MANSFIELD, Ohio — Local solo musician and performer Steve Brown has performed favorite jazz and pop songs in Richland County for nearly 30 years. His repertoire of popular hits and jazz numbers seems endless. Who is behind the fast-moving fingers, the inspired smile, the nod to approving listeners?
How and when did his talent bloom?
It wasn’t with piano lessons.
He first learned morse code, the jumble of rhythmic patterns that, when decrypted, convey a clear message. He mastered it when he was 12 years old. Soon after, he got his license to be a ham radio operator.
Learning morse code was his first lesson on rhythm. He remembers being fascinated with the cryptic language because he could communicate with people from all over the world, but only to the others who knew the language. It was like being in a club and he loved it.
As a child, he hated playing the piano. When lessons started, he despised practicing. The arbitrary squiggly lines connected by dots on a score sheet confused his young mind. “That’s London Bridge?”
So he did what he knew: he learned each song’s intricate key patterns and memorized them–just like morse code.
“I hated [piano lessons]. I never practiced. I liked playing by ear,” remembered Brown, now a retired 62-year-old who has grown his repertoire to over 200 songs.
He plays all of the songs by memory, he said, using his iPad only for referencing lyrics. This gives him the chance to look out at the crowd as the songs spark nostalgia, reminding them of younger days. Seeing the faces light up on the first notes of songs like Sinatra’s Fly Me to the Moon is what he enjoys most about playing music.
He remembers the first time he accomplished that. He was a freshman at Toledo University. One night a local band needed a sub for their clarinetist. Brown happened to dabble with clarinet from time to time so he offered to stand in at their gig in a downtown bar.
“That was when I really got hooked,” said Brown.
Music stayed with him in his professional career. He landed his first teaching job as assistant band director at Mansfield Senior High School in 1974. He stayed there for four years and then moved on to Crestview Schools to be its head band director, where his tenure lasted 5 years.
After 9 years of teaching, Brown got his master’s in higher education and had a 24-year career as principal at four different schools in Ohio: Loudonville, Ashland, Columbus, Wooster.
With summers, week nights and weekends off, Brown stayed connected to performing.
“I was a principal by day, a musician by night,” said Brown.
His 33-year teaching career only reinforced his love for music. As a principal, he knows all too well that school budgetary decisions often render music and art curriculums non-existent.
“There’s always been talk of the arts being cut in schools. I hope that doesn’t happen. Research has shown that kids do better in math and language arts skills if they have music. As a school administrator I would always support the arts,” said Brown.
One day when he was a principal, Brown subbed in for his general music teacher when he called in sick. He repeated that wherever he served as principal.
“I guess that’s it, I love music. The way it touches people. It makes people happy,” said Brown.
In June 2015, his job as Ashland University’s director of graduate education was eliminated. “More time to play more music,” said Brown with a smile.
Now he plays around town often. In fact, it’s been a good summer — “I’m playing a lot,” he said. When he’s not playing a solo gig with his piano, he carts around his trio band, Paradigm. He also plays in a five piece band, Good Vibes Band. And then he also plays with the American Federation of Music.
For a full list of dates for upcoming shows, visit his website.
