Boomer of the Week: James Middlefield, Seattle Washington

The stories of personal transformation that we are sharing with you each week have been written by members of our Boomers TV community. They are generously sharing their journey with us to offer hope and inspiration.

This week, we introduce you to James Middlefield, a Boomer who makes his home in the Seattle area. James is a "blues" enthusiast who studies, performs, and follows music as a part of his "mid-life rejuvenation."



James Middlefield

Music & Mid-Life Rejuvenation
For most live performers the music is something they have included to some extent through their entire lives but I have met many performers who came to it later in life, like a mid-life transition, who still work in their careers and perform as an avocation. Mostly I think of it as a mid-life rejuvenation more than mid-life transition. I think that is what today's people over 50 are looking for. They aren't looking so much for a soft chair and a game of golf as they are for activities that they can be involved in that remind them of the energy of their youth. That is what blues music does for a lot of us. At the same time it can be coupled with RV travel to festivals around the country, Blues Cruises and golf weekends too.

Piano, Guitar, Harmonica
Ever since I was a young kid I loved music. I hated the piano lessons my parents offered (made me take) through the little old lady up the street and then the man downtown with the German accent. Possibly because they were trying to teach me classical music and I just didn't hear it. I gave it up as soon as they would let me. But, then around age of 11, I got the bug to play guitar. Creedence Clearwater Revival was my favorite band at the time and of course the Beatles. Unfortunately my guitar teacher didn't know much about that and focused on tunes like 'Lady of Spain' etc. I pretty much put the guitar down in pursuit of sports and school work. Later, after college, I bought an acoustic guitar, a few harmonicas and dabbled off and on for years.

"Over 40" Bands
It wasn't until I turned 40 and realized that I had plenty of time on my hands and money enough to buy equipment that I decided to pick up the dream again to play music. That year a local music store offered a continuing education program for middle agers like me. For $75 I could sign up to play with other musicians in a band configuration. They would organize interested musicians into groups of 4 to 6 and help them rehearse up to five tunes over a six week period and then offer each of
the groups a chance to take the stage at a local club. The other guitar players could play better than I could so I stuck with harmonica. We called the band 'Caught Lookin'.

All the musicians in this band were over 40 and had played in garage bands when they were in high school or college, given it up to raise a family and to work real jobs, as our parents would call it. But we all loved music and wanted to play for people. We finished the program at the music store and kept the band together for three years playing in local bars and festivals. After a while the band broke up but stayed friends and still get together frequently to play music.

Music Makes Us Younger
I am now 52 years old. To keep my jones for music active, I became a member of the local "Blues Society" and the National Blues Foundation. I began writing reviews of new CDs and frequently go to blues jams in the area to play harmonica. I play guitar and or harmonica almost every day and dabble in other instruments like sax and keyboards. When I travel I bring some harmonicas with me and look for a bar with a friendly blues band who will let me sit in. The internet has helped me to meet wonderful people from around the world who enjoy blues music including friends from Perth, Australia and England who have actually come to Seattle to visit and enjoy some of the local music. I am starting a new career in real estate sales so I am backing off the music for a while but I will definitely be involved more as I grow
older. One never has to feel like they are too old to play harmonica in a blues band.

Music is an important part of life for everyone, especially boomers. But when it comes to popular music and blues/rock, the love reflects a period in life that we cherished. We cherish our youth and the feelings that we had during youth. We think that listening to and playing our music makes us feel more vital, even younger, because it was the music we listened to in our teens and twenties. We are finding more and more boomers awakening there love of music styles from the 60s and 70s now that they have more time to enjoy going out and now that more and more venues are going smoke-free. Every summer outdoor festivals are packed with boomers. They love live music because it is visceral, and they can feel the energy of the live performance and the message of the music.