A Musical Night At Town & Country Manor

I have spent my life singing in church - solos, duets, trios, quartets, ensembles, choirs. In 1998 I switched churches and went to one that has only contemporary style music which left me out of performing.

My cousin, Eileen Nixon, lives at Town and Country Manor which is a retirement living community. A couple of years ago she asked me to join her and her sister, Carolyn Hesson, in a music program for the people who call this their home. Carolyn was visiting from Baltimore. Eileen has done a lot of solos in church and so have I. Carolyn does mostly harmony with Eileen or singing in choirs. The three of us put on a nice program using background tapes. The people loved it.

There is a church on the grounds called Community Bible Church and one of the residents is the pastor. Robert Witchey asked Eileen to put on a pre-Easter program with family for March 2007. That program involved the three of us again along with my son, Rick, and his daughter, Emily. Rick sang a solo and Emily played the Irish Whistle. This program was also well received.

After the program, the pastor came up to me and asked if I would do a couple of numbers for their upcoming Good Friday Service in April. I agreed and once again sang for the residents of this community.

Pastor Witchey asked Eileen if Dick (me) could put together a program of music and do it for an evening service on September 7, 2008. She asked and I agreed to do it. This will be the most I have sung in a long time but these people think I am a young man compared to them and they like to hear me sing.
Dick - Concert at Town & Country Manor - September 7, 2008.

Dick Moore and his cousin Eileen Nixon put on this program.


Eileen and I did a duet to start off the program using a pianist, Eunice Crooks, to assist the music program. Eunice lives there and is very good on the piano. We did an old song called "I've Discovered The Way Of Gladness" which was sung a lot 50 years ago. Eileen led the congregation in several hymns and introduced me. I sang three numbers and she introduced Bob Blaustone, another resident, who plays a jazz piano. He never had a lesson but did a great job.
The four participants of the musical night -- Dick, Eileen, Bob, and Eunice.

Eileen then sang a solo and a duet with me. I related a story of my last visit to my home church in Celina, Ohio in 1952. That story is in a previous post on this web site. I completed the program with two numbers that worked well together to form one song. They were "That One Lost Sheep" and "The Ninety And Nine". Most of the residents have come from a background of either being a pastor or a missionary or part of the family of one of those. This community is run by The Christian & Missionary Alliance Church. They understood all the songs and enjoyed the kind of music that isn't done in most churches anymore.

(When I have time to get the DVD to my son, Rick, he will help me post the song listed above so you can hear it. I don't know how to do that and have to rely on him to get it posted.)

I received a nice letter of thanks from Pastor Robert Witchey and he said "the one question they have asked is --when is he coming back?" That makes a person feel real good that some people enjoy his kind of music. I think we will be doing a Christmas program with the family sometime near Christmas. If we do, I will write that up too!
Reception line after the concert joined by granddaughters Rachel & Hannah.

It's nice to feel wanted!