Just catching my breath as we come off our successful holiday show at Martinis Above Fourth the other night. "December: My Favorite Time of Year" was great fun and the audience was absolutely stellar — as always. I introduced several new songs and this little ditty proved to be quite a hit, so I wanted to do a little a capella action on My Back Deck to share it with all of you.

As I said the other night ... this little story line could have gone so many different directions! 

I'm also remembering all of our fallen sisters and brothers on this World AIDS Day (December 1). We will never forget these brave, sweet souls. 

Be kind to each other out there. And let's be patient with each other, too.  It's more important than ever.

The entire second half of this concert (benefiting local AIDS and HIV-support agencies) included Kenny and his masterful piano playing on everything from parody numbers to Broadway ballads and even a long swing set with bass and drums and saxophone, that  featured tunes by Cole Porter, Gershwin and Irving Berlin. The song in this video — "I'll Be Seeing You," a beloved Sammy Fain tune with lyrics by Irving Kahal — was actually the encore number for the Reunion Concert. What a great night for all of us!

The following year, Kenny and I appeared in a cablecast concert in North County and again at a concert titled "I Love a Piano" in San Diego. Kenny was also kind enough to join us for a 25th anniversary Friends & Lovers Concert in 2012, raising money for the Owen's Clinic UCSD.

I noticed that Kenny was nominated for a Nicky Award this year as top entertainer — a well-deserved honor. Thanks, Kenny, for all you do!

I told you there would be more clips from this 1988 Friends & Lovers Concert! This video captures my performance of Don McLean's masterful "Vincent (Starry, Starry Night)." My friend John Lewis-McLaren accompanies me on guitar.

eJohn was taken from us way too early — he died in April 2014. His wife Grace Lewis-McLaren also shared her musical talents with us at this concert, playing piano on much of the first half. She is an accomplished songwriter and musician and now splits her time between Maine and San Diego.

John and I performed Vincent on several occasions and it became on of my most requested songs. I really think Don McLean created some of the most powerful songs of a generation. It's a joy to sing this piece, although the sadness often overtakes the luminous portrayal of Van Gogh's genius. This concert was the last time I performed in public without including my own compositions in the song list. Inspired by so many great songwriters through the years, I just couldn't hold back any longer. Creating my own work while honoring the works of others now characterize my approach to concerts as well as recordings.
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The Friends & Lovers series of concerts began in 1987 and ran through the mid 90s — I think the latest was in 1996. The F&L concerts in the 90s featured myself and my dear friend and fellow songwriter, Peggy Watson.

​All of the F&L concerts were staged at the First Unitarian-Universalist Church of San Diego in Hillcrest. This Reunion Concert (1988) was perhaps the most ambitious of the series and we were lucky to have the sponsorship and production assistance of the Looking Glass Mobile Theater — still a vibrant organization based at First UU Church. This particular show featured nearly 20 performers, full lighting, a costume change and an ASL interpreter.

Please let me know if you like these historical flashbacks.

​And let me know if you were there that night! As always, I'd be pleased if any of you choose to share this blog post on your social media pages.

As promised, here is another clip from the 1988 Friends & Lovers Reunion Concert, held at First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego during Gay Pride Weekend. Opening the second half, my friend John Lewis-McLaren accompanied me on several songs. This begins with an a capella vesion of Paul Simon's "Song for the Asking" followed by my duet with John, "Sweet Baby James" by James Taylor. These songs were staples of my concerts in those years and reviewing them has inspired me to bring some of them back in the near future.

John — husband to Grace Lewis-McLaren (who accompanied me on piano in the first half) — died recently and even though he had moved away some years ago, we all miss him. He was loved by all. I will feature more of his guitar work in a future blog post, too.