MUSIC

The Dosey Doe Coffee House presents Kevin Black. Nathan McEeuen joins him.

 He was born in a log cabin deep in the sunny forests of Illinois. He was forced to educate himself by reading borrowed books in the light of a roaring fireplace and…Wait a minute…that's Abe Lincoln, isn't it… Kevin Black was born in the western suburbs of Houston, Texas on the twenty-sixth day of June at Saint Josephs Hospital to a mother and father who would much rather have been out dancing. Kevin was the third of four sons born to a family that had little else than an enduring love to share between them.

His early years were filled with all the tricks that life plays on young boys; a competition with, as well as deep-rooted love for his three brothers; confusion about life in general, and his place or purpose within that life. That confusion ended the first time he picked up a six-string guitar. At some moment during his high-school years, he decided that music was the most productive direction for his life to take.

The unbinding of his musical spirit left little room for academia or other pursuits that usually interest the general population of young males. He soon learned that his voice was tuned to perfect harmony with the vibrations of the strings of his guitar. Those around him discovered his musical talents almost before he did and demanded to share in his gift. He entertained his friends and acquaintances anytime, anywhere, and for the flimsiest of reasons.Kevin trained his voice as well as his guitar to do the things that his artistic ego demanded. He tuned his talents and received further education in the clubs, honky-tonks, and friendly parties along the sweet streets of Houston's west side.

He has a great love for people and is gregarious almost to a fault. He is quick to smile and has very few frown lines. His outgoing personality and warm smile draw people to Kevin, and his music grabs them and keeps them close. He laughs a lot, and is quick to grasp the essence of a good joke. He gives and takes with equal cheerfulness. Music has been Kevin's dominant love since the first time he discovered the beauty of a strummed guitar joined together with vocal harmonics, but he was forced to also take on various unrelated jobs in order to fulfill his desire to eat regularly. He worked construction along with several of his childhood friends, some of whom were also smitten by the music bug. Even here Kevin managed to blend in his music with the mundane chores of hanging steel. Like Snow White's dwarves, he not only whistled, but also sang while he worked.

It is a custom in the building industry to install a Christmas tree to the apex of a steel building on the day it is completed. When the owner of the construction company decided to visit the jobsite on a day when a particular building had been finished, he was surprised to see, not a Christmas tree atop the building, but a temporary bandstand complete with drums, amps, base, and guitar, along with Kevin and his fellow musical workers. They were five stories up in the air, entertaining the plant workers and passing traffic by belting out song after song.

At another jobsite where they were erecting an out-building on the campus of the Harris County Correctional Facility, Kevin spent much of his lunch hour and work-breaks entertaining the jail trustees, and those inmates whose cells were lucky enough to be within range of his unaccompanied voice.

Kevin looks back with fond remembrance at his musical growing pains and has very few regrets for the prices he had to pay in order to arrive at his present position within the art of music. His lyric versatility allows him to avoid labels or musical typecasting. When one listens to Kevin Black, it seems that he somehow knows the song that is in your heart… and sings it back to you.

Biography By Roy Homer Vann.