Welcome!

For poets and lyricists without melodies:
If you have a song or a poem that needs a melody, contact me for help at: minstrelman47@hotmail.com.

I will put your words to music!

A Brief Bio

I was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in 1947. As an Air Force brat growing up, then later as an enlisted man in the U.S. Navy, I acquired a wanderlust and a love for the written word. I've been writing poems and songs in in diverse genres for about twenty-eight years now. Having performed in many bands over the years, I am a singer and musician and play the guitar, electric bass, harmonica and synthesizer.

When I began writing poetry, I was strongly influenced by the free verse of "Beat Generation" poets like Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Alan Ginsberg. Now, I enjoy experimenting with diverse forms such as Elizabethan sonnets, the Haiku, Ghazal, Pantoum, Sestina, Sijo, Cinquain and others.

I first turned a poem into a rock ballad in 1972, while I was stationed on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise in the waters of the Tonkin Gulf off the coast of Viet Nam. Five of us sailors on that ship formed a rock band called "Snow." Since then, I have learned to write songs in various genres: pop, country, blues, rock, jazz, alternative, new wave, punk, metal - you name it.

Hope you enjoy my site!

Warm Regards,

Minstrel