A stream of consciousness from Larry Shar.....

I woke up at 5AM the other night crying in my sleep. My adoring and adored wife of 38 years said that I uttered the words "I'm not drunk; I'm just emotional" I told her that in my dream I was eulogizing my father who died in 1979 and in my dream he was still alive. Well , I haven't been drunk in 17 years but I guess I'm still emotional!!.

I have no doubt that Andy's passing has brought me back to my first 18 years of life as I have not stopped thinking about he and I and those glory days since I was informed of his death.

I have only wonderful memories of my growing up in Brooklyn in the 50's and 60's with my childhood friends Andy, Johnny, Frankie, Eggy, Mark, Teri, Barbara and so many others.....no computers, no cell phones.....just us; playing street games....hoops, football on the beach and in the street (button-hook at the Red Cadillac), spinning the bottle....and loving each other like brothers and sisters.

Andy was very much a part of my life for my first 18+ years. I was at his house on Beaumont Street a few times a week waiting until he finished practicing the piano so that we could meet up with the other guys to shoot hoops in Manhattan Beach Park.  The fact that I was always prompt and Andy not so much, never bothered me because I enjoyed his talent but even more witnessing the joy he derived in playing. In fact, Andy always projected infectious positivity, happiness and kindness.

As time went by and we all became more proficient musically, Andy, Frank, Eggy and I decided to  put a group together which after rehearsing in Andy's basement and subsequently in Marge Guthrie's (Woody's wife and Arlo's mom) dance studio "Merging Traffic" emerged; yours truly as lead singer, Andy on keyboards, Frankie on rhythm guitar and Eggy on bass. (The drummer was an import from Long Island whose name I forget).

We worked and played hard to become something together and were finally rewarded a publishing and recording contract with Regent Music Corporation in 1967 which my father had to sign as we were all underage.  As our first million didn't sell a million and in fact was never released and I was about to get married I left the group. I am both jealous and grateful that the rest of the group pursued their dreams and made their careers in music.

I can't think of Andy without bringing a smile to my face. He was kind, sensitive; a good listener and always there for me when I needed him......which was often.

Andy, know that I still love you and that you were a big part of a magical moment of my life.

Fester away my friend

Lovingly,

Larry Shar

In 1975, my first husband, Richard, picked up a hitch hiker in San Francisco.  Richard asked the hitch hiker, "Do you play an instrument?"  The hitch hiker (Andy) said, "Yes, I do!"  When I returned from work that day, Andy was there, music was happening, and Andy never left.  Andy and Richard became a duo with a following.  At some point, it was decided that we would all move to Anchorage.  Andy and Richard played at a bar called Chilkoot Charlie's.  It was populated by drunken Texans who were in Alaska to build the pipeline.  They requested songs such as "Tennessee Stud."  Sometimes, they would ask for "Mr. Bojangles" and then become emotional and weep.  More often, they would get into barroom brawls.  These two Jewish boys from New York and Chicago seemed to handle this with aplomb.

When Richard died, too soon, ten years ago, Andy and Annie came to New Orleans for the memorial service.  Andy had written a song about Richard which he played on Richard's piano.  Andy was a very welcome presence that day.

Andy was a prankster.  He was light on a dark day.  He will be missed.

Rest in Peace, my friend.

Andy sent me a brief but positive  November, 2020 Thanksgiving email,  musician to musician:

🎶Peter Bro 🎹On this tail of Thanksgiving, 🦃I just wanna say,

I'm grateful for our friendship! 🙏

with love & a big hug,

🤗 Andy🎶

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My long response!

On gratitude for our friendship: Me too Andy! I’ve known you for a long time and you're one of the most generous and kind people any friend could ever know.

We go all the way back to the 99 restaurant -🍔- from the time I got fired from there and you got hired -🎹- and have been friends ever since (an unlikely outcome under normal circumstances), from hanging out on the beaches 🏖 of Nantucket, from the Katie days, involving me, you and Carol and how hard you tried to manage it all and the help you steered me to with Dr. Tsai 🇨🇳when I was losing my voice and opened up a whole new alternative healthcare world for me, to the benefit concert 🎶 you invited me to with Bruce Marshall 🎸 and others from wdname2.gifto the recording of one of your albums that you gave me a shot to sing harmony on, to sharing gigs, to being invited to your fun wedding 💒 and meeting Annie 👰 and especially to the way to your talked me into coming to the River and opened up opportunities for me to meet some incredible students at teachers and other musicians atCRS_Logo.png

and the way you have encouraged me to get to writing, recording and producing my own music You’re most appreciated and I miss having you in JP where I run 🏃 regularly now at the pond

Thanks for all the inspiration you,ve given me and countless others. You’re the best bro’, #1 . Don’t ever fall from touch. Luv ya man!

Peter

Hi Annie- I have been thinking about Andy since I heard of the changes he was going through, mainly through Teri who said she'd talked to him a couple of times in the past two years.  The 'depression' he fell into seemed so out of character for him.

My recollection of Andy  was that he was the sweetest, most gentle person, and always upbeat!  Even his voice which is so clear in my mind had a soft and happy sound...

I have been  so sorry about his and your ordeal over the past couple of years. It all sounded so odd to me knowing Andy as I did.

Mainly I knew him through Frank Fuchs . Even though I definitely knew Andy in high school and we attended the same college, I got to know him better when Frank Eggy Andy and I,  lived together in Cincinnati on the edge of beautiful Eden Park in one of Andy's relatives homes who for reasons I won't go into, left their home and we were able to use it.  We went there because Andy had the use of a recording studio for free whenever he  needed it.  

We lived in a big old house altogether.  Evenings we'd go to Mt. Adams ,(the Greenwich Village of Cincinnati) where Andy,  Frank and eventually Eggy,( I think he came out there at a later time) , would perform their music with a woman (actually girl! ) whose name was Star! I think she was a Janis Joplin type. She was great. 

Andy Eggy and Frank had such a special relationship. They really loved each other. It was palpable and I felt lucky to be included in the warmth of what they had together. 

The winter was warm there and the birds were abundant and I bought a little old used Volkswagen , turquoise blue, which had a stick shift and a hole in the floor and we drove it to and from the club where they played music.   Sometimes I cooked from recipes my mom would send me through snail mail! I don't know how we ate on a regular daily basis. Those things seemed to not be top of mind then as they are now. 

We always had trouble getting it together to leave the house and Andy dubbed what we did when we'd be trying to get it together as ' festering'. Recalling that seems like yesterday. 

Cincinnati was a beautiful place and I'll always think so fondly of living there with those three .

I'm so so sorry I can't reminisce with Andy now and tell him what a sweetheart he was and is as always in my thoughts.

'Oceans of love' to you Annie.

Laura

This helped me remember who Andy was as recently as 2020. 

It is SO goofy and SO Andy!

I’ve known Andy since kindergarten. We were 4 years old when we met. He, Frank, Michael, Alice, Janet and I used to play in the sandbox in the back of Frank’s house on Amherst Street. … it was  a little neighborhood on the southern tip of Brooklyn, right on the Atlantic Ocean. It was a magical place to grow up in… it was our world…a safe and sound place where everything felt ok… we were like an extended family, always protecting each other, always there for each other…. As we grew older, the games changed… from the sandbox, we moved on to potsie, stickball, punchball, and, of course, stoop ball ! After all, we were from Brooklyn !!  In the 5th grade, we were tested for our musical ability, and if we showed any possibility, we’re placed in Mrs Israel’s music class. .. So when Andy, Frank, Larry Shar, Mike, Danny Perlov and I ( among others),passed the test, we were assigned our instruments, and became part of the PS225 band… Many years later, Andy found out that I’d gotten hold of Mrs Israel’s song book… he begged me for it, so I “loaned” it to him. We’d always laugh  years later about the songs we used to sing in that class .,….even last year, when Andy’s precious wife Annie arranged a few phone calls for Andy and me, we sang and laughed about Mrs Israel !

Andy was a kind, sweet, sensitive human being with a wonderful smile and a soft and beautiful personality… he was always interested in learning and growing… he was so loved by all who knew him… Laura recently said how sad she felt , not to have had the chance to tell Andy how sweet he was … I told her I was sure he  knew she felt that way

Though I didn’t see Andy all that much in the last bunch of years, he drove down to my house to have a visit with Frank, Eggie, Larry and me…. He played piano and we sang all afternoon ! It was  so special!….. and he and Annie drove down to NY to celebrate Allen’s and my 50th wedding anniversary 7 years ago !… he got to see Eggie, Laura, Lenny and Mark, and that was absolutely wonderful as well !

I’m sure, Andy, that wherever you are, there’s music and love to accompany you…

Thanks for giving those of us who knew and loved you , the privilege of your friendship

Teri Litman