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| Judy and Brian |
Bryan Bowers, the folksinger, storyteller, and autoharpist virtuoso, was coming to Portland to do a concert. Judy was eager to go. She and Bryan know each other from autoharp festivals, and Judy wanted to see"the old fart "one more time. We reserved tickets for Friday night, and I began my usual fret about the venue and how Judy could navigate it. I did not know Bryan, but had been a fan since the seventies, when I listened over and over to his first album on a vinyl LP . I was looking forward to the concert.
When I came home on Wednesday afternoon, Judy greeted me with, "We're not going to Bryan's concert on Friday."
What? "He's coming here."
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| Singing True Thomas |
Bryan is tall man: he filled the doorway as he brought his autoharps in. After happy hugs all around he held Judy's hand and sang to her. He gave an a cappella version of
True Thomas, and a fine, complicated autoharp rendering of
Patty Ann. He told droll stories on himself as he and Judy traded news of mutual acquaintances. The punch lines of Bryan's leisurely tales of friends always seem to show the hidden goodness of the person.
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| Patty Ann |
Bryan was here for three hours, playing and singing and telling
stories. He stayed for lunch; I am proud to say that this Virginia boy scarfed down my biscuits. He presented Judy with his latest CD, recorded live at the recent Winterfolk benefit concert. "I don't usually like live recordings," he said, "because everything has to be perfect and the audience has to be completely in tune and attentive. But this time it all worked, and it was magic."
There was magic in our house, too, when Bryan sang for Judy.
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