Kerouac in Texas

Today would have been Jack Kerouac's 95th birthday. Kerouac, that shining son of the Beat Generation, influenced my life in such a fundamental way that once I read his most famous book I hit the road as soon as I could. And once I got on the road, I essentially stayed there through my early thirties. Kerouac's seminal novel changed the trajectory of my life in a profound way, and while those years of traveling light did not bring me financial or career success, I consider them golden years, the greatest years of my life so far.

When I was nineteen I remember marveling when I saw the words "Fort Worth" in the novel. Kerouac had mentioned my town. And looking back at the novel this morning, I read about Sal Paradise, Marylou, and Dean Moriarty passing through Fredericksburg on their way to El Paso. I imagine them driving through that quiet Texas town in the days when many folks still spoke German on the street and it was not uncommon for children to learn English when they first got to school. I imagine the snow on the ground and the cowboys in ballcaps and earmuffs looking for lost cows.

This morning I woke up with a song channeling its way out of my body. I wrote down the words, noted the chords, and recorded it on my cell phone. It is a raw cut, but I wanted to post it on Kerouac's birthday. I wanted to pay tribute to a man who changed my life for the better.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/encj3zpaihkumd7/20170312%20110614.m4a?dl=0