The Legend of
Picker Dan
~ by Mark Blackwell
Picker Dan was a little baby. Sittin’ on his daddy’ s knee He picked up a little Mickey Mouse guitar And said music gonna be the death of me. photos by Cindy Steele
Who is Picker Dan? Well, some folks say he’ s just a feller in a story the old folks like to tell when the subject of music comes up. Others say that he’ s real but they can’ t say where he’ s from or where he’ s goin’. Still others, who have never seen him, say that Picker Dan is the spirit that lives in a sweet melody and a drivin’ rhythm. Sometimes, when the music hits you just right, you can see him out the corner of your eye, kinda in the shadows, tappin’ his toe and smilin’.
According to a reliable source, Picker Dan was born and raised in an overly large, northern city in an adjoining state. His musical talent exhibited itself when he was handed a baby rattle at six months of age. After giving the rattle a cursory inspection he immediately demonstrated several complex Afro- Cuban rhythms.
As a six-year-old, he could be found playing hot piano in some of his city’ s seedier blues clubs, trading his skill on the ivories for an education. By
30 Our Brown County • Nov./ Dec. 2015 the time he was ten he invested his talents playing hard-driving rock and roll guitar. His talent was raw and wild and Picker Dan knew that he needed to bring it under control. He decided to go to music school to learn how to rein in his gift.
In haste to bring some discipline to his prowess he enrolled in the Chicago Musical College at Roosevelt Univesity. He barely completed a semester when it dawned on him that he had made a terrible mistake. His desire to have his talent lovingly nurtured was only a passing fantasy. He realized that he and music school were just not made for each other.
“ There’ s a man of mystery roaming through the land. Far and near you hear of him; he’ s found on either hand. So, if you hear somebody pickin,’ it’ s likely Picker Dan.”
Once again Picker Dan was adrift in time and space. He roamed the country looking for a place to fit in and a style of music he could call his own. He