I'll Sing On

Sam Young is many things: jazz musician, composer, conductor, editor, writer, pastor, teacher, mentor, spouse, father, and friend. He is also a great storyteller!

One of the true pleasures of editing this book has been spending time absorbed in the stories, in the company of generations of Sam’s friends and colleagues and family (many of whom may be known by the reader personally or as influential figures of the twentieth century) as they come alive through the details of conversations remembered. With honesty and transparency and genuine affection, Sam recounts narratives and dialogues with nearaudible nuance and inflection and turns of phrase, capturing personalities and foibles, poignant moments and hilarious gaffes, the full range of human interaction and encounter.

Places and events—from a small town in Ohio to a village in Malaysia, from military bases to the Great Wall of China, from the Publishing House to the Rathaus, civil rights struggles and denominational difficulties, the mundane and extraordinary—all emerge with attentive description and focused detail, told by one who embraces and lives in a big world. The sights and smells of markets in Mutare, Rio de Janeiro, Beijing, and Tainan and the sounds of combos, orchestras, and choirs in concert halls, clubs, and churches become sensory experiences for the reader. And everywhere and always the songs of faith echo in multiple languages and styles.

Woven throughout are tender glimpses of family and home—children and pets, joy and grief, disappointment and celebration—the 75-year story of Sam and Marj together.

These musings and memoirs are the song of a remarkable life. Sing on Sam!

~Barbara Day Miller