“What makes a song is the singer, while what makes a singer is their dedication to music and their inner feelings.” Dimash Qudaibergen

I have enjoyed music for as long as I can remember and cannot remember a day of not either singing or listening to music. I am self-taught when it comes to playing guitar but what I most enjoy is singing which I have been doing since around age 18. Now retired singing and playing the guitar is now just a hobby and something I do to help pass the time. Have always loved the sound of a Martin guitar. Currently been playing a Road Series DR S2 for about 6 years. Thanks for listening.

The Collection

A track from Shawn's LP called "Second Contribution". One of m personal favorite songs.

The Ballad of Casey Deiss - Shawn Phillips (Cover)

"Out on the Weekend" - Neil Young (Cover)

""Teach Your Children" is a song written by Graham Nash in 1968 when he was a member of the Hollies. Although it was never recorded by that group in a studio, the Hollies did record it live in 1983. After the song was initially recorded for the album Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1969, a much more enhanced version of the song was recorded for the album Déjà Vu by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, released in 1970. As a single, the song peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts that year. On the Easy Listening chart, it peaked at No. 28. In Canada, "Teach Your Children" reached No. 8. Reviewing the song, Cash Box commented on the "incredible soft harmony luster" and "delicately composed material." Billboard called it "a smooth country-flavored ballad that should prove an even bigger hit on the charts [than 'Woodstock']." Stephen Stills gave the song its "country swing", replacing the "Henry VIII" style of Nash's original demo".  Wikipedia

'Teach Your Children" Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (Cover)

"Baker Street" is a song written and performed by Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty. It won the 1979 Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically and achieved high chart positions in the UK, US and elsewhere. Named after Baker Street in London, the song was included on Rafferty's second solo album, City to City (1978), which was his first release after the resolution of legal problems surrounding the break-up of his old band, Stealers Wheel, in 1975."   Wikipedia

"Baker Street"- Gerry Rafferty  (Cover)

"Four Strong Winds" is a song written by Ian Tyson and recorded by Canadian folk duo Ian and Sylvia. Tyson has noted that he composed the song in about 20 minutes in his then manager Albert Grossman's New York apartment in 1962. A significant composition of the early 1960s folk revival, the song is a melancholy reflection on a failing romantic relationship. The singer expresses a desire for a possible reunion in a new place in the future ("You could meet me if I sent you down the fare") but acknowledges the likelihood that the relationship is over ("But our good times are all gone/And I'm bound for moving on ...").
The song has a clear Canadian context and subtext, including an explicit mention of the province Alberta as well as references to long, cold winters. In 2005, CBC Radio One listeners chose this song as the greatest Canadian song of all time on the program 50 Tracks: The Canadian Version. It is considered the unofficial anthem of Alberta.
Ian Tyson would recall "Four Strong Winds" as the first song he ever wrote and credits Bob Dylan with giving new impetus to Ian & Sylvia's career by inspiring the duo to follow his lead in writing "original folk songs":(Ian Tyson quote:)"We had to go in some direction, because we had used up all the real roots music from the Delta on north. Bob blazed the trail into the wilderness, into unknown territory." Specifically Tyson would recall meeting up with Dylan in the autumn of 1962 at the Greenwich Village bar Kettle of Fish:(Ian Tyson quote:)"this kind of little grubby kid in there"...said: 'I got this new song': it was Bobby Dylan - he sang me 'Blowin' in the Wind', he'd just wrote it. And I thought: I can do that"...He wrote 'Blowin' in the Wind' and the next day I wrote 'Four Strong Winds'."     Wikipedia

"Four Strong Winds"- Neil Young/ Ian Tyson (Cover)

"Round and Round (It Won't be Long)" is a pretty song about time and mortality. It extends the theme of the LP "Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere(1969)," which immediately precedes this song on the album."   Song Facts

"Round and Round (It Won't Be Long)- Neil Young (Cover)

"For What It's Worth (Stop, Hey What's That Sound)" (often referred to as simply "For What It's Worth") is a song written by Stephen Stills. Performed by Buffalo Springfield, it was recorded on December 5, 1966, released as a single on Atco Records in December 1966 and peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the spring of 1967.
It was later added to the March 1967 second pressing of their first album, Buffalo Springfield. The title was added after the song was written, and does not appear in the lyrics.
In 2004 Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song at number 63 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time."        Wikipedia

'For What It's Worth" - Buffalo Springfield  (Cover)

"It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan and featured on his Bringing It All Back Home album, released on March 22, 1965, by Columbia Records. The song was recorded on January 15, 1965, with Dylan's acoustic guitar and harmonica and William E. Lee's bass guitar the only instrumentation. The lyrics were heavily influenced by Symbolist poetry and bid farewell to the titular "Baby Blue". There has been much speculation about the real life identity of "Baby Blue", with possibilities including Joan Baez, David Blue, Paul Clayton, Dylan's folk music audience, and even Dylan himself.
"It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" has been covered by Them, Baez and the Byrds. Them's version, released in 1966, influenced garage bands during the mid-'60s, and Beck later sampled it for his 1996 single "Jack-Ass". The Byrds recorded the song twice in 1965 as a possible follow-up single to "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "All I Really Want to Do", but neither recording was released in that form. The Byrds did release a 1969 recording of the song on their Ballad of Easy Rider album."         Wikipedia

"It's All Over Now Baby Blue"- Bob Dylan  (Cover)

""Chimes of Freedom" is a song written and performed by Bob Dylan and featured on his Tom Wilson produced 1964 album Another Side of Bob Dylan. The song depicts the thoughts and feelings of the singer and his companion as they shelter from a lightning storm under a doorway after sunset. The singer expresses his solidarity with the downtrodden and oppressed, believing that the thunder is tolling in sympathy for them.
Initially, critics described the song as showing the influence of the symbolist poetry of Arthur Rimbaud, but more recent biographers of Dylan have linked the origins of the song to verses the songwriter had written as a response to the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963. Some commentators and Dylan biographers have assessed the song as one of Dylan's most significant compositions, and critic Paul Williams has described it as Dylan's Sermon on the Mount.
The song has been covered many times by different artists, including the Byrds, Jefferson Starship, Youssou N'Dour, Bruce Springsteen, and U2.    Wikipedia

"Chimes of Freedom"- The Byrds/Bob Dylan (Cover)

"On the Time Fades Away tour, Young introduced this lovely piano ballad as “a song without a home” called Journey Through the Past. Written in 1971 during the creative surge that produced much of Harvest, it’s a lonely guy’s dream of leaving L.A. for the comforts of Canada. Though the song didn’t appear on a studio album (or the 1972 soundtrack that shares its name), it’s the rare Time Fades Away song that still shows up in Young’s live set".         Rolling Stone

"Journey Through the Past"- Neil Young  (Cover)

"Midnight on the Bay is a song written by Neil Young . He and Stephen Stills released it in 1976 as The Stills-Young Band on a single with Black coral on the B-side. It also appeared on their album Long may you run (1976).
The single reached number 105 on the overall Billboard chart . A cover of the song was released in 1999 on an LP by the Red House Painters, called Shanti project collection .
It is a love song about an evening moment in a bay with sailboats, a cooling ocean breeze. A woman says she knows his name and wants to stay a while".       Wikipedia

"Midnight on the Bay"- Stephen Stills/Neil Young  (Cover)

"Birds" is the eighth track on After The Gold Rush. It features no instrumentation other than piano and Young's voice. It's a song of loss, with Young comforting a lover he's about to leave. At just over two-and-a-half minutes long, it's one of the shortest songs on the album."     Song Facts
"Love In Mind" is a heartfelt and introspective song by Neil Young, performed live at Massey Hall in 1971. The lyrics convey a sense of optimism and resilience in the face of adversity, as well as a profound exploration of the power of love. Through its poetic and evocative imagery, Young delves into the transformative nature of love and the restrictions imposed by societal norms."   Song Tell

"Birds/Love in Mind"- Neil Young (Cover)

The title track from the LP " Land of the Bottom Line which is the second album by contemporary folk singer-songwriter John  
Gorka. The album was also Gorka's major label debut for High Street Records/Windham Hill Records. The album was highly acclaimed by critics at the time, and continues to be cited by some as Gorka's finest work. The album's fifteen tracks and near hour-long length also provided an unusually large amount of music for a recording of that era. As Sing Out! editor Mark Moss noted in a review, the topics covered run "the gamut of John's favorite subjects: love, hard luck, local characters, and more."  Wikipedia

"Land of the Bottom Line"- John Gorka  (Cover)

" Like many of the day’s biggest names, Cohen used to stay at The Chelsea Hotel in New York City while away from his home in Montreal. With so many artists passing through those hallowed halls, the hotel became a hotbed of inspiration.
Cohen would introduce this song in his live sets with a story about meeting a famous singer while at the Chelsea. Their meeting went on to develop into a sexual relationship—which he describes in the song.
“I wrote this for an American singer who died a while ago,” Cohen wrote in the notes of his Greatest Hits compilation. “She used to stay at Chelsea, too. I began it at a bar in a Polynesian restaurant in Miami in 1971 and finished it in Asmara, Ethiopia just before the throne was overturned. Ron Cornelius helped me with a chord change in an earlier version.”
It wasn’t until after her death that Cohen revealed the name of the singer: Janis Joplin. As the story goes, Joplin came to the hotel looking for Kris Kristofferson. When she joined Cohen in the elevator, the infamous casanova decided to tell Joplin that he was the Highwayman.
“She wasn’t looking for me, she was looking for Kris Kristofferson; I wasn’t looking for her, I was looking for Brigitte Bardot,” Cohen once told Rolling Stone. “But we fell into each other’s arms through some process of elimination.”
Their affair was brief. The next morning, Joplin went on to find Kristofferson and record arguably her biggest hit “Me and Bobby McGee.” The pair would only meet a handful of times after that.
“The last time I saw her was on 23rd Street,” he remembered in the same interview. “She said, ‘Hey man, you in town to read poetry for old ladies?’ That was her view of my career.”
Joplin died on Oct. 4, 1970, of a heroin overdose. Her death had a marked effect on Cohen".    American Songwriter

"Chelsea Hotel No.2"- Leonard Cohen  (Cover)

"Jackson Browne’s Late For The Sky is a song that has stood the test of time. Released in 1974, it is still a beloved song among music lovers. While the music itself is beautiful, it is the lyrics that have captured the hearts and minds of listeners for decades. The song is deep, heartfelt, and meaningful. It was written during a turbulent time in Browne’s life, and the lyrics reflect his struggles and the struggles of those around him. In this article, we will take a closer look at the meaning behind the song.
Late For The Sky was written during a difficult time in Browne’s life. He was dealing with the breakup of a long-term relationship, the death of a friend and a deep sense of introspection. He has said that he wrote the song while looking out the window of a hotel room in New York City. The song is reflective of the many changes taking place in his life and the world around him". Old Time Music

"Late for the Sky"- Jackson Browne  (Cover)

"The River" is a song written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen, accompanied by the E Street Band, in 1979. The title track of his fifth album, it was a hit single in parts of Europe in 1981; reaching No.24 in Ireland, No. 25 in the Netherlands, and the top 10 in both Sweden and Norway. Its B-side was either "Independence Day" or "Ramrod", depending on the country of release.
"The River" was originally intended to be included on an earlier, one-record version of The River, tentatively called The Ties That Bind. The song itself was recorded at The Power Station in New York City on August 26 and 29, 1979.[ In the first live performance of the song in 1979, Springsteen cited the inspiration as "my brother-in-law and my sister". The 2012 biography Bruce by Peter Ames Carlin includes an interview with Springsteen's sister Ginny, in which she plainly states that the song is a precise description of her early life with her husband Mickey, to whom she is still married. In his 2016 autobiography Springsteen confirmed that he wrote the song as a tribute to his sister and his brother-in-law.   Wikipedia

"The River- Bruce Springsteen (Cover)

"Wildfire" is a song written by Michael Murphey and Larry Cansler. It was originally recorded by Murphey, who had yet to add his middle name to his recorded work, and appears on his gold-plus 1975 album Blue Sky – Night Thunder.
Released in February 1975 as the album's lead single, "Wildfire" became Murphey's highest-charting pop hit in the United States. The somber story song hit No. 2 in Cash Box and No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in June 1975. In addition, it hit the top position of the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, displacing "Love Will Keep Us Together".
The single continued to sell, eventually receiving platinum certification from the RIAA, signifying sales of over two million US copies. Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.
Murphey and Cansler co-wrote "Wildfire" in 1968, shortly after Murphey emerged as a solo artist. Earlier in the decade he had been part of a duo known as the Lewis & Clark Expedition in 1968 with singer-songwriter Boomer Castleman. They appeared and performed in an episode of the TV sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.
When Murphey rerecorded "Wildfire" for a new album in 1997, he was quoted by Billboard as saying that what many consider his signature song "broke my career wide open and, on some level, still keeps it fresh. Because that song appeals to kids, and always has, it's kept my career fresh."
In a 2008 interview, Murphey talked about the origins of the song and the context in which it was written. He was a third-year student at UCLA, working on a concept album for Kenny Rogers (The Ballad of Calico). The work was demanding, sometimes taking more than 20 hours a day. One night, he dreamed the song in its totality, writing it up in a few hours the next morning. He believes the song came to him from a story his grandfather told him when he was a little boy – a prominent Native American legend about a ghost horse. Murphey did not have a horse named Wildfire until a few years before the interview, when he gave that name to a palomino mare."         Wikipedia

"Wildfire"- Michael Martin Murphy  (Cover)

An original composition..... 

"When you feel you lost your way
Keep chasing the wind and never look back
Take time to nourish the daylight
After all this is all we know"
Music and lyrics by Len FM Folk Copyright 2024

After All This Is All We Know- Len FM Folk

"Heart of Gold" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young. From his fourth album Harvest, it is Young's only U.S. No. 1 single. In Canada, it reached No. 1 on the RPM national singles chart for the first time on April 8, 1972, on which date Young held the top spot on both the singles and albums charts. Billboard ranked it as the No. 17 song for 1972.
In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it No. 297 on their list of the 500 greatest songs of all time, No. 303 in an updated 2010 list, and No. 259 in 2021.
The song, which features backup vocals by James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt, is one of a series of soft acoustic pieces which were written partly as a result of a back injury. Unable to stand for long periods of time, Young could not play his electric guitar and so returned to his acoustic guitar, which he could play sitting down. He also played his harmonica during the three instrumental portions, including the introduction to the song."        Wikipedia

"Heart of Gold"- Neil Young (Cover)

This was a request from a Soundcloud  member "Jay" Richsoundz.......
"Neil Young's "Mansion on the Hill" is a poignant song that delves into the themes of longing, nostalgia, and the pursuit of the American dream. Released in 1990 as part of the album "Ragged Glory," this track showcases Young's unique ability to craft lyrics that evoke deep emotions."
Neil recorded this tune with electric guitar. I suppose if he had did an unplugged version it may sound something like this.

"Mansion on the Hill"- Neil Young (Cover)

“What makes a song is the singer, while what makes a singer is their dedication to music and their inner feelings.”   Dimash Qudaibergen

I have enjoyed music for as long as I can remember and cannot remember a day of not either singing or listening to music. I am self-taught when it comes to playing guitar but what I most enjoy is singing which I have been doing since around age 18. Now retired singing and playing the guitar is now just a hobby and something I do to help pass the time. Have always  loved the sound of a Martin guitar. Currently been playing a Road Series DR S2 for about 6 years. Thanks for listening. I also enjoy discovering the sounds of other talented musicians and singers here on SoundCloud.