My brother dropped me a line the other day; asked if I wanted to hear Anne Hills at the Ten Pound Fiddle. That’s what we did tonight.
Anne first appeared in my life when the Boarshead Theater hosted Bob Gibson‘s The Courtship of Carl Sandburg, nearly 20 years ago. A few weeks later I took a friend to see her at the Fiddle; a few weeks after that I took my family to see her at Kalamazoo’s Celery City Music Hall. We’ve seen her regularly since.
Late in tonight’s show, Anne sang The Dutchman, which is Michael Smith‘s contribution to the short list of truly great songs. It’s about growing old, and love, and memory. I took this note’s title from The Dutchman’s refrain.
Anne’s encore was David Roth’s Manuel Garcia, a song about cancer, and families, and love, and support. I really needed that; thanks, Anne.