Covers singer relies on long-term memory
“I was obsessed with music and collecting records from an early age. For some reason, I gravitated toward music of the 60s and early 70s. My mother listened to The Beatles, The Moody Blues, Neil Diamond and some Rolling Stones. But all the rest of it, I got into myself. I used to sit for hours looking at album covers and reading everything on them. I tend to like music that emphasizes melody, and that was very much a thing at that time.
“I’ve always had original projects, writing my own stuff. I started playing solo cover shows in 2004, and I’ve been doing that ever since. I was doing it full-time, before the coronavirus hit.
“I actually have a really large database of songs in my head from that era. When I get requests, the songs I can’t play are few and far between. I was listening to and learning songs at the same time I was learning my colors and how to read and write. I have a very intact long-term memory. My short-term memory is terrible. I can’t remember what I did yesterday. But I can remember all these song lyrics.
“Often when I’m at a show and playing a song, it’s literally just coming out of my body while I’m thinking about what I have to do tomorrow or something. I get to the end of the song and I’ll be like, did I just do that? It’s like driving a car after a while. It’s on auto-pilot.”
— Ryan Guidry
In addition to solo shows Ryan plays in several groups, including Picture Book and The Brunson Theater. He also plays with The Fab 40, which recreates and performs classic albums with a full orchestra. Follow him on Facebook or at ryanguidry.com.
Related:
