Singer, songwriter has a way with kids
_BY CARL-JOHN X _VERAJA Florida Weekly Correspondent

FLORIDA WEEKLY PHOTO CARL-JOHN X. VERAJA Singer, songwriter, author Darrell House oversees closing of coffeehouse Sweet Bean Café in Fort Myers recently.

Often compared to Jerry Garcia and Santa Claus in appearance, Darrell House sees himself as part of a folksy musical tradition that was symbolic of the 1960s and still remains vital for many in the modern day. His dialogue and work is full of hypnotic moments that can make his audience forget the present but he also continues to be original and productive.

Coincidentally, a day after I spoke to House, one of his venues, the Sweet Bean Café, was closed down after the regular Thursday night Open Mike Night hosted by Nita Flores.

His CD's and his children's book, "Miller the Green Caterpillar," can be purchased online at darrellhouse.com.

FW: Tell me where you got started and where your music career took off.

DH: I come all the way from Middletown, Ohio near Cincinnati and my father's family was all musical. They would go up to the VFWs on Friday nights for the fish fry. I would get up and sing with my uncles. They would all play. I would get up and play "King of the Road." My dad played guitar and harmonica and I started playing guitar at about 9.

By the time I was about 14, I had some built some ability and that was about '64. I started to get out and play in some coffee houses and I just kept going. My parents listened to old country music, The Grand Ole Opry Saturday nights on the radio, the Brothers Four and Kingston Trio and that sort of thing. I sort of grew in that direction and then it was Leonard Cohen and then more and more folk singers - The Beatles and Donovan, Dylan ... all that music kind of carried me away. And I've just been doing this my whole life. I've had a couple of real jobs. But pretty much my whole life I've been a musician.

FW: Have you ever played with anybody well known?

DH: Over the years I've done some interesting things. One of the real jobs that I had, I was a disc jockey up in Kentucky. I had a country band playing on some of the local spots over there. I was on the radio so I was a draw. I had the opportunity during that era to open for some concert attractions. I worked with Kitty Wells. I opened a show for Hank Williams Jr. before he was the outlaw - back when he was the more mellow Hank Williams Jr. Donna Fargo had a hit record called "The Happiest Girl in the Whole USA." My band opened for her one time. I played with a bluegrass group up in Ohio back in 1974. They were called "Sage Brush." They were pretty popular around southwest Ohio. The band broke up. I was kinda disappointed in southwest Ohio and this small town. The first opportunity I had was to come to Florida. It was getting cold up there. I took advantage; showed up 1975 in Fort Lauderdale, decided I'm never going back.

FW: Tell me about the first children's book you authored.

DH: My book is called "Miller the Green Caterpillar." It's kind of an interesting scenario. When my kids were in first and second grade, I would go to their school to pick them up in the afternoon. And rather than fight all that ridiculous traffic that inundates the mornings and afternoons in most schools, I'd have them go in half an hour early, sit under this big oak tree out in front of the school and I would just try to write things for half-an-hour to make my girls laugh. I would write funny poems or songs or stories. The second year they were there, all the second graders got together and they built a butterfly garden right next to this tree where I parked my car everyday. Before long the butterflies were coming around and I got this idea for a story, "Miller the Green Caterpillar." And finally through musical programs in the library I met an author. She and I were talking after the show: she said, "I love your stories. Your stories, your songs and your poems. I think your stuff is better than mine can I introduce you to my publisher." I said I thought that would be wonderful and she introduced me to my publisher and we came up with this beautiful book. It's my story but the truth is the artwork is absolutely gorgeous. Patti Argoth from Connecticut is the illustrator. She just finished my second book which I'm starting to show to some publishers. It's called "The King of Fish." But she's absolutely a world-class illustrator.