This is a video piece I videotaped and edited for automotive supplier Schaeffler
during media days at the Detroit Auto Show. It's for inclusion on the
German company's website.
The auto show is open to the public through Sunday, January 28.
Along with photography one of the great passions of my life has been music. And I've been blessed to be able to play with great friends and musicians over the years. All through the 90s I played piano and accordion and sang with a group called One by One. We focused on music of social justice, from a bluesy lament on sinking into debt, to calls for solidarity, to a lighthearted anthem to bananas.
In October of 2017 we regrouped to play a benefit concert, and had so much fun we did it again two months later. But barely a week after that second concert the member of the group who was instrumental in getting us together again, Charley Gehringer, died from heart failure tied to his Type 1 diabetes. He was 65. He was one of the finest, most kind-hearted men I've every known. A superlative pianist, he also played guitar. He recorded a number of albums of original piano pieces, taught piano, and played thoughout the area for many years.
In a world of bombast and inanity, I think the world should note that fine people like Charley are out there making the world a better place every day. Goodbye my friend.
