Happy Birthday Kevin, it's been 40 years!

It was 40 years ago that Kevin Mannarino and I first met.  Kevin turns 52 today, December 19, 2010 and we've been through a lot together over the years.

Kevin's dad Joe Mann

Kevin's dad owned and operated "Joe Mann Dance Studio" in the 1950's

Kevin's Mom

Joe Mann and two students

Kevin's father and mother on stage

Yep, in the picture below, that's the one and only Uncle Milton and to Kevin he really was Uncle Milton.  From what I've been told Kevin's dad and Milton Berle were very good friends and played a lot of golf together.

Kevin has told me that he can remember sitting on the bottom steps of stairs that led to the practice room when his father had a class going.  As young as he was he didn't know who the Stars were that his father was teaching to dance.  I would love to drop a name or two but I don't quite remember who Kevin has told me some of them were.  However, the fact that Kevin's father was a good friend of Milton Berle should tell you that there were probably more than just a few famous people in Joe Mann's classes.

Keith, Mom & Kevin

After Kevin's father passed away when he was young his mother moved the family to Denver, Co. where Kevin and I would met when we were 12 years old.  My birthday is Nov 19th and Kevin's is Dec 19th and both of us born in the same year, when there were only 48 states in the Union.

I would have to write a book about all the funny times Kevin and I have had.  I'm sure it's like that for so many people in the world.  But, to me Kevin is special.  Kevin was the kid in school who was teased by the kids with low self esteem.  But he seemed to always overcome that.  His mother would later refer to Kevin as my shadow.  Partly because I walked at a strong pace and Kevin would at times lag behind, but more because Kevin was tall and thin so he looked like my shadow, to her.

What first started our friendship was our humor.  There has never been anyone one who has made me laugh so hard I couldn't breath.  Over the years we developed a routine, so to speak, of how we looked at things and commented on them.  He would say one thing and I'd bounce something back.  I'd say something and he'd bounce it back to me.

One of the funniest moments we had as children, and keep in mind this is just one of them, was when I stayed over at Kevin's one weekend.  I needed a bowl for something and I grabbed one.  Kevin replied, "No, that's a salad bowl."  So I grabbed another bowl and he said, "No, that's a soup bowl."  I put that back and grabbed another bowl and that did it.  Kevin hit the floor laughing like he was going to die because I'd grabbed a mixing bowl.  I had no idea there were so many different bowls for so many different uses.  I can't recall what kind of bowl I needed but we could take something like that and fly with it until our stomachs hurt from laughing to much.

Kevin around 15 years old

Kevin started out as a drummer but wanted to play the guitar so I think, I'm not sure, I taught him a few chords.  From there he taught himself scales and eventually did the lead guitar for our first band.

I know you can barely see us in the picture but that's Kevin on the left, me in the middle and Mark Saltus on the right.  We rode out bikes to Kiawa, Co and back to get ready for a 750 mile bike trip at my church.

Kevin was there when I wrote my first song and he was in my first band "The Living Letters".

That's Kevin in the middle next to me over his shoulder.  I always envied his hair because it seemed to do what he wanted to it.  My hair was so curly that it never really looked right long, in the 70's.

The girl next to Kevin, on his right, is Misty his girl friend at the time.  Tragically, it was her daughter Cassie Bernall that stood up and proclaimed she was a Christian during the Columbine shootings and was killed for it. Michael W. Smith released This Is Your Time as a tribute to Cassie.  I remember talking to Kevin on the phone after it happened and he said, "She could have been my daughter."

Kevin was there when we started our next band Omega III in 1976.

Kevin was there when I got out of the Navy and later joined me, my wife and our new son Jerry Jr. in Tuscon, Az.  We tried to work out putting music together but Tuscon wasn't the place to do it.

He's been there when we've played Coffee houses that had no one there except the staff.

And he was there when we recorded our first album together.  You can't see me very well on the right side of the picture but that's us mixing the first album.

Kevin took pictures of me for promotion and after word I got one of him trying to wear my hat.

Like many friends life goes on.  I remarried and Kevin married.  He went his way for a time and I went mine.  By 98' I had put together many of the tracks for my second album and first CD "Standing on the Rock".  But, to put the studio together in the first place required me to constantly call Kevin for advice.

Mann Studios 1993

Kevin, like most musicians, had been banded to the basement by his wife to play his heart out with all of his equipment.  Kevin was the one who knew about all the sound engineering stuff and I called him regularly with frustrating questions about how to record.

By 98' Kevin's studio was complete and I went to Denver to record tracks at Mann Studios.

We not only laid down some great tracks but went right back to our old selves when it came to humor and bouncing things off each other.

I could go on and on and on about Kevin.  There are so many memories after 40 years of friendship.  That's us at my wedding in 2005, he was my Best Man.

Jerry Corelli & Kevin Mannarino.

Kevin has taught me patience and he's taught me tolerance.  He's given me laughter and he's given me his time.  He's recorded on 4 of my albums and never asked for a dime.  We've written music together, written lyrics together and turned them into songs we've recorded together.  He has two sons and I have two sons.  He's Italian and I'm Italian.  He's smart and he's wise and he thinks things through.  He gives and doesn't say what will you give me in return.  We see many things the same and many things differently.  Kevin Mannarino is so much more to me but the best thing I can say about him is, "He's my friend!"  Happy Birthday Kevin!