BIOGRAPHY

   From an early age, Gary Strickland has known he was   destined to be a performer; “I remember watching Red   Skelton on TV and telling anyone who would listen that   I was going to be a clown like him someday”

He did the same after discovering the trumpet mastery of Louis Armstrong, “...and a trumpet player too!”

     Gary sits on a sofa cross-legged  and relaxed in a purple   handmade dashiki from Nigeria (where he has been numerous times to serve with free medical missions) and talks about some of his early experiences on stage.

 “Clowning-wise, believe it or not I was the    Southeastern region Ronald McDonald in the mid 80s. And my signature clown, Pikalow worked in and around the  Atlanta area throughout the nineties.

     He had this to say about early musical influences and  experiences: “My first real paying gig was with The Willy Gapac Trio in Savannah in the late  seventies. Willy sang and played organ and keyboard bass, John Willoughby played drums and I played trumpet. I was definitely the baby of the group. We wore these powder blue ruffled tux shirts and played River Street and clubs around town. And yes, I still have the shirt...somewhere!”

    He mentions playing Jazz with Savannah music icons, most of whom are long gone. “Sam Gill, Ben Tucker, Joe Jones, Stubby Mitchell, Booby McMillan, Mojo Davis, Jelly Lewis....man could those cats play.

I learned a lot   sitting at their feet and playing alongside them. Mostly I learned how much I don’t know. I’ve carried that with me all these years. A lot of people know what they know but not what they don’t!  I’ll never be “the best”. There’s always someone better so there’s always room to grow. I’m in my 50s now and trust me, I learn something new every time I pick up an instrument.”

 Gary has played music all over the world including  Switzerland and Africa. He’s even been in a movie or two! A prolific writer, he has written countless pieces of music,  children’s plays as well as a few books. He has also shared the stage with many well known  performers from Mudcat and Buddy Guy to Matt Maher and even Carey Grant!

    “Sure, I’ve been all over but I believe God drew me back to Savannah to stay. There’s something about this area that sticks with you, that stays in your blood. Besides, according to family tradition, Savannah  Native Johnny Mercer is something like a 4th or fifth cousin!”

  Though he has played with numerous bands throughout the years, most of Gary’s musical offerings lately are in the form of a one-man-band. Using keyboard as accompaniment, he switches from  flugelhorn to slide trumpet to vocals to  harmonica and a host of other instruments as easily as  slipping into a pair of  comfortable jeans on a cool Autumn day.

    “It’s a different gig, playing solo. I really enjoy the organic nature of playing with other cats but most   restaurants and such don’t have the budget or space for a full band so they go with a one or two piece act. I have to admit, the lack of any potential personality conflicts in a band can be nice sometimes.” He smiles wryly as he speaks.

     When asked about what style of music he plays: “A little bit of everything. I play some classic rock, Jazz standards, a little Cajun and a fair amount of original material. What you won’t hear is cover  versions of some of the bar “classics”. There are a lot of guys who play all the Buffet songs and play them very well. I’ll let them do that. I tend to go a different direction.”

He smiles as he relates the title of one of his   tongue-in-cheek parody songs titled, “Please Don’t Ask To Hear Margaritaville” set to a very  recognizable Buffet tune!

“I also try to keep everything family friendly. I don’t want a parent to be embarrassed in front of their kids by anything I do.”

Having four daughters, he knows a thing or two about families.

 

        Future  plans  for  Gary  and  his   performing?

“I hope to devote a lot more time to performing as both an actor and musician moving forward; get back to my roots as it were. My day gig [He is the Director of Operations at Savannah  Technical College] has been good to me for nearly 20 years. I think it’s  getting close to time to move on. I believe, being made in the image of our  Creator, we were made to create. I still have a lot of music I want to get out there-to share with others.

As a matter of fact, take a listen to this one I’ve been working on. It’s not quite finished but I think it has potential...”

    He heads over to the piano to play me his latest. As he begins to play I take note of the many things hanging on the wall of his studio space: the    Ronald     McDonald headshot, dozens of instruments, the letter of appreciation from a village in Nigeria, family portraits; and I think to myself, "I'm glad this Savannah boy moved back home."