"All Along." I wrote "All Along" in March of 1985, while I was studying jazz guitar at the Griggs School of Music in Norfolk, Virginia. Back then I wanted to be the next Charlie Byrd or Joe Pass. "All Along" doesn't put me anywhere near that company, but the chord changes echo my love of jazz more than any of my other compositions. Lyrically, it reflects on some of my favorite themes--that "we're all part of a story," that uncertainty is a part of any good story, and that while community is an essential part of being human, the spark of soul can ultimately be found deep inside our own hearts rather than "out there" somewhere. For guitar players, "All Along" is in standard tuning, with no capo, in the key of E (although the key changes often, and I'm playing chords in positions up and down the neck). On the recording, my friends really brought this song to life--the lively guitar leads of Stephen Kayser & Ken Calandra, the soaring vocal harmonies of Larry Murante, and solid, swinging bass of Walter White all bring out the joy that is at the heart of this tune.

To listen to a sound clip of "All Along," click here. The sound clip may take a few minutes to download, and "All Along" may play intermittently while it is downloading. Once it's finished downloading, you should be able to play it clearly and without interruption from start to finish. This is an MP3 file, and may be played using Windows Media Player or whatever MP3 player you may have on your computer.