Funny anecdote – At eighteen years old my friend Anthony and I went to see Tim Hardin perform at the Café' au Go-Go. It was probably the third or fourth time I'd seen him live. While waiting on line, Hardin showed up and waved to everyone and then approached me and said "come on in with me" (to this day I still don't know why). We were with him before the sets then after the show at the Dugout Bar across the street for a while. We then told him we write songs and asked if he would listen to a couple. He said okay and the next day we met him at the au Go-Go.

While we were playing a song we'd written, anxious for his critique, Tim sat behind a set of drums and began banging on the snare. We were already awestruck by the fact that we were "hanging out" with one of our songwriting heroes and performing a song for him, so the added surprise of Tim playing drums as we sang our hearts out was too much. Finally the drumming overwhelmed our soft ballad...we stopped...Tim continued in tempo. When he stopped he explained to us that we were speeding up and slowing down. That was distraction enough for him to use the drum as an example. He spoke about the importance of the beat and how it related to his interpretation of a lyric. Later that evening we were backstage (upstairs) at the au Go-Go with Tim as he was writing an alternate verse for "If I Were a Carpenter". I don't think he ever used it. We went our separate ways for a few years but I met him again in the early seventies at a club called Bannanafish Park. This time we opened the show for him. Although he was going through hard times, he still had the ability to bring you into his words and music like no other.

While in The Braid, ...for years, we four friends developed our skills at songwriting, performing and harmony ...opened for Tim Hardin, opened for Harry Chapin, ...at NY's Town Hall for Ry Cooder and David Bromberg, – I remember Melissa Manchester being a big fan of The Braid when we played at a club called Focus in Manhattan ...recording sessions in Nashville, Tenn., ...appeared on the Ralph Emory TV Show ...Schaefer Music Festival with Larry Coryell ...Exit/Inn (Nashville) with Larry Coryell ...Village Vanguard, Gerdes Folk City with Jack Hardy, and Raun MacKinnon ...recorded for ABC/Dunhill, produced by Sandy Yaguda and Ken Laguna with session players Ken Kosek, Bill Keith, Elliot Randall, Richie Crooks and Donald Brooks and the Irving Spice Strings. We had a good run, lots of fun and great music.

The Braid, in an attempt to change musical direction, ultimately became Cocky, a cool little rock band. Members changed, some good material was written but eventually, after a relatively short time...it was over.

A few years later, I began to write again. These songs were directed towards publishers and artists who might be interested in material written by co-writer Joe Porcelli and myself. We'd written many songs and, with some luck, had a few published. When You Were Mine, I'll Be Blue For You, I'm Gonna Build Me a World Around You and Was I Wrong To Treat You So Right were recorded by various artists. Joe and I also recorded under the group name of Small World. As fate would have it I moved East and Joe moved West. My pal Joe, still.

During those years, I worked in a stained glass studio and after a difficult beginning became a well-rounded stained glass artisan. As my family grew I needed to make a better wage and soon found myself working as a rigger in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. This was quite a stretch from singing songs and stained glass but I loved it and learned how to rig, ultimately becoming a licensed Master Rigger.

Writing songs took a backseat for while but one day I realized that I really missed it. I struggled, at first, to assemble a small group of songs. I was rusty for sure, but I kept at it. When I had enough new material to perform a full set I set my sights on local open mikes. My goal was to get booked at a venue that was receptive to what I did. It was soon after that I was asked to perform at the Hardluck Café. I've continued to play and at this point I've set off on an enjoyable solo career.

With a few guitar lessons from Sister Mary Margaret in my early teens and Eric Darling in my early twenties, plus the influences of Big Bill Broonzy, Tim Hardin, Donovan, Mickey Newbury, Bert Jansch, Mississippi John Hurt, Al Green, Gordon Lightfoot, Van Morrison, John Mayall, Joni Mitchell, Tim Buckley, Elvis, the Everly Brothers, Laura Nyro, Roy Orbison, the Beatles, Animals, Zombies, Bee Gees, Temptations, Bob Dylan, James Brown, The Band, The Contours, Elmore James, Little Feat , Chuck Pyle, and ... (whew!) ... I try to be true to the idea of the song I'm writing while using the tools I've been graced with.

James O'Malley, June 2001