From the first time to the last, it's always a memorable experience playing the Bluebird Café. You'll see the best writers in the world on any given night! Some folks get a bit perturbed at the occasional SSHHH! that the Bluebird is infamous for. But where else in the world can you go play and listen to the newest by the greatest… a little silence is in order, don't you think? That said… my favorite nights are the one's that ROCK! (so what the hell do I know about SSHHH!)

I remember a night with Bill Lloyd, Pat Buchanan and Rusty Young (enough of a reason to be star struck already)… then Jim Messina shows up and does "Kind Woman" from his Buffalo Springfield days (my favorite American band!) Of course Rusty played steel on that record as a young man. I remember Bill and Pat's ear to ear grins as they finally got to play their "Springfield" licks in context of the real thing! The only thing missing for me were the vinyl pops that my ears had grown so accustomed to through the years.

Bill Lloyd (Nashville's father of power pop!) brings good luck to Bluebird "In The Rounds". On a night not long after that episode, David Crosby and Bernie Leadon slipped in while I was playing with Bill, Wayland Patton and Kostas. We invited them up and Bernie accompanied David on a couple new tunes as well as a couple classics. David borrowed Bill's guitar until he broke a string while he was tuning for "Guinnevere" so he had to use my guitar for his finale. He sang like a bird and my Guild never sounded better!

From the Braddock's to the Prine's, from the Delbert's to the Hiatt's, you just never know who'll show up next. Here's to forever and the Bluebird Café.

P.S. Did I mention the night that Leroy Neiman watched and sketched Me, Marshall Chapman, Gary Nicholson, Gary Burr and Jamie Ohara? I better go write a song…I've got another Bluebird gig comin'!!!

Thanks: Amy Kurland without whom…; Vinny Adinolfi (thanks my friend for seeing the details through); Len Handler, Phil Kurnit and all at American Originals; Neil Fagan, Phil Smith, Didi, Suzanne, Fran, and Tony; Vaughn Skow; Ed Rode; Amy Bennick; Sonny Collier at Collier Cycles; J. Fred Knobloch and Don Schlitz for starting this beautiful "In The Round" idea; all my co-writers and my "In The Round" family.

Much of my professional career and personal life has evolved around the Bluebird's existence. Friendships came and went (such is life), songs were recorded and not recorded, record deals were made and unmade, shoulders were brushed… marriages, divorces and marriages, oh my! Wonderful employees came and went, some became hit songwriters, some recording stars, some became both, some just became another music business casualty, and others just found out what not to do with their lives. Here's to you.

For my family: Molly, Jessie and Dylan. Daddy's goin' out to play at the Bluebird tonight…I love you and I'll see ya in the mornin'!

Correspondence Management and Booking: henrydon@comcast.net or Don Henry PO Box 50714 Nashville, TN. 37205

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