I have big ears, both literally and figuratively. The former I blame on genetics. The latter I’ve intentionally cultivated over the years by listening to as wide a range of music as I can—with a few notable exceptions.

For my original tune, “Too Big To Fail,” I was able to meld several interests: my love of Bebop, my long-standing attraction to novelty songs, and my obsession with current events…

This song is a ballad in the traditional sense: it tells the story of a significant (but unsung) event in history, in this case the first train robbery by the notorious James gang.

This song represents the confluence of two interests of mine: world travel and the study of word roots and etymology.

The breakup song is so common in pop music that it probably qualifies as its own genre.

I wrote “Woodcutter’s Children” in 1984 as an obvious allusion to the Brothers Grimm…

I moved to Colorado in 1978 and almost immediately penned this musical snapshot of my first impressions.

I wrote the song “False Starts” as a wedding gift to my wife, the lyrics a reflection of the winding path that put us together.

How accurate could Cupid’s arrow have been anyhow? What if he had had a smart bomb?

Some people seem to cruise through life, getting all the green lights. Some seem cursed, getting nothing but speed bumps.