“Whatever it Takes “
My Life in and Out of Music
A Memoir
Thus is the story of a musical artist, an activist, and a survivor.
Me.
I’ve been a writer too, from various perches for much of my adult life and I want to share my writing with you.
At various times, my writing and music canoodled together. When I was young, I would make up my own lyrics to popular songs of the day, often aiming them at family and friends to their delight - most of the time.
High school meant the Glee Club, a stint as the disembodied voice of Ed Sullivan in “Bye Bye Birdie,” talent shows, guitar masses and hootenannies. Remember hootenannies?
During college, I started getting serious with my writing and performing, and soon after graduating, I scored a recording contract in New York. My first and only album had a couple of minor hits and a #1 hit in Brazil.
For a few years, I composed and sang on national radio and television commercials and wrote a parade theme for Disney that’s stitll popular and played at the theme parks.
Then, I disappeared from the music scene. I was 29.
That’s Part 1 of my story.
At that moment, life took a couple of nasty detours and tragic turns. I fell into a rabbit hole, suffered a bi-lateral, sensorineural hearing loss and loss of partial sight that would end my recording and performing careers for more than thirty-five years.
During my absence, I got to know myself beterr and learned how to care for myself in the vain hope that, one day, I might get back on my musical pony, return to my work, and reclaim my position in the entertainment business.
Mostly, I tried to survive anyway that I could. It meant keeping my expectations low and doing things I never thought I would have to do.
But, it was here, during those three decades away, where my writing took off. It lit a path that I have not diverged from in all those years. Freelance articles for newsapers, newsletters, blogs and magazines, radio essays and commentary, manuals and guides.
I wrote and directed educational and entertaining videos for kids, colleges and community orghnaizations.
As an activist on several fronts, I wrote op-eds, created and hosted workshops, public education forums, and entertaining presentations across the country.
My writing led eventually to invitations from clients in government, public health, agriculture and the consumer sector to speak on a host of issues.
As an actor, I appeared in major motions pictures and on stage in repertory theater.
And, I stayed away from music.
Until…
One day, I decided that I could not live without music any longer so, I sought help with an audiologist, a vocal coach and an auditory specialist. They helped me connect with the latest brain research, cutting edge technology, many new friends, and, as the saying goes, the desire once again to practice, practice, and practice to try and make music again.
That’s Part 2 of my story.
Why Substack – why now?
On May 1, 2023, one of my musical heroes, Gordon Lightfoot, passed away. Surprising to me, friends and fans from around the world sent me condolences on the loss of my “friend” and “colleague,” Gordon Lightfoot.
Contrary to impressions that some people had, Lightfoot and I were never friends, nor even acquaintances - though for a time we were musical contemporaries. In reality, our paths crossed but twice during our lifetimes.
This could well be my fault as I mentioned him, wrote about him, sang his praises as well as his songs, and had done so for many years on many occasions. Or, it might be that some folks find something in me or my own music that reminds them of Lightfoot. That would be a great compliment and there would be no surprise in any of that.
It might also be easy to presume that I knew every song, every lyric, bought every album, attended dozens of concerts, and had erected a Lightfoot shrine in my home.
None of that would be true.
Simply, and not so simply, Gordon Lightfoot has been and remains a constant and inspiring presence in my life and thinking, still. His life as a singing, songwriting, traveling, romantic troubadour was the template for the kind of life and identity that I hoped to have as a musical artist, but in the end, could not. His passing was less a great sorrow for me than a sweet rite of passage in remembering and celebrating a very special time and a man whose example changed me in ways you might never guess.
I decided right then that I would write a short tribute to him to acknowledge and honor the influence that he had on me and my life and work, and to thank a dear friend and colleague of Lightfoot’s in Canada who shared some personal insights of him with me and whom I wanted to know that her hero was one of mine as well.
So, to set the record straight, I started writing and didn’t stop writing until I had posted sixteen installments of “My Lightfoot” on Facebook to highlight the parallels in our lives and times. Though Gordon was 11 years my senior, we passed through many of the same portals.
As I was putting together my “short” tribute, it became clear that I was revealing much of my own story – much of it only partially revealed before. With encouragement from friends and fans, I decided to keep going. This is the result.
The responses that I have been receiving tells me that there might be a larger audience out there that might enjoy my story – those who may not have seen the Facebook posts, or, might simply prefer to read them (and more) on another platform.
I was encouraged to jump onto Substack which, as you may know, is a very popular platform that other writers that I admire use as well.
So here I am.
House Keeping
After this Introduction (first “installment” on Substack, I will continue to post the original sixteen pieces from “My Lightfoot” here and again on Facebook. every Thursday.
The most recent posts from “Whatever it Takes” will be published every other Tuesday. If you subscribe - absolutely FREE - you will be notified by email when the posts are ready to enjoy.
WHAT TO EXPECT
“Whatever it Takes” is my journey through a life of music - and how I survived before, during and after the music died. If I do say so myself, (and thanks to others who have said the same) my story is a provocative, entertaining, absorbing and highly readable take on the music and times of the ‘60’s ‘70’s and ‘80’s and how one man’s life was changed again and again in pursuit of success, enduring painful losses, and on his search for redemption.
You’ll find:
Links to my work including songs, lyrics, articles, essays, interviews as well as photographs and videos in performance.
Thanks for reading Stu’s Substack. Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Please invite your friends to join other subscribers and share my story.
I’d be happy to hear from you if you have questions or comments. You can do that right here.
Stu Nunnery
April 2025