I've always had people appreciate my ear for music. Before I sang, I would have people buy me beers to select the playlist on the jukebox. When I started singing but before I began playing, I would have people buy me drinks to sing their favorite song on karaoke. But a couple of weeks ago, I received my first buck as a musician.

A friend had come in from out of town and I was at work. I went to meet him after I was done at work. He was at a restaurant, which was closing. I pulled into the parking lot of the bar next to the restaurant, and we exchanged greetings, discussing some of the things we had been working on since we last met. He played a song of his, and I began to play "The Ballad of a Dime", one of my original tunes. I was about halfway through the song when one of the patrons came out of the bar. He listened intently to the song.

When it was over, he said, "That was great, man. I have to give you something". He reached into his pockets and produced a prescription drug bottle. "Do you want any Viagra?"

I looked at him jokingly and said, "sir, I have six kids. If I brought Viagra home, the wife would KILL me!"

He dug a little further and produced a dollar. I still have it hanging on the wall.

Some of the stories you come across on the road you just can't MAKE up!