Being Scott Kirby

(Scott Kirby off the waters of Key West, Florida)

If I were a rock musician, I'd want to be Mark Knopfler- great lyrics, unmistakable guitar licks, signature-cool vocals.  Yet as much as I would like to be a writer-version of Knopfler, I remember a radio interview with another guitar great - BB King  – in which BB mentioned some early advice he received.  The young BB King was concerned that he didn't match-up well against one of his contemporaries.  BB's manager told him not to worry about others, just focus on being the best BB King he could be.  Seems he did pretty well at that.

BB's not alone in this respect.  Here's a quote from the architect Frank Gehry: "The best advice I've received is to be yourself. The best artists do that…. [F]ind your own way because then you're the only expert. Some people might not like what you do, but still, you're the only expert."

But if this is a core truth, you might ask, what gives with the title of today's blog, Being Scott Kirby?

You might even ask, Who is Scott Kirby?

For those of you who haven't hooked into TropRock, Scott Kirby is a singer-songwriter who grew up in New England but eventually found his way to Key West, Florida.  I first heard his music five or six years ago.  Occasionally, his songs pop up on a satellite radio (Sirius 31 – Radio Margaritaville).  But it's been iTunes that really connected me to Kirby's music.  In fact, four or five of his tunes play almost daily on my iPod.

Use the below link to sample some songs from Row Me Home:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/row-...

If you like smart lyrics, salt water, and a jangling guitar you might like the music.  I do, and I've passed his name along, word-of-mouth.  Hopefully this blog posting goes even further.

But what's this about Being Scott Kirby?  Simple.  I want to be an e-book version of this musician.  He has a growing, respectable following and fans around the world can now find Kirby's new album Row Me Home via the web.  They can sample his music before making a purchase, and if would-be buyers find that songs about life by the sea and time on the water are of interest, they need only click and purchase just as I have done.

I very much believe that BB King and Frank Gehry had it right, so I'm focused on being the writer that's me.  But as far as building a loyal grass roots fan base by word-of-mouth?  In that respect, yeah, I like the idea of Being Scott Kirby.

 

 

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