Stub Lee on Becoming a Musician

First, I’m not not sure that you actually just “become” a musician.  You don’t look at the calendar and pick a date for it to happen. It just kind of happens.  It’s a progression from being a passive listener and fan of music to playing, singing, writing, and performing. 

 I’ve always loved music, listened, played and sang since I was a kid. Most of us had dreams of being a star and thought about what that would be like. The fame, the money, the girls.   Well, for some that works, for others (like me) it was only a dream that fell by the wayside. Maybe I didn’t want it bad enough, or maybe I felt I wasn’t good enough. Nobody’s fault but mine.

Stub Lee

“…since the pandemic, I’ve felt more creative and it felt like the right time to do this- to put myself out there.”

Now that I'm over fifty, I wanted to pursue music for other reasons. It’s a creative release, I have tunes and songs and feelings that are in my head that need to come out. I want to leave a legacy for my kids and grandkids. I want them to know another part of my story, my life. Maybe  I’ll have some influence on them to be creative.

Another reason I'm doing this late in the game of my life is that like most of us, nobody wants to be forgotten too soon. Pretty narcissistic I guess, but I just want to be relevant in later generations as well as today. 

My Mom wasn’t on the internet at all. My Dad was only in posts and pictures that my stepmom posted. Posting these videos and music will be a lengthy chronicle of who I was after I'm gone and hopefully it will be another way I’ll be remembered. Trust me, I’m not looking to go anytime soon, but it’s something that we all face and it’s pretty inevitable. 

When I built my first cigar box guitar and started playing, I felt like I found my voice, instrumentally.  I’ve played 6 string guitar for over thirty years, but since the pandemic, I’ve felt more creative and it felt like the right time to do this- to put myself out there.  My style is bluesy, primitive, and raw but i feel like I’m refining my craft a little as I go.

If you are thinking of getting into music I’ll say do it. Don’t worry about what anyone says or thinks. Put yourself out there and feel good that you’ve left something for others. You never know who will absolutely need your song to get themselves through a tough spot or just to relax and enjoy.