Light Beneath A bushel, Genius In A Basement
He was better looking than Brad Pitt. He wrote songs better than Elton John and Bernie Tobin. He sang with a voice like Ray Charles. The effect was fascinating whenever he performed in public. A very handsome, very white well-mannered young man, conservatively dressed, singing wonderful, original songs with a voice like a gritty black soul-singer.
One might think that a guy with all that going for him would be a well-known creative success by now. I managed him part time and got him some exposure on television. I got him a double solo spot on a major coast-to-coast beauty award show and he was a sensation. He didn’t sing one of his own songs the first time. He sang The Beatles “Something In The Way”. He started singing while seated at a grand piano. When the orchestra joined in behind him, he stood up from the piano with a hand mic and sang. It was great! Later in the show he accompanied himself on the piano and sang one of his own songs.
The next day, teenage girls all across the country were in music shops looking for his CDs. There were none of course. He’d never been recorded.
I got him another solo on a one hour music show on national network television. He was so good the male singer host of the show was very pissed off and didn’t want him ever to be on the show again.
I next made a deal with a television station in a small market. Their signal reached a major city. We were set to make a pilot episode for a half-hour show for him. I even booked a couple of quite well known guest singers to enhance the attraction of the pilot.
Everything was set to go, until the last minute. The guy with all the looks and talent chickened out. I got him a couple of concerts at colleges. One performance was as opening act for a world-famous rock group in a packed concert hall. I had to do a lot of convincing to get him onto the stage.
He stayed in the basement. The quality of his music declined. He got work selling art prints at universities.
That’s why he’s not a rich and famous star.
I was thinking... 