Introduction

This book is dedicated to my friend, John Sproule, who among many other things, taught me how to play Neil Young's "Helpless" on the guitar while we were both in college at Loyola of Montreal a few decades ago.  Despite all the years that have passed since those wonderful afternoons of jamming with John and Earl in John's family living room on Connaught Avenue, my current guitar skills might well be described, appropriately, as helpless, but my enjoyment of singing a song while strumming the strings of a guitar are as strong today as they were back in the 70's, and I shall be eternally grateful to John for this simple pleasure.