Ralph Sidway
It you were absent from the August 6 Songwriter Showcase you missed the best entertainment value in town: three dollars to" hear tour entertaining individuals who managed to bare their souls and share their unique, original oompositions within the confines of a 45-minute set tor each performer.
Ralph Sidway started the show off in superb fashion, entertaining an exuberant crowd that continued to grow as the night progressed. Ralph's songwriting talents have been honed into what turned out to be a well-rounded set of enjoy able and entertaining episodes from his own lite.
Ralph's solid performance was followed by 45 minutes of crowd-pleasing originals from veteran songwriter Ray Burden. Ray had a regional hit in the Philadelphia area back in the '60s with "Be My Honeybee," which also rode the airwaves in the Louisville area. He is also a former staff writer for the Pamper Music Co. which over the years has employed such notable writers as Harlan Howard, Willie Nelson and Hank Cochran.
Another fine songwriter, Joe Kail, graced us with his classical-tinged originals. Joe impressed the crowd with his poetic lyrics and vocal abilities and he really shined when his nimble fingers delivered melodic classical guitar runs with precision and accuracy.
Scott Furlong, who many of you know as the host of the Monday night open stage at the Rudyard Kipling, kept them in their seats till the show's end. Scott delivered a delightful performance despite his recent bout with laryngitis.
Those of you who have been a closing performer in a show know what a task it can be to retain an audience. Scott's performance and clever lyrics were a nice payoff for all those folks who stayed for the finale.
I would like to personally thank every one who assisted in the success of our showcase and each of our performers by awarding them a $500 recording session. But hey, let's face it, I'm one guy on a small budget, so I'll just say thanks.
Although a date has not yet been confirmed, the LASC's next Songwriter Showcase will feature Marie Augustine, Rita Beach (pending), Tamy McDonald and Rhonda Rainwater.
See you there.