Kevin's Comments
I first met Janis
Ian several years ago in
San Rafael
up in
Northern California
. Before I was to meet her at the venue, I was remembering
how much I loved that one song of hers (I believe the
title was "The Other Side of the Sun") when I
first heard it so long ago. And then to finally meet her,
one of the truly great singer-songwriters of our time, was
making me a little nervous. But then when we finally met
(thanks to my dear friend Lloyd Baggs, who has known Janis
for years and who had set up the meeting) she just put me
completely at ease with her warmth and graciousness. And
of course Barb and I fell in love with her immediately.
She is the sort of person whose genuineness disarms you at
once. To this day we consider our friendship with Janis as
one of the treasures that Guitar-building has given us
over the years.
One very memorable night years
ago was when Janis and my family, my father and some good
friends all went out to dinner up in
Los Angeles
. During the dinner we were talking about Janis’ new
album and she spontaneously started singing the haunting
and lyrical song “Memphis” from God
and the FBI which was about to be released.
It was so soft that even the next table could not hear her
singing (you could not imagine Janis trying to draw
attention to herself that way)
but those of us at the table were just blown away. What a
voice, so lilting and pure. It was beautiful moment that I
will never forget.
While our lives really have
two different orbits and it is hard to imagine
intersecting with Janis any other way than the way it
actually happened, we cherish our friendship with her. We
have enormous respect for her incredible talent and
heartfelt affection for this wonderful person. It has been
a joy being in her circle of friends.
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