A Tenor? Oh, No!

On a train carrying the San Francisco Opera Company cast to Los Angeles, the small child climbed on the lap of the famous singer, Salvatore Baccaloni. “So, young man,” said the accomplished vocalist, “are you going to be a tenor like your father when you grow up?” The small boy scowled back: “Nobody’s gonna make a tenor outta me!” The boy was me.

 

As a teenager, I resisted my father’s attempts to interest me in singing and in classical music. I did play piano, particularly jazz, but I did not get interested in voice until I saw my daughter Sara’s high school chorus in Arlington almost 50 years later. It was stupendous. “I want to do that,” I decided.

 

I really enjoyed a gospel chorus, but to improve my singing, I took voice lessons. My teacher, Charles Williams, told me, “You have a beautiful instrument that you have been misusing all of your life.” When I told him I was singing bass, he said, “Get out of there. You are a tenor! In fact, a first tenor.” A tenor? Oh, no!

 

I carried this newfound voice to extremes, singing solos at our Methodist church in Washington and joined some of the best choruses in the city. I auditioned on a stormy night for City Choir of Washington, where I was handed a song by possibly the city’s leading choral director, Robert Shafer. I couldn’t believe it: this was the same song we had sung at a church service the week before. After one verse, the lights went out as lightning struck. When they came back on, Shafer looked confused and said, “I guess you know what you are doing” and I was in!

 

In Southside Virginia, I have sung either in choruses or as a soloist at First Baptist, First Presbyterian, Clarksville Presbyterian, Mt. Carmel Presbyterian, Double Nickel in Clarksville, the Summer Community Chorus and in six seasons of The Prizery’s Summer Theater.

 

Still searching, I experimented with country, gospel, jazz, pop, rock, opera, Broadway and classical. I couldn’t swing like Frank or rock like Elvis. But then a big turning point came when I sang “What a Wonderful World” at Sara’s wedding seven years ago in front of our Cluster Springs home.

As I practiced the song for my teacher, he broke into tears. This happened twice! Many in the audience at the wedding cried too.

I think I found my niche.

 

You can see some of my music by searching for: “Pickett Craddock Mike Doan” on YouTube.