Chip Withrow is a teacher and musician who has lived, performed, and taught in Fort Myers for the last thee years. His musical journey began at a young age with guitar and piano lessons. With a natural love and talent for improvising, he gravitated toward jazz and blues, and for many years, piano was his main instrument. In his early adult years, he began to be influenced by folk artists like Bob Dylan and was drawn to the improvisational jamming and American-influenced sounds of the Grateful Dead and to the story-telling of artists like Bruce Springsteen and Paul Simon. Working on his own, he became an accomplished guitar player. In Cincinnati, he played with several blue grass and folk acts in the early 1990s. During the same time, he left textbook publishing to become a teacher and found a true calling in inspiring hard-to-motivate students through the study and writing of poetry. He published a paper on the topic in a professional teaching journal in June 2000. Always challenged and delighted by his students, Withrow has devoted himself to sharing the joy of learning with young people. He teaches currently at Ida S. Baker High School in Cape Coral, Florida. After the birth of his daughter Josie in 2002, Withrow experienced a creative reawakening and began to actively write songs in addition to performing. His move to his “true home” in Fort Myers further inspired his work. The songs he wrote for adults during that time often had serious themes and painstakingly crafted stories. Always known for his lighter side, Withrow tried his hand at some children’s songs with some inspiration from Josie. He discovered a natural talent and a new way to share the joy he finds in life. The release of his first CD, Everyday Things, is a celebration of that joy and the journey Withrow has taken to discover his calling writing folk music for kids and families. The Story Behind Everyday Things - in Chip’s own words. Shortly after we moved to Fort Myers, I began writing songs. Long, wordy songs - some pretty good, others not so hot. Then one late afternoon at the beach, our daughter Josie told me that she thought the setting sun looked like a big red ball. So I wrote a song about it. Later, Josie and I were reading a book about animals and she pronounced the “g” in “gnu.” I wrote a song about it. I began looking at music and songwriting in a whole new way. The songs were coming to me in bursts, and the lyrics were making me smile as I wrote them. So now, I’m taking off on a new adventure - what I call “folk rock for groovin’ families.” These are songs that I hope kids and their parents will dig together - some are fun, some teach lessons, some are heartwarming. This is a journey that Josie, my wife Anna and I are taking together. When Josie dances, I know I’m onto something. And Anna is my manager, best friend, occasional critic and reluctant back-up singer. Life is good - we find the joy in everyday things. Hope you find the joy and take the journey with us.