Kathy and Patrick Schwar rediscovered their guitars several years ago and then discovered—with Golden Link inspiration—that singing together could be rather fun. They grew up around Chicago. They later made their way west of the Mississippi (they must have gone crazy out there) and then back east of the Cuyahoga, and later, the Genesee. They landed here 34 years ago. The miles could tell a million tales . . . .
Married 45 years, gasp, among the most difficult “discussions” have been over what songs to learn and sing together, what to go public with, and also what instruments to include. Kathy added mandolin and banjo fairly recently. But through all the tumult and the strife, how could they keep from singing?
When I was 13 The Beatles hit the scene and like about a billion other people I started trying to learn how to play the guitar. I ended up playing lead guitar in a band in high school and more recently spent 20 years on a church worship team. In 2019, I began learning to play the banjo and the fiddle. I was surprised to find that fewer strings on an instrument doesn’t necessarily make it any easier to play. Being in Golden Link has given me a place and a reason to explore new instruments and introduced me to music that I mistakenly thought I knew something about. I’m like a man who took his little boat on a pond then discovered he was actually floating on an ocean.