John Bartee - Music Notebook Found

I was recently contacted through this website by a couple who while recently moving came across a music notebook they were given on November 26th, 1983 for their kindness to John.  Story is Janis crossed John's path while he hitchhiked on a Tennessee highway,  something in her heart made her stop to help this long bearded disheveled man.  She took him home where along with her husband Rob they extended food and shelter for the night. The next day when they dropped John off further down the road John handed them the notebook, saying one day it might be worth something.

I do find it a miracle that Rob came across a notebook that he and his wife have held on to for 27 years and just happens to do a google search on, John Lewis Bartee within a couple of weeks of this site coming online.

I have recently spoken with Rob by phone and they seem to be a couple that have a nature of extending a hand to a fellow human in need.  Yes, it is nice to know that quality still exist in our world.  Rob is going to make arrangements to get me some scanned images of the notebook's pages so that I can see what they might hold.  I  will make them available to Kevin Pawlak at the University of Arizona School of Music so that they can compare them with  John's work in the Shaw Archive.  Hopefully the actual notebook can be made available  in the future as a remembrance of John in the proper setting, the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in Macon, Ga. comes to mind.

The titles:        NB California   -         I am going to guess NB stands for Newport Beach.
                      

                       Brighter than Brite


                       Tic Tac Toe



It's too early to know if there is anything new in the three compositions included in the notebook,  but it would be great if John was able to share some Music with us from the beyond.  If anything the notebook may assist identifying previously uncredited works.

I do want to make a note at this time about the title of the blog,  Serenading the Demons... as even my own Mother seems to have this look of terror on her face when she ask why I named it that.  I didn't name it,  John did... well at least what I have come to understand about him influenced me. It in no way is based on anything evil.  It is more about how Music has the ability to calm the most savage of beast... If John did have any demons within his life, any hardships, sadness...   I feel he found a solitude and love in the Music.  It was the one constant in his life, even if he was walking down a deserted highway with not a nickle to his name... his music was there for him... always a faithful friend.