Tribute to Dad

Today, I wanted to pay tribute to the single person whose musical influence has impacted me more than anyone else.  I'm talking about my dad, Richey Craig. 

Here is the link if you'd prefer the video.

Dad fell in love with the piano at an early age.  His parents, who didn't have a lot of money, purchased an old used piano.  On a regular occasion, dad would run home from school and play the piano until his parents would finally make his stop and go to bed.  With the amount of practice time that he put in, dad's piano skills developed quickly.

He played for the Crazy Horse Saloon at Six Flags during the summer of 1965.  In 1967, dad began traveling and playing the piano for the James Robison Evangelistic Association.  For a big part of this time and for several years after, dad played piano for music evangelist John McKay.  While working for James, dad met my mom and they married in 1970.  He was the church pianist for a long time, which means the he and I were able to play together for several years.

Dad was a very skilled pianist.  But what I really appreciated was the passion that was such a big part of his playing.  Even though I ended up playing a different instrument, dad had a tremendous influence on my musical development.  I learned many things from him over the years.  There are three of these that I would like to share.

First of all, lyrics matter.  It doesn't matter if you're not the one singing the song, the lyrics still matter.  As an accompanist, it's very important to be aware of the lyrics so that everything you play supports the message of the song and doesn't detract from it in any way.

Second, chord selection matters.  It's not that dad was legalistic about only playing songs the way they were written.  In fact, he changed things all the time.  But he taught me that every chord and every chord played within a given context gives the song a certain color.  If you're going to modify chords, don't do so indiscriminately.  It should always be done with a purpose, being very mindful of the affect it has on the song.

Third, if you go through life as a know-it-all, you'll never learn anything.  This applies to many things, including music.  Musically, this meant being willing to learn things that were challenging and difficult.  It meant seizing the opportunity to learn any style you had the chance to learn, knowing that it would only make you a better musician.  Dad truly sang the song that was in his heart.  Even with he didn't sing with his voice, he sang through piano and he taught me to do the same with the guitar.

These are three things that come to mind, and there were many more.  But the most import things dad taught me were not musical.  He taught me about being a godly man, husband, father, and friend.  He taught me that people were not commodities to be used, but rather gifts to be treasured. He taught me that giving is not about expecting something in return or impressing others with my generosity.  Rather, giving was about honoring God and blessing others. Dad also taught me that, no matter how I may have been wronged, life it too short to carry around anger and bitterness. 

Monday, January 22, 2018 marks one year since dad left this earth and went home to be with Jesus.  Since then, not a day has gone by that I haven't missed him.   Great job, dad!  Thanks for everything.  I miss you and look forward to seeing you again!