Dear Music Lover:
It’s with pleasure and a touch of sadness that I bring you this last episode of my “How to Tour America Through Her Music” podcast.
It’s been a fun ride, and I enjoyed hanging out with you on the magic bus. We had some good times, didn’t we? But the road calls me to other places, and I must move on.
Before I go, I want to convey important information about the podcast, the show notes, and the playlist.
An Important Notice
As you may know, I donate 100% of the proceeds from my solo books and other creative works to charity. The exception is “Far and Wild,” which I co-wrote with
.I intend to keep all episodes of this podcast free for at least two more weeks so everyone can catch up, listen to them all, and share freely with friends.
After that, I plan to move the podcast behind a paywall so that I can continue funding the two charities cited in my 2024 Annual Report — charitywater.org and Doctors Without Borders — plus two new ones:
Innocence Project, who “work to free the innocent, prevent wrongful convictions, and create fair, compassionate, and equitable systems of justice for everyone.” I mentioned this group in Episode 12: The Music of Motown, in which I featured Stevie Wonder’s song “Living for the City” about an innocent Black man wrongly convicted and sentenced to prison. The song exemplifies one I thought I knew until I listened carefully to the words.
The second opportunity is a new project led by our dear friends Haji Mohammed Ali and Francesca Micheli, shown below in a photo taken in May, 2025. You will recall that Haji is the African man I lectured (poor guy) about American Blues music in Episode Six: The Blues. Fabi and “Franchy” are old friends, from the days when Fabi lived on Zanzibar, and Haji is like a brother to me.
Haji and Franchi built and operate the Sister Island school on the African island of Zanzibar, where they live. Fabi and I visited Zanzibar in 2021, and we were so impressed with their work with the children that we donated to the school.
Starting in 2025, Haji and Franchi will start a new service of love on the nearby island of Pemba, where children suffer from a debilitating genetic disease. The team will build a hospital on the island, with doctors and staff specializing in treating the disease. Fabi and I also support that effort financially.
Please join us by donating to the Pemba Island Hospital directly via the Sister PayPal.
Show Notes and Playlist
These ended up being long and wordy, so to not distract you from the audio, I put the show notes in a separate post.
After you’ve listened to the final episode (tap the play button above), I encourage you to read through the notes and listen in full to the many fine songs I feature, including ones from Duane Allman, Joni Mitchell, the Neville Brothers, and Paul Simon.
As I say in the audio, we just touched the tip of the iceberg in this musical tour of America, with hundreds, nay thousands, of songs waiting to be heard. There is so much more to learn about my country, and the music, as always, speaks volumes.
So long, but not goodbye
In the audio, I asked some rhetorical questions:
What do you stand for?
What do you believe in?
What are you willing to fight and die for?
What is in your soul?
As I seek to answer those important questions for myself, I wrote a personal creed I hope to follow as I grow older. I’m sharing it with you here in case you also find it helpful.
Stay curious. Keep an open mind. Don’t pre-hate anyone or anything. Listen. Give everyone and everything many chances to prove themselves. Forgive, as Jesus advised, 70 times seven. Love with wild abandon.
I know it’s a lot to reach for, but I believe we can do it, especially if we have each other.
I’m not saying goodbye — I’ve got plenty of creative endeavors planned for 2025, so stay tuned, and I’ll see you… on the road.
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