music – On Life and Love after 50

On Life and Love After 50 eNewsletter The Sound of Silence

July 11, 2025

By Columnist Tom Blake

On May 14, I received a text from my next-door neighbor, Jake Rackers. I was surprised to learn that he was texting from the Ryman Auditorium, the music venue in Nashville, Tennessee, the original home of the Grand Ole Opry. He was attending and enjoying a concert by Paul Simon.

Why was Jake texting me from there? On many occasions, Jake, his wife Kresta and I listened to music together on our back patios and they were aware of my connection to Nashville, Johnny Cash, and the Ryman. Jake wanted me to know how great Simon was performing.

As some of you know, I worked with Johhny Cash in the 1970s when I was the Marketing Director for the Victoria Station Restaurant Chain. I remained friends of Johnny and his wife June Carter until they both passed away in 2003. I had seen them perform at the Ryman. And I co-produced an album of Johnny’s train songs, which is on display at the Johnny Cash Museum in Nashville.

Jake bought me a “Paul Simon In Concert” T-shirt, which I cherish (See photos). On the back of the shirt, Simon’s North America 2025 tour stops are listed. Jake pointed out that Simon was scheduled to appear in Long Beach on July 7 and in Los Angeles for five nights at the Walt Disney Concert Hall beginning on July 9. Jake recommended that Debbie (my significant other) and I attend one of Simon’s concerts.

Last Sunday, Debbie mentioned to me that Simon’s concert in Long Beach was postponed for one day to July 8. We decided to try to get tickets and were successful.

I’ve been a fan of Simon and Garfunkel for many, many years. In 1968, after serving in the Vietnam War and graduating from the University of Michigan Business School, I was living in New York City working for American Airlines.

A woman I was dating pleaded with me to take her to the movie “The Graduate,” starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft. I hadn’t heard of the movie and thought the movie sounded boring. She threatened to never go out with me again if I didn’t take her. I reluctantly agreed, feeling I was being dragged into the most yawning two hours of my life.

The movie began. In the opening scene, Ben, played by Hoffman, was in the Los Angeles Airport walking in the concourse, having just arrived home after graduating from college. Then the music soundtrack came on. The first song was “The Sound of Silence.” My attitude did an immediate 360 turn. I loved that song. I loved that movie. The Sound of Silence was played three times in the movie. It was written by Simon when he was age 21.

Other songs I liked by Simon and Garfunkel were also in the movie’s soundtrack including “Mrs. Robinson,” “Scarborough Fair,” and “April Come She Will.”

The film won an Oscar. It was the highest grossing film of 1967 and is one of the top 25 films in history. I purchased the 78-rpm record album “The Graduate” as soon as it was available. If you’ve never seen the movie “The Graduate,” I encourage you to watch it. Still incredible after 57 years.

Since then, I’ve enjoyed Paul Simon’s music. It’s been a huge chunk of my life. In my first newspaper column published on July 7, 1994, I quoted these words from the song, “Graceland.”

“Losing love is like a window in your heart, everyone sees you’re blown apart…”

I thank The Rackers for reaching out about Paul Simon’s upcoming appearances and giving Debbie and me a nudge to go see him live. Neighbors like the Rackers are priceless.

Tuesday night, Debbie and I drove to the Terrace Concert Hall in Long Beach. We had prepaid for parking, but the lot was already packed. Snacks and beverages could be purchased outside the concert hall. Our seats were six rows from the top. It’s a beautiful facility with perfect acoustics.

Debbie commented she should have brought her binoculars. It appeared that 99 percent of the seats were filled. Simon and the nine-piece band emerged at 8:15. The crowd rose to their feet with a standing ovation. It was a goose-bump moment.

Debbie and I made a one-dollar bet. “What would be the first song, and the last song played? I said, “First, The Sound of Silence.” She said, “Last, The Sound of Silence.”

Before the music started, Simon spoke and said the first seven songs would be new material. I didn’t recognize any of those. Then, they took an intermission.

On the band’s return to the stage, they opened with “Graceland,” the song I mentioned above.

The next song was “Slip Sliding Away.” Mostly familiar songs followed, including “Homeward Bound.” The concert took over two hours with each of the nine musicians featured. The crowd was on its feet often. Simon’s voice is still strong. The show ended with “The Boxer.” The band left the stage, including Simon. The Sound of Silence hadn’t been played. But that wasn’t the finale.

Of course, the shouting and yelling for an encore reverberated throughout the concert hall. And of course, they returned and played three more songs. Then the band left again. But Simon remained by himself on stage. He grabbed his guitar. And sang solo, you know what: “The Sound of Silence.” The crowd was on their feet, thrilled with the final piece of music.

A glorious night of memories came to an end. It was worth every dollar we spent and the hour drive to get to the Terrace Theatre. Paul Simon is a genius. One of the most prolific song writers ever.

I gave Debbie the dollar. She had been right about the concert ending with “The Sound of Silence.”

Tom’s Speech – Laguna Beach Susi Q Senior Center

380 Third Street

This coming Tuesday, July 15, 5:00 pm to 6:30.

Limited seating, no cost, very limited parking in garage below and do not park in the spaces requiring parking permits. I recommend parking at an outside meter nearby or at a different parking garage.

Sunday Morning Coming Down

On Life and Love after 50 eNewsletter – October 4, 2024
Sunday Morning Coming Down
By Columnist Tom Blake

Part 1 – Sunday Morning Coming Down

In the summer of 1975, Johnny Cash and his wife June Carter Cash invited 17 Victoria Station Restaurant Chain executives and their wives/girlfriends to be their guests at a dual concert at the Sahara Tahoe Resort and Casino at Lake Tahoe.

I was among the 17. Our group was seated in the front row. There were approximately 1,500 people in the room. A little background information will explain Johnny’s connection to Victoria Station.

Johnny loved trains. Victoria Station restaurants were built out of boxcars and cabooses. Johnny was hired to sing the company’s radio commercials and to be our spokesperson because he identified with trains. As the Marketing Director, it was my job to get Johnny signed and later to ensure that Johnny’s experience with us was first class.

I first met Johnny and June in 1975 when I picked them up in a limo at the Coconut Grove Hotel in Miami Beach. My mission was to have them check out our company’s Miami restaurant to convince Johnny to agree to represent us.
In the limo, I heard Johnny mention to June that Kris Kristofferson had bought a toy train for their son John’s fifth birthday.

Back to the Sahara Lake Tahoe. After the first show, during the intermission, all 17 couples were invited to go backstage. Johnny and June stood together, and I introduced each person to them. I was proud, feeling at least partially responsible for bringing the Cashes and our group together. As we left the backstage area to return to our seats, Johnny pulled me aside and asked, “Tom, what is your favorite song of mine?”

I replied, “Sunday Morning Coming Down.” Johnny said, “Kris Kristofferson wrote that. It’s one of my favorites too.” I smiled and said, “I know Kris wrote it.” At the start of the second show–as Johnny always did–he faced the audience and said, “Hello, I’m Johnny Cash.”

And then he pointed at me and said, “Hello, Tom Blake, this song is for you.” He sang, Sunday Morning Coming Down. I was overcome with gratitude.

During the next two years, I was with Johnny and June at least 25 times, usually when they appeared in a city where Victoria Station had a restaurant. We became good friends. That friendship continued for 25 more years.

Johnny introduced me to Carl Perkins, Larry Gatlin, John Denver, Glen Campbell, Rosanne Cash, and Roger Miller. But I never met Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, or Willie Nelson.
And when Johnny published his “Man In Black” memoir in 1975, he signed–with me standing next to him–the inside front cover of his book with these words:
Hendersonville, Tennessee, August 15, 1975 To Tom Blake, the Best to you
(See photo below)

Johnny and June both passed away in 2003. When I published my book, “Prime Rib & Boxcars. Whatever Happened to Victoria Station?” in 2006, I wanted Kris Kristofferson to have a copy of it, because the book describes my relationship with the Cash family, and a chapter is titled “Sunday Morning Coming Down.”

That chapter mentions Kris. I knew how much Johnny cared for him. I asked Rosanne Cash, one of Johnny’s four daughters, if she would provide me with Kris’s snail mail address, which she did, and I mailed Kris a book in 2007. Two weeks later, I was making dinner at Greta’s (my partner of 25 years) house, in San Clemente. Greta went to the mailbox and returned to the kitchen.

Greta said, “You have a package from Kris in Hawaii.” My sisters, Pam and Chris, were on holiday in Hawaii and I thought Kris was Chris my sister, who perhaps had sent me some seashells or chocolates.

I said to Greta, “Open it.” Greta opened it and exclaimed, “Oh Wow! It’s an autographed picture signed with these words, ‘Thanks, Tom, Peace Kris Kristofferson!’” When she showed it to me, I was thrilled. (See picture that Kris sent me above).

A couple of years later, Greta and I attended a concert at the San Manuel Casino in Riverside featuring Kris and Merle Haggard performing together. They were awesome, but I had failed to get backstage passes, so we didn’t meet him. Another time, Greta bought me a birthday present– tickets to see Kris performing solo in person at the Disney Theatre in LA. We did not have backstage passes. Again, we didn’t meet him.

September 24, 2004

A month ago, I mentioned in this eNewsletter that I hoped to attend the unveiling of the Johnny Cash statue in the Nation’s Capitol Building on September 24, 2024.

But only United States Senators and members of Congress were invited plus about 100 members of the Cash Family. I contacted Rosanne’s manager to see if they might have an extra ticket. He told me the Cash Family ticket allotment was already filled. I surmised that Johnny’s old pals like Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson might secure a couple of those seats. Kris wasn’t there; I don’t know if Willie was.

This past Sunday morning (coincidentally, a Sunday morning), while checking my computer, I read that Kris, at 88, had peacefully passed away at his home in Maui the day before.

Although I had never met him, I felt a big void. What an incredible person Kris Kristofferson was. A Rhodes Scholar, a graduate of Oxford University, and a professor at West Point. But his grit belonged to Nashville, where he became a janitor for five years to pursue his career of becoming one of the most prolific singers/songwriters in history. Kris followed his heart and touched mine.

Thank you, Kris, for being kind, and caring and, for writing so many classic songs, especially, “Sunday Morning Coming Down.” Your signed photo hangs proudly in my office 17 years after you sent it to me.

The link to “Sunday Morning Coming Down” is below.

Part 2 Jackson

Since I mentioned in Part 1 about being in a limo with Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash the first time I met them, I admit I was nervous. To make conversation, (and being aware of how popular their song Jackson was), I told them I was born and raised in Jackson.

June said, “Oh, Jackson, Tennessee?” I said, “No, Jackson, Michigan.” June said, “That’s nice.” (She wasn’t overly impressed but was very courteous, as always).

A year later, Johnny said to me, “Do you think Victoria Station would consider building a restaurant named Johnny Cash’s Victoria Station in Jackson, Tennessee?” I said, “I’ll ask. It didn’t happen. We already had restaurants in Memphis and Knoxville, Tennessee.

I mention Jackson because just last week the man Billy Edd Wheeler, who co-wrote the song Jackson in 1963–that Johnny and June made so popular–died at 91. So, bless Billy Edd Wheeler, Johhny Cash, June Carter Cash, and Kris Kristofferson for their respective contributions to Country music.

A Link to Sunday Morning Coming Down is below:

https://youtu.be/IRU9i9egr7A

The above photo is the inside cover of Johnny’s memoir, Man In Black, signed by him to me, August 15, 1975. He signed it and then handed it to me standing next to him. We were in the House of Cash recording studio, in Hendersonville, Tenn.

A special 70th Birthday

On Life and Love After 50 eNewsletter July 19, 2024

Alan Parsons (left) and Phil Green on stage at end of concert

Columnist Tom Blake and Senior Dating Expert

Sixteen years ago, on August 23, 2008, I was an Orange County California Deputy Marriage Commissioner for one day. I married Phil and Laurie Green at a ceremony in the historic mission city of San Juan Capistrano, California.

Phil was 54 and Laurie was in her mid-40s. They told me they wanted someone who knew them to marry them, that it would be more meaningful and personal. The county of Orange issued a one-day permit.

Phil had never married. Laurie was divorced in 2003 and had declared a moratorium on dating for “at least a year.” But, as often happens, life can change in an instant.

For Laurie, two things happened in late 2003. First, she met Phil at a party. Her one-year dating moratorium ended after a few months. They became a couple.

Second, her new-found bliss took a tough turn when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She and Phil tackled her cancer as a team. Laurie beat cancer and four years later was the wedding.

In keeping with their shared love of music, they became friends with Alan and Lisa Parsons. Alan was the founder of the Alan Parsons Project, a progressive, 70s and 80s British rock band.

Lisa and Alan were among the guests at the wedding and seated in the front row. At the reception, the disc jockey included Parsons’ hit Sirius/Eye in the Sky in the playlist. I thought I had read that Alan had helped produce two Beatles albums, which I asked him about.

He said he had been an assistant engineer, not an assistant producer, on the Abbey Road and Let It Be albums. “Had I been an assistant producer, I’d be a very rich man,” Parsons said with a grin. (My photo from 2008 with Alan and Lisa is below).

I included Laurie and Phil’s love story in my “How 50 Couples Found Love After 50” book.
Update 16 years later (July 19, 2024)

Last Sunday night, Laurie had a private 70th birthday party for Phil. My significant other, Debbie, and I were invited. It was held at Campus Jax restaurant in Newport Beach, California. Debbie and I agreed it was the most amazing birthday party either one of us had ever attended.

Laurie had done most of the preparation work. Here are some highlights.

1 Laurie and Phil are still happily married after 16 years, so I still have a perfect record, 1-0, for the people I married staying together

2 Laurie congratulated Debbie for completing her breast cancer treatments, as Laurie completed hers in 2004 (see photo of Laurie and Debbie below).

3 The Alan Parsons Project, with 8 members, including Alan, was the main event. Debbie and I were able to chat with Parsons and his wife Lisa beforehand. (see photo below).

And, of course, the band’s closing song was Sirius/Eye In The Sky. Everybody was on their feet and taking videos during the 6-minute song for which the band is noted. (a link to Debbie’s video of them performing the song is below)
A bonus was the appearance of the lead singer of Ambrosia, David Pack, who performed four of that group’s songs, such as “Biggest Part of Me.”

4 Birthday boy Phil was on stage leading a hilarious 25-question quiz about his life. And then, at the end of the concert, he was on stage with Alan Parsons celebrating his 70th. (see photo above).

5 Campus Jax is an ideal place for a concert. Every seat is within 50 feet of the stage. The acoustics were perfect and the 140 guests helped themselves to a yummy buffet dinner with some of the best pasta dishes we had ever eaten.

What a night. I almost forgot, Happy Birthday Phil, and thank you, Laurie.
Link to Sirius/Eye in the Sky (Facebook)