Do It Myself Blog – Glenda Watson Hyatt

Saturday night was a much needed break from my virtual book tour as I spent another great evening with Rod Stewart! I was happy to see he still has it! (Not owning a cell phone with a camera, I, unfortunately, do not have any illicit photos to share.) He began the evening by announcing that he was not going to do any song from the American Songbook; that he was going to stick with rock, which he does best. I agree. It was a night of music that reverberated through my breastbone and my soul! My legs are even sore from dancing in my scooter! A great way to be reminded I’m still very much alive!

With recent discussions about following one’s dream, Rod is a great example of someone who took a risk and followed the road less taken. As a teen, he had two passions: football (soccer) and music. He choose music and stuck with it. Unlike today’s era of “instant Idols”, he did his time busking on street corners and playing with small bands in small, smoky bars until discovered by Long John Baldry, who I regret not seeing perform even though he lived in Vancouver for several years. After singing with a few more bands and a few solo albums, his big break was when a disc jockey took a chance by playing the B-side of a single, introducing the world to “Maggie May”. The rest is music history. At age 62, Rod still says, “I love what I do.”

We would have missed out on great music had Rod not believed in his musical gift, had he not overcome his fear of singing in front of large audiences and had that one dj had not played the flip-side. What might the world miss out on if you don’t believe