Friend a Day – Eddie Jeff Cahill

I’ve known Eddie Jeff since 1996 when we sang “Wild Rover” together.  Mutual friend Terry Foy was looking for someone to play the song and he asked a big group if anyone knew the song.  Both of us knew the song so we performed it together.

Two days later, we got sent out on a promotional event as a music act.  We barely knew each other but we sounded pretty good together.  Good enough to fool our audience, anyway. He knew a lot more songs than I did but I could play along and I’m pretty fast at figuring out the lyrics to a chorus.

Because he’d been around Renaissance Festivals all his life, I assumed he knew “Ramblin’ Rover” so I asked him if he wanted to sing it.  “Sure,” he said.

So I started singing the song and he would cheerfully sing the last syllable of every verse.  Finally I stopped and looked at him and said “you don’t know this song at all, do you?”

“Not a lick,” he replied.

The audience loved it.

We’ve played music together, off an on, ever since.

Eddie Jeff is an absolutely great guitar player and he has a fantastic singing voice.  He spends most of his life on the road, travelling from gig to gig.  It’s a tough life but one that, I think, makes him happy most of the time.

He’s got the unique ability to be able to work with just about anyone.  If you can carry a tune, he’ll be able to carry it with you.

The most talented people I know are also the most generous with their talent.  Eddie Jeff is the embodiment of that.  He is so remarkably good and yet he will share the stage with anyone.

I don’t spend nearly enough time around him these days because he goes where he can make the most money and that is not, unfortunately, the Minnesota Festival.

Any time I can be around him, though, is a treat.  He’s a great talent and a great person.