copy, you’ll get all the lyrics to ALL the songs. Not just this Do Right song I wrote about.

Plus, there are tons of pages where you can journal, take notes in church, or just doodle if you prefer. AND you can download ALL the songs (at no extra charge) from a secret (not secret) link in the book.

Just go to the Rhyme and Reason Bookshop and get yours today.

https://www.tonyfunderburk.com/rhyme-and-reason-bookshop

Let me know if you have any problems getting the book. I’ll make sure you get it! Till next time…

Stay tuned…

P.S. If you already have your copy of this classic music, refer the link to someone else. Thanks!

The post Blue streak, take a peek, it’s unique appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

I can hardly believe it’s already been almost 4 years. But the calendar doesn’t lie. And the metadata in the documents I saved doesn’t either. Yeah, almost 4 years since I produced rough cuts to several new songs. And I have a couple of main reasons why I call them “rough cuts.” One of those songs is called “I Can Do.” And, yes, it’s one of the many songs I’ve written where I swim upstream against current trends. But so be it.

And, no, I don’t get some sort of surreptitious pleasure from going against the grain. In fact, I wish my worldview and songwriting style were more the norm. But that ain’t gonna happen. So I know those opportunities I passed up on, back in the day, for recording deals, are the only ones I’ll ever have.

But I know the One who created me, AND made sure I can live forever, is much more pleased with my choice. And He said the world hated Him before it ever hated me. So, I’m in the best of company.

Anyway…

Back to those songs. There are seven of them. So far. And I have a deep and abiding desire to produce them from rough cuts to smooth. But, to my constant consternation, for six years, respiratory issues have kept me from accomplishing that goal. And my wife and I have moved to two entirely different parts of the country to hopefully help alleviate those issues.

Right now I’m gaining some cautious optimism that maybe I’m making some progress (Your prayers are desired and appreciated). And I hope I can do some recording, soon, and make some tracks. Sadly I’ve had that hope dashed against the rocks a few times in the past six years. But the thing about real hope is, it springs eternal.

So, that being said, here’s a snippet of lyrics from a little song in B flat called…

Outside the lines the grass is greener.

I know the morning sun will shine,

I can do…what I need to. I know it’s so, so I can do!

The rest is reserved for when I fully produce this song and the others. Until then, you can dive into lots of my other songs, AND all kinds of books, when you click or tap this link:

(https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B008R08LUG/allbooks)

Stay tuned,

The post I Can Do. And in B flat, too appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

Love, peace, and music. I wish those for you. And now, let’s get down to business. No, I’m not smokin’ any halo tobacco. It doesn’t take a dope-smokin’, long-haired, hippy freak to talk about the finer parts of life. And, while we’re on the subject, that leads me into some of the benefits of Christian music.

First, there’s no cursing.

Second, there’s no sex.

Third, there’s no cursing.

And did I mention there’s no sex?

But then, another HUGE benefit of Christian music is that it’s an indicator of your NEW character. What’s that you say? You’re curious about the NEW character stuff? Good. Because I was just getting to that.

Paul (that guy who claimed his own Gospel) wrote a letter to the Colossians. And he described what you can see when a man (or woman) has a new character. No, not a part in a movie. An actual compilation of who they/you/he/she are/is. (Sorry, I got too inclusive for a second there.)

Anyway…

Paul said the “new man” should and would follow this outline:

“But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

See? Love and peace. Yes, thankfulness is in there, too. But then Paul went and spinned the tables when it came to music. Because he had the audacity to say you should use music to instruct others and even get on to them. What? With music? Uh-huh.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

That’s not exactly what you’ll find in churches these days. So, I don’t think churches truly receive the true benefits of true Christian music. And, yes, that’s a lotta true-based stuff. But for a reason. Because what’s trying to pass for praise and worship music these days are actually repetitious, cotton candy choruses.

But when you try to give churches, and the “pewple” inside, more meaty music, they turn a deaf ear. Mostly.

I speak from experience.

I’m not bitter about it. I AM sad about it. But I also won’t be spinning any cotton candy. So, I pray the music I’ve composed and compiled over the years will be an indication of the treasures I’ve stored up in Heaven. And if that IS how it turns out, then I’ll rejoice at the eternal benefits of my Christian music. And I’ll do my best not to admonish anyone who turned a deaf ear.

And then I can behold the inner man

(from my song Consequential Servitude)

Stay tuned,

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The post Benefits of Christian music and hope for my forever land appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

Ideas have consequences. And, naturally, that statement implies both the positive and negative. And I’m gonna share an example of bad consequences for bad ideas. This is a post I found on a social media platform where the discussion was about the cost of living. This young guy said,

“A lot of my older co-workers have huge houses that they bought decades ago while working the exact same job I’m currently doing. I was talking to one of my older co-workers. And he was asking why I work two jobs. So, I told him because my rent is $1800. He was like, well you must live in a mansion. And I said no, just an 800 sq ft apartment. He didn’t believe me at all. So I showed him on my phone what all the apartments are going for in our town. And he was like, my mortgage is half that on a 4 br house. He showed me pics of his house and it was huge and pretty decent. I looked it up on zillow and it’s worth $400 000. He bought it decades ago when it was around $100k.

Me and all my coworkers talk about the housing crisis a lot. And all the older guys who have been working there for 20-30 years all said they bought houses in their early 20s thanks to this job. I have the same job they did, the exact same position, and will never be able to afford even a starter home.

The American dream is dead.”

What that young guy didn’t realize is, the so-called “American Dream” died even way before those older guys got their less expensive mortgages. That’s a key word in what the older co-worker said, “My mortgage is less than half that…”

Yeah, even the older co-worker couldn’t afford a house. He could only afford a mortgage.

And bad ideas made houses unaffordable in America. And around the world.

Bad ideas like getting both the husband AND the wife out into the workforce. That idea led to banks and real estate companies pumping up house prices. Because with both adults, of a household, working outside the home, the family “could afford” a more expensive house. Well, at least the payments on it.

And even way before the two income household bad idea affected America, property taxes made sure you’d never truly be a homeowner. No matter how much you believed in “the American dream.”

Then, don’t pay your property taxes. And even if you have a paid-off mortgage, you’ll quickly discover who actually owns your house. And it ain’t YOU.

All that being said, ultimately you and I are always gonna be renters. Just like our parents were. And their parents before them. And so on and so on. Because none of us brought anything into this world. And none of will take anything out of it.

Now, I don’t want you to get the (bad) idea that I think all hope is lost. Because nothing could be further from the Truth. In fact, true hope shines brightly in my heart because I don’t put my faith in this world or its bad ideas and broken systems.

So, my faith has never been in “the American dream.” It has always been in the reality of the existence of the one, true, living, loving Creator of Heaven and Earth. Jesus trumps all clichés.

And that reminds me of a section of my song, Cliché, that talks about bad ideas that go with taxes.

We lend our money to so many nations, and

So, here’s a good idea. Get that song, and 12 others, on my classic “Do Right” CD. Click or tap the following link to buy it on ebay: tinyurl.com/2jgk3ovy

Or, buy the download version directly from me here: https://www.tonyfunderburk.com/fundersongs/

Of course, buying my music is a great way to show support. But I want you to know that you also do that by being on the The TRUTH. I don’t take that for granted. Thanks!

Stay tuned,

The post Bad ideas and consequences lead to no more picket fences appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

Music is an aural expression of life. From babies in the womb to the silver-haired citizens, music is an amazingly comforting language. I’ve shared a lot of information about the health benefits of music and sound. But it doesn’t benefit only the listener.

Whatever musical gifts and talents I have are gifts from God. And I’ve been blessed to be able to share my own aural expressions (aka: songs) with hundreds of thousands of people over the years. And it occurred to me that a singer songwriter is a little bit like a heart surgeon.

Over fifty years ago, the Bee Gees sang, “How can you mend a broken heart?” And, ironically, they answered their own question with a song. I don’t know if they wrote that song after a personal breakup. But I’d say it’s pretty likely. Because that’s how some of the best music is created.

And just think about that for a second. Something you can’t even see or touch can “mend” hearts. And people of all ages experience heartbreak. It’s not just for teenage girls regardless of their ability to shed more tears than anyone else on the planet.

Aural expressions benefit more than listeners. Composers and songwriters experience amazing blessings during the process of creation.

I love this quote from the father of the symphony and string quartet, Josef Haydn:

“Never was I so devout as when I composed The Creation. I knelt down each day to pray to God to give me strength for my work.When I was working on The Creation I felt so impregnated with Divine certainty, that before sitting down to the piano, I would quietly and confidently pray to God to grant me the talent that was needed to praise Him worthily.”

I’m listening to some of Mr. Haydn’s music as I write this. But don’t click that link if you think classical music is boring. Because you might end up feeling too relaxed to come back and read the rest of what I’m going to say.

If music doesn’t prove to you there’s a God who loves you, then your future could be in dark jeopardy. And I hope I don’t have to clarify this for you. But I mean REAL music. Not that barely approximate rhyme, gibberish, attitude talk junk trying to pass itself off as a musical art form. Not that growl, grunt, and groan rock trying to pass itself off as a musical art form. And not that bump and grind, hyper-sexualized pop trash trying to pass itself off as a musical art form.

REAL music is written and performed by real musicians who understand and convey aural expressions on real instruments.

But it’s incredible what classical music can do for your brain. And your heart. So, don’t let your heart be hardened by the lies of this world. If you even begin to feel that happening, listen to Haydn, or Beethoven, or Bach. They all credited their Creator for the gift of music.

I do, too. And if you’ve ever listened to or bought any of my music, I’m truly grateful and honored. I hope it helped you understand why you’re here, or helped you mend a broken heart, or just relax. And I want you to know how much it helped my heart to write it for you.

Stay tuned,

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The post Aural expression of life and love to help you rise above appeared first on Tony Funderburk.

If you’ve been following along with me here at TonyFunderburk.com for a while, you might recall that I spent a year in Nashville. Yeah, the one in Tennessee. Elgielene and I went there, after a couple of years on the road, because I wanted to make the songwriter rounds. And, as it turned out, Nashville had (and probably still has) a lot of what they call “songwriters in the round.”

Usually we just sat in a row, facing the audience, and took turns singing our original songs. In case you’ve never heard me talk about it, I was almost always the only guy with a keyboard. Because Nashville is guitar city. So, I got to stand out before I sang a note.

Trouble was…I wasn’t country enough. Oh well. My experience was still good because I wrote a bunch of catchy songs in my year there. One of them was this little number…

I looked around and you; you broke my heart into.

You’ve got some good somewhere inside.

What do you think you’ll do

repeat chorus…inst

You say you don’t need me; me and my sympathy.

chorus…bridge…repeat chorus to end

© 1992 Tony Funderburk

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They sure had some silly lyrics in the hits from the 50’s. For the most part it was one innocent song of love after another. Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing – You Make Me Feel So Young – When I Fall In Love – I Only Have Eyes For You – Those are just a few of the top 100 hits from the 50’s.

After all, you had those ne’er-do-wells like Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis. Boy, what a couple of trouble makers. Jerry Lee messin’ around with underage cousins and Elvis singin’ the Jailhouse Rock. Yeah, there’s always gonna be the black sheep.

But those guys were like choir boys compared to what’s goin’ on in pop music now. And these days, the “bad boys” got nothin’ on the girls. In fact, some of the least innocent and most vile lyrics (if you can call them that) are flowing out of female singers (if you can call them that).

I won’t smudge and taint my website by repeating or quoting any of that filth. And I know that makes me a major L7 (old reference…look it up). But I’d rather listen to, write, and sing one innocent song with upbeat, uplifting lyrics and melodies than even accidentally have any of that other junk pass through my speakers or earbuds.

Why is the sky blue?

Cause God made skies.

Why is a horse fast?

Cause God made creatures big and small,

God’s love is always there.

© 2008 Tony Funderburk

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Back in my early teens I started my lifelong love affair with drums and percussion. And I remember getting a cool, metal flake blue, snare drum for Christmas. It came with instructions on how to do paradiddles, flams, rolls, and more. And I was hooked. Drumbeats have been playing in my head ever since.  

Of course, it’s every parent’s most fervent dream to have sons learn rock guitar and drums and play loud music. Right? I mean what mom or dad hasn’t said, “I can’t wait for junior to plug into an amp and start rockin.”

Yeah, I’m being a little facetious. And the whole rock music “thing”was not exactly an acceptable “part of growing up”in my Dad’s house. So, my brother and I weren’t encouraged to give it our best. In fact, you might say we were rebelling if and when we played any top 40 music.

So, we practiced our instruments on the music we liked only when there were no adults around. And when they were around, we’d play music they liked to hear.

Good strategy, right?

But there was nowhere for me to set up a complete set of drums. So, I did all my practicing on my little snare.

But one summer, while my brother and I were visiting my mom, my uncle (who’s only a couple of years older than me) also visited. And he brought his whole set of drums with him.

Snare, two ride toms, floor tom, ride cymbal, crash cymbal, hi-hat, and kick. The full flash and sparkle.

And the best part? My uncle left after a couple of weeks. But he left his drums at my Mom’s house. And I got to play them the whole summer!

By that time, my brother had saved up and bought an electric guitar and amp. So, we’d practice, up in the bedroom, we shared with our other brother, in that Kansas country house.

Side note: it was an old house with no air conditioning. So, to say our practice sessions were warm is putting it mildly.

But we played anytime we could. And that mostly meant when no adults were around. My Mom didn’t discourage us from practicing. She just didn’t want to be around when we did. (Looking back on it now, maybe it wasn’t just volume.)

And I remember one song, in particular, my brother and I would play over and over. “I’m Your Captain (Closer to Home)”by Grand Funk Railroad. We didn’t have mics and a sound system. So, we’d just sing as loud as we could. And I loved playing all the triplets as I made the round trip through the drum kit.

As time went on, I discovered even more joy and wonder in the magical power of a piano keyboard. And I also discovered how more people were willing to listen to me play a keyboard than the drums and percussion. Go figure.

Another side note: The lead singer for Grand Funk Railroad, Mark Farner, became a Christian sometime after his rock-n-roll fame. So, he now understands who the True Captain is…and how, every day, we’re a little “Closer to Home.”

Keepin’ the beat of a Heavenly song,

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Back in the 80’s music took a sharp, electronic turn. Synthesizers were ubiquitous in top 40. And even drums were digitized. A lot of it was cheesy. But there were plenty of songs I enjoyed, too. One of them popped into my head, early this morning. And I think it was because of one short line in it. “She’s poetry in motion.”  

And I guess it’s because poetry has always given me motion. I love the rhythm in the rhyme. And that’s a cool part of the gift God gave me in the world of music. Rhythm.

The whole world has a rhythm. It’s almost like there’s a designed purpose for our planet. And our solar system. Even the whole universe. You know…like it didn’t happen by accident. But, of course, that’s just silly talk from a poet and a songwriter. What do I know about science?

Hmm…science. That takes me back to the song I referenced with the poetry line in it. It was a song, written and performed by Thomas Dolby, called “She Blinded Me With Science.” Here’s the verse I mentioned…

But, it’s poetry in motion

It’s kooky. He checks into the home for deranged scientists as the electronic beats churn out the song. And it plays almost like a Mel Brooks parody movie. But I won’t give it away. Enjoy it when you can.

In the meantime…

When the world is waking up

© 2020 Tony Funderburk

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It’s not the same thing to everyone. For example, farmers need a lot of physically demanding hard work and dedication to grow food. And there are guys who somehow manage to wrestle steel, glass, and concrete into skyscrapers. But it’s not just the guys. There are plenty of women doing amazing work every day. And let’s not forget the nose-to-the-grindstone musicians. (*sound effect: needle scratching across a vinyl record)  

I know it sounds like crazy talk. But musicians who truly want to make a living with their gift and skills, work hard. Maybe not the same physically demanding type of work as other jobs and professions. But it takes a lot of work and sacrifice to be able to sing well and compose and produce music. Stop shaking your head. It does. I know. Because I put in way more than the 10,000 hours they talk about in motivation seminars.

But before you dump musicians into one box, let me share a little bit about the other work I’ve done.

At the tender age of 12 I took on two paper routes in Pasadena, Texas. And I delivered the Houston Chronicle…which was not a small paper. Each day, after school, my papers were delivered to my Dad’s house. And I’d roll ’em up, put ’em in the rack on the back of my bike, and deliver ’em before supper. Plus, the giant Sunday paper had to go out early each Sunday morning.

When I was 13, I was hired to tend to a family’s farm and livestock while they went on vacation for a month. That same summer I learned to drive a tractor equipped with a hay rake. All day long for days. In the hot Kansas summer sun. With no shade, except for the trees at the edge of the field when it was lunch time.

At 14 I started hauling hay for 12 to 18 hours a day…again, in that hot Kansas summer sun. Bucking bales onto the back of a flatbed truck. And then taking them to barns to be stacked inside. Two cents a bale. After two or three summers of that, I spent one more summer laying sod. Sweaty, dirty work.

And in high school I had after-school jobs that included sacking and stocking groceries, baling recyclables at Sears, and even helping fellow students with their homework.

After graduation, I worked at a lumber yard for a couple of years. Loading lumber, driving the lumber trucks and forklift, and carrying large loads of sheetrock, by hand, into new construction homes. But it certainly helped pump me up. Because I was able to even carry a 94 pound bag of cement on each shoulder from the trucks to the site.

Wait. I’m gettin’ to that. After almost 5 years in Kansas I returned to Houston because my Dad was diagnosed with “terminal kidney failure.” And I wanted to spend time with him. He lived another 9 years after the diagnosis, so I got to know him better. When I first got there, I got a job as a trim carpenter. It was learn-as-you-go. And I gotta tell you. Hand nailing base, casing, shelving, crown moulding, and more…in the heat and humidity Houston can throw at you…ain’t no picnic.

Each night, after work, my brother and I would work on learning and playing some popular songs. And eventually we started doing auditions around the city. So, carpentry by day. And music auditions in the evenings. We even entered talent shows and gong shows. For some reason those were popular back then.

And we were great. So great, in fact, that in one competition we lost out to a guy who could balance a lawnmower on his chin. And in another show, we lost out to a less-than-manly guy who disco danced on roller skates.

Finally, after tons of auditions, we landed a “sweet gig” in a very popular night spot on the West side of Houston. We were the happy hour duo. So, we got to play steadily for five nights a week. Every week. For a whole year. And from that nice venue, we were able to have other venue owners come see us instead of doing all those auditions. That got us some nice ongoing circuits. And were off to the races after that.

Because of all our hard work and dedication we were able to play music around a lot of America. And then I had some awesome traveling years as a solo performer, too.

And I remember, more than once actually, a guy…typically a drunk guy…telling me (in those colorful ways drunks tell you) that I had it made.

Then I’d get the story of his personal hell. Followed by, “Yeah, must be nice. Work 4 hours a night. Sleep all day. Hang out by the pool.  Get all the girls you want. Yeah, you musicians wouldn’t know real work if it bit you in the…”

Or some rant like that.

Well, of course that’s the way it is. Because songs just magically fall into our brains. And we get hired right away since we already know every song that’s worth knowing. No rehearsals, scales, or vocal training required.

You know. Now, that I think about it…I almost feel guilty for having such an easy life.

Almost…

Stay tuned,

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Grab some Merch

Or how about some music for kids

The post Hard work and dedication and a silly altercation appeared first on Tony Funderburk.