Jerry Rasmussen folk/gospel

This is a new page for me, created by Facebook. I'll post on here from time to time. I'm not particularly active anymore, but I'll ooist some music and stories. They keep coming. :-)

I haven't posted on here anywhere near regularly. I post heavily on my primary page. In recent years, I rarely am offered opportunities to perform in coffee houses, and focused on playing in nursing homes as a volunteer. Folk music is almost unrecognizable now and I have become so yesterday. I have concentrated heavily on writing and am an Award winning writer. That and a Nickle will buy you a five cent guitar. I am working on a new album (my 7th.) and my third book. I am mostly forgotten, and that's alright with me. Thanks for showing an interest in my music.

O.K. in my never-ending attempt to enable my Facebook account, I'll try using this page. Please react to it if you can read it.

Standards

In the last few years I've been adding more standards to my song list. Once every three months I sing and play at Gardner Heights, a nursing home in Shelton, CT. In the past I've provided music for church services, offered a book club, a Men's Club, and done many programs of my own music. I sang with my gospel quartet for many years, and am doing some singing with friends which will likely lead to having them sing there with me. After living in little boxes all these years, I've put everything together under a program that ranges from gospel to folk, to standards, and telling stories, and reading ones from my two books. It's like a Mister Roger's Neighborhood for Seniors. I've sung many times for the memory loss unit, and that is a special pleasure. I've felt limited in my range as a guitar and banjo player, so I've been focusing recently and adding more standards to my repertoire. Some of the songs I'm finally working out on guitar are: Up the Lazy River, Sixteen Tons, on the Sunny Side of the street, Lucky Old Sun, and Old Rockin' Chairs Got Me. I also sing Give Me the simple life. They're good, upbeat songs to brighten up days that can blur into too many hours alone, with no visitors. I visit at least twice a week, and often more than that.

I find all of this very exciting, and challenging. They say you can;t teach an old dog new tricks. You calling me an old dog? Yeah, I suppose I am, but I have a few new tricks up my sleeve. Some of these songs will end up on the new CD I'm working on. I've already recorded Sixteen Tons and have the basic tracks down for "Searchin'; the old Coasters song. Life is beautiful. Who's counting the years? Not me.

Whole Lot Happy.

I can't figure out if people on this page are all friends on my home page. Facebook doesn't give names of folks who view this page. If you aren't a Facebook friend, please send me a friend request. I post a ton on my home page, and don't feel much like re-posting every post on here. I do have news. I am traveling out to my hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin, probably in late July, and am getting back to working on a new CD. This is one of the tracks that will be on it.

a whole lot happy mix 2 A song I wrote.

Winter she's a comin' in. Stay warm.

Jerry Rasmussen – "Living On The River" – A Tribute To Folk Legacy Records, 10/1/2016 Jerry Rasmussen performs "Living On The River" from his first Folk-Legacy album, "Get Down Home". This performance was recorded at A Tribute To Folk Legacy R...

Still Jerry After All These Years

I haven't posted on here in a long time. I suppose it's because I post so regularly on my home page on Facebook. Part of it is because I went through a hard summer and didn't
have a lot of "news." Now I have awakened, and am on the verge of some interesting (at least to me) new roads to travel.

"Still Jerry After All These Years." That's the working title of a new CD I started six months ago, before I was so rudely interrupted by life. I think just about everyone could substitute their name in that title.

Many years ago, for reasons too unpleasant to recount, I ended up working as a nightwatchman at a Holiday Inn. I had lost my way in life... lost touch with Jerry. I was so defined by my responsibilities to others that I'd left that skinny, uncertain wise-cracking kid of my teens behind. That's not what crowing up and becoming mature is supposed to be. We are supposed to fulfill our promise, no matter how limited our vision of ourselves was. On the surface, we might appear to have "it" all together. For all we gained, that gawky, unconfident kid was left behind. I no longer was sitting in the dark half the night, listening to music. Music, reading, and sitting around talking all night were left behind. They were pushed out by "maturity." My friend Jeff McHugh dropped a one-liner on me I've never forgotten. It made my mature me laugh, knowingly.

"You're only young once, but you can be immature forever." Jeff is one of the few people I know who has lived that. He's lived a mature, productive life, but he hasn't lost his goofy teenage love of life.

Back in the sixties when I first started performing folk music in Greenwich Village, I became close friends with Luke Faust. We didn't know where the Hell we were going, but we were sure having a good time going there. After losing track of each other for many years, we crossed paths again. We played together at a one-day folk festival in New York City.After the festival was over, Luke and his wife Dena offered to drive Ruth and me up to Grand Central Station where we could catch a train back to Maturity. Luke was grabbing my guitar out of the back of his hatchback when I said something to him that I've long since forgotten. He turned around and looked at me with a big grin on his face and I said, "I See you still have that mischief in your eyes, and he said, "Oh yeah!" and we both laughed. For awhile, we stepped back from of all the responsibilities of life and were reminded of the abandon we had left behind. Our lives weren't radically changed like it happens in the movies. We were reminded that we were still Luke and Jerry, or Jerry and Luke. The old Jerry is still there and is emerging.

Still Jerry After All Theses Years will be a loving look back at all the music I've loved and set aside. I recorded Searchin' from the Coasters, Sixteen Tons from Tennessee Ernie, and Whole Lot Happy which I wrote three or four years ago. And remembering Luke and me, Winter to Spring.

Here's to the much maligned "Immaturity" when creativity flowed and we looked the future in the eye with uncertainty. and laughed.

Jerry Rasmussen Winter to Spring search results on SoundCloud - Listen to music

Where's Wares?

One of my facebook friends messaged me, asking about buying my CDs. I thought I should put this information on my music page, but will start here.

First of all, I have an old
web page that is unreliable in terms of buying my CDs.

Secondly, while my CDs are the usual list price of $15, I've decided to permanently sell them for $10. It's to your advantage and mine to buy them directly from me for the lower price. Shipping and handling is $3.00 for sending one CD and $5 for two.

Thirdly, I have a CD of my group, the Gospel Messengers which I am having re-mastered, and am adding 7 more songs. I won't have that for sale until the CD is produced.

Here are the CDs I have available:

1. Get Down Home - Folk Legacy. This is my first album, and includes several popular songs of mine, including Living on the River, Milwaukee/St. Paul, and Silver Queen. The songs are a mix of southern mountain songs, country blues, three gospel songs I wrote, accompanied on banjo, and several other songs I wrote.

2. The Secret Life of Jerry Rasmussen - Folk Legacy. - includes Old Blue Suit, Coal Man Blues, and Poppa Was a Preacher.

3. Handful of Songs - Jack Rabbit includes Handful of Songs, Tennessee Earthquake, and Old Man at the Mill. This album has a larger number of traditional songs, with ten originals.

4. Gospel Nights - Jackrabbit - an acoustic album of traditional southern mountain gospel, and several originals, including Gospel Nights, I Like to Sing Those Gospel Songs, and Jerusalem Slim.

5. Lord Send Me - Jack Rabbit. A mix of old gospel, including How Much Do I Owe Him, Trouble In My Way, Angel Band, and He Knows How Much We Can Bear, and several originals, including Sweet, Quiet Peace, May I abide in You, and Lord Send Me.

If you're interested in any of these CDs, I'd be happy to expand on what they include. You can order the CDs through a facebook message, or by sending me an e-mail to [email protected]
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7.Tennessee Earthquake Just a fun song, and an homage to some of my favorite early rock and roll stars.