Glenn Sciurba

Glenn Sciurba (aka Tex Burbank). I was fortunate recently to connect up with my old pal, who I had lost touch with back in the 1970s. We grew up together on the same block in Burbank, California, along with enough other guys our age to make decent football and baseball teams in the street. Unlike some of my friends and acquaintances, I have many full memories of growing up, the bucolic tree-canopied street and modest ranch-style homes of suburban LA. Valley guys, you could say we were. Good kids, a good youth, a good locale.

A distinction in my friendship with Glenn was that he took guitar lessons and really learned to play -- and was generous and shared his experience, his guitars, and his music with me. I struggled with a poor guitar of my own, but I really made progress when Glenn and I played at his place and he began to show me where to put my fingers on the frets, how to make chords, and especially how to play music with another person. That last bit is not trivial; it is a different experience and dynamic to play with another person than to play with a record.

Glenn kept at it all these years. The last I knew of him from friends, he was selling Travis Bean's classic plexiglass guitars to the Rolling Stones. Yeah. He's had a long career in music, playing guitar with many big-name acts such as Cher, Badfinger, Commander Cody as well as playing and composing on his own. I was delighted when I recently caught up with Glenn and found him as interesting as ever, and as gracious and friendly a person as I'd ever hope to meet. Good for you, Glenn, and thank you for your kindnesses.

So, Glenn has a question about Stimson Beach: Is the Sand Dollar still there? Yes, it is. Yes indeed.