Ever dream of ditching the day job – assuming it’s NOT your dream job – and making a living doing something you love?
West Seattle musician Richie Jenkin worked as a social worker downtown, coordinating a program for homeless men. He says it was good work he enjoyed, but the time came for it to end.
All his life, Richie had been a musician, sometimes in clubs, sometimes in bands, sometimes teaching guitar, sometimes playing at home alone, or with friends. So as his social-work job started to wind down, he wondered what was ahead. First, he says, “I began teaching guitar again, and when I had built up a big-enough student load, I resigned from my day job. Thoughts ran through my head about doing some recording of songs, but I took no action. Six months went by. One morning while sitting quietly in my music room, and without prior thought, I got up and walked over to my recording equipment that had been lying dormant for many years, and began work on a version of an old favorite folk song: ‘500 Miles.’ “
In the three years since then, Richie says, he has been consumed with writing, playing, singing and recording songs, both originals and covers. He continues teaching. And now he has released a CD, “Richie Jenkin: New Songs,” a product of his new life. Here’s a sample track:
You can hear more of his album at his website, richiejenkin.com. It is also available for download from iTunes and from Amazon.
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