MILT THOMAS

Singer, songwriter Livingston Taylor did a solo act Saturday night, playing to an audience of 500 and charmed every one of them. First on guitar, then piano, he told and sang stories, many hilarious some serious, all with well-crafted lyrics. Although he said he often thinks of a melody first, it is the lyrics that give a song life. To prove the point, he highlighted lyrics to songs by Oscar Hammerstein II, E.Y. Harburg and Dorothy Fields that were often lost in the melodies of their song-writing partners (Richard Rodgers, Harold Arlen and Jerome Kern), but sparkled when quoted like poetry.

Unlike many performers, Taylor mingled with the audience in the theater lobby prior to his show and was still talking to individuals already seated for his performance. If you didn’t know it was him, you might have thought he was a man about town greeting his friends. By the end of the show, everyone in the audience was his friend, giving him several standing ovations. Then he stood and chatted with people long afterwards, signing autographs, telling more stories. As he said several weeks ago when interviewed by this reporter describing how the music industry has changed from the days of using radio play to sell records, “Your relationship with your audience becomes absolutely non-negotiable, and I LOVE my audience.”

Brother James may have topped the charts with records that sold millions during his career, but Liv has created an ardent following concert by concert, hundreds of people at a time. A good time was certainly had by all.

Next up in the Masters of Music series is John Sebastian, who gained fame with his group The Lovin’ Spoonful and for writing and singing the theme to Welcome Back Kotter. Tickets are still available at the Emerson Center by calling 772-778-5349 or visiting the website, http://www.TheEmersonCenter.org.