Graham Nash wrote the song “Teach Your Children” and it was released on the CSN&Y Déjà Vu album in 1970. Nash said he wrote it about the difficult relationship he had with his father, but it’s very relatable to anyone who has children–or parents.

Jerry Garcia played steel guitar on the original album. Since Jerry was unavailable for this video, I tried to mimic some of Stephen Stills’s double-stop style for the lead parts.

One other note regarding a mondegreen (misheard lyric) for this song: I’ve always heard the last two lines of the chorus as, “And feed them on your dreams, the one they fix, the one you’ll know by.” I never could make sense of that. As I searched for official lyrics, I came across the line, “The one they pick’s (pick is) the one you’re known by.” That makes a lot more sense to me, so that’s what I went with here.

“The Way You Look Tonight” was written by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields for the 1936 movie Swing Time. Fred Astaire sang it to Ginger Rogers in the film and it won the Oscar for Best Original Song. It’s been covered by Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Rod Stewart, Michael Bublé, and plenty of others using a number of different styles and approaches. I listened to four or five different versions and borrowed from all of them to come up with my take on this classic from the Great American Songbook.

Here’s a fun little tune for you. It’s often mistaken (by me, for instance) for a Hank Williams tune, but it’s not, and Hank never even covered it as far as I can find out. “If You’ve Got the Money (I’ve Got the Time)” was written and released by Lefty Frizzell in 1950. It was covered by plenty of artists, but most notably by Willie Nelson in 1977 and it became a country chart-topper for him. Hop in and take a ride with me–I promise to get you home after the money runs out.

“Dear Time” was written by Alison Brown and Steve Martin and performed with Jackson Browne on vocal for their collaborative 2025 album. It’s really written for banjo, so I had to do a little adapting for my guitar version. I also added the subtitled lyrics to this one because they’re so nice and I thought you might not be familiar with the song. After you listen to my attempt, do yourself a favor and check out the official video with Steve, Alison, and Jackson on YouTube.

Here’s an original of mine I wrote ‘way back in the 1970s. Hope you enjoy it. “The Best of Life.”

“Early Morning Rain” was written in 1964 and was Gordon Lightfoot’s first song to get widely noticed. It was covered by Peter, Paul and Mary, Elvis Presley, and Bob Dylan, to name a few. Although it never charted very highly for anyone, it’s well-known among Gord’s fans as one of the gems of his song catalog. It’s a simple song with four verses, no bridge, and no choruses. Four chords, with a couple of sus chords thrown in. Still, its imagery captures the imagination of anyone who’s been far away from home and missing it.

John Denver wrote and recorded a lot of great songs, but if he had one signature song, this would probably be it. “Rocky Mountain High” is an autobiographical ode to his beloved adopted home state. This song became his second commercial hit after “Country Roads” and put him solidly on the path to stardom. If you were listening to the radio in the mid-1970’s, you would immediately recognize that opening riff, and no matter how jaded you are or how “corny” you might think JD was, it’s hard to escape the great feelings this song’s imagery evokes. Hope you enjoy my attempt at it, and I threw in some scenery because, well, it just needs to be there.

I recently came across a video of this song performed by Dylan and it brought it back to me with all the feelings I have associated with it from 1968. Written by Dick Holler, it was recorded originally by Dion and it became a hit for him. Many others have covered it, as well.

I was still only 12 years old in 1968, but the turmoil happening in the U.S. and around the world was still very real to me and certainly carried over into my teen and early adult years. This tribute to those civil rights leaders in our country who have paid the ultimate price (including scores of people who are not named) still gets to me. You might notice a little catch in my voice toward the end of the song–surprised even me how much it had stirred me.

Here’s “Abraham, Martin and John.”

A few months ago, some of the usual suspects and I decided it was time to climb back on the (virtual) tour bus and go for another ride. It’s always great to work with John Bacon, Gary Schoolcraft, Ben Eastman, and Ed Gonzales on these collaborations.

As noted on the Songfacts website, Jackson Browne’s “Running on Empty” album was “Recorded onstage, backstage, in three different hotel rooms, and on a Continental Silver Eagle tour bus during a cross-country tour in 1977, and is a paean to life on the road.” None of the recording was done in a traditional studio. And that’s without laptops and DAWs to work with, y’all.

Thanks to all these gentlemen for making music and life fun for me, and thanks to you for climbing aboard for the ride. Now strap on some headphones, crank up the volume, and sing this one with us—I know you know it!

Anybody here remember the 1960s? “Don’t speak too soon, for the wheel’s still in spin, and there’s no telling who that it’s naming…” Bob Dylan–“The Times They Are A-Changin'”