I’ve always loved music. I started singing at three years old. Unfortunately, laryngitis makes it hard for me to sing as much as I used to. But music is my calling. I grew up in church; my uncle is a pastor. I’m even an ordained minister, but that’s not what I’m meant to do. Do you know where I minister? On the streets. I meet new people every day selling The Contributor and playing spoons.
I have several instruments in my apartment: a tambourine, a triangle, a baby-blue ukelele, a guitar that would blow your mind. It looks like a toy but it sounds like Jimmy Hendrix. And I also make instruments out of objects. Not only do I play the spoons, as many of you know, but I can also play the forks, the butter knives and the comb. A comb can sound just like a kazoo if you play it right.
Give me thirty minutes and I guarantee I can teach you how to play spoons. You’ll be surprised how well you can pick it up — it’s really easy if you watch the technique and practice. If you have a good, bendable set of sturdy spoons it will sound great. If they bend out of shape, the sound just isn’t right. But I’ve been playing since I was eight years old.
It’s sometimes hard for me to even play my spoons. If my hands get tired after playing for a while, they’ll sometimes fall right out. It’s worse when I can’t even pick them up. But this is what I love to do, what God has called me to, and I will continue to share my music with Nashville — even music that comes from unexpected things. They’re just musical instruments you eat with!