Simple Pleasures (Narration)

Okay, this next song is really, really buried treasure In digging up all these lost songs for you to hear A couple of them were buried so deep that Even I couldn't remember writing them, much less playing them Until Milton gave me some clues Once I heard this story, it did unlock my own buried treasure Locked away deep somewhere in that way back machine part of my brain The unique thing about simple pleasures is That it really features Rick Hirsch on a lead acoustic solo It also is a song that got it's Inspiration more from Fred Neil than Gordon Lightfoot I'd been turned on to Fred Neil by Bob Cooke who included several Of his songs in his sets in the Bayou Room days Candyman which became a Roy Orbison hit, Other side of this life, A little bit of rain, The dolphins Were all coffee house standards that came from his classic album Bleeker and McDougall and from Bob's repertoire to mine Then in the Summer of '69, the movie Midnight Cowboy came out And featured Harry Nielson's version of Everbody's Talkin' That became a radio hit As a solo performer and in every band I have played in since that time Everybody's Talking has been part of my go-to list I met Fred in Coconut Grove in 1971 when I went down to play in Miami For the first time and was living with Jerry Jeff but that's a whole other story, Fred was a great inspiration and became a good friend We fished and played gigs together at the Flick in Coral Gables And on many dolphin project Benefits in Coconut Grove in the early 70's I stayed in touch with him in my comings and goings from Key West And God knows where Until he kinda dropped out of sight just after the millenium Sadly he passed away alone on Summerland Key The list of Fred's proteges is long and loaded with famous names I'm simply proud to be one of the singers that spent time In the shadow of his great style So this little Simple Pleasure, goes out to Fred Neil