Not long after I started at the Tribune in 2002, I found myself interviewing a hearing-impaired banjo player.
I'm not a fan of banjo music, but I quickly became a fan of Lori Mulford, who knew more "Deliverance" jokes than anyone I'd ever met.
Soon after, I was talking to a Land O' Lakes artist-activist who had successfully battled the construction of a strip mall on U.S. 41, a lounge singer married to a former Miss Outlaw Biker and a 90-year-old honey maker who still read Playboy.
Since then, I've enjoyed scribbling down the musings of a steady stream of characters. Through a new blog - for those who don't know, it's a sort of Web-based journal good for loose, short narratives - I plan to update their stories and maybe discover more personalities. Best of all, we'll be recording many of our interviews, so you can see and hear people telling their stories.
Sometimes, I might need your help. For instance, I'd like to find Mulford again but can't find her number.
Rob Beaumont, a multi-instrumentalist born into a musical Dade City family, is the first person I talked to for the blog, which is called Everyday People. I first met him in May 2003 when he was playing at San Ann Liquors & Lounge.
Beaumont said he'd been a musician since about age 7, when he fell in love with ragtime music. After graduating from Pasco High School in 1972, he went on the road as a professional musician.
Five years ago, he said he no longer had the desire to travel full time and play music between bus stops. He was content with regular gigs at San Ann Liquors & Lounge on State Road 52 and other area night spots.
He still is.
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