Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Surrounded by Talent

By: George Lee Cunningham



Sausage Grinder Art

Sausage Grinder in Performance

Carmela and I have always known that we are surrounded by talent – regular folks with the ability to translate the world around them into images or sounds. Yet, we’re always surprised and delighted when we discover one of those people hidden in plain sight, standing right next to us.

Our latest surprise was a friend, Chris Berry who works at the Port of Long Beach by day, but in his other persona is a member of a four-piece old-time blues and jug band called “Sausage Grinder.” We caught the group at a former 1920s speakeasy on Sunset near Hollywood called El Cid. Frankly, they were terrific. The other folks there thought so too, giving the band an enthusiastic reception and long applause at the end of their set.

People like Chris and his pals are all around us. They have regular jobs and they practice their art for the joy of it. When they earn a bit of cash on the side, it’s a nice little monetary perk for doing what they love.

And, that’s what makes it so special.

George and Carmela Cunningham’s new book, Port Town, is due out in June.  Read about it here. You can order George’s novels, Kaboom here and The Big Story here or by clicking the appropriate links in the right-hand column.

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