Whenever acoustic guitarist and singer Vince Sweeney is asked what kind of music he plays, there’s usually a long pause, a deep breath, and the beginning of a long-winded answer.
Heavily influenced by the songs and songwriters of the 1970s, Sweeney’s solo musical performances typically include an impressive blend of folk, rock, and country songs - some are familiar, others are hidden gems. From Jackson Browne to Neil Young; from the Eagles to the Beatles; from Springsteen to Petty and many more, Sweeney strings together great cover songs that add up to an enjoyable and relaxing sound that, over time, has become his unique and authentic brand of music.
“When people find out that I play guitar and sing,” Sweeney says, “their response is almost always the same. First, they’ll tell me that they that they didn’t know I played guitar and sang. And then, they’ll ask me what kind of music I play.
“From my early days of performing – the early 70s to today -- I have yet to come up with a good, concise answer.”
On one hand, Sweeney says, it’s complicated. “I can’t categorize the 250 songs on my current song list,” he says. “I’m not a folksinger, but I play some great folk songs. I’m not a country western guy, but some of my favorite songs are country. I play soft-rock, pop, traditional, songs from soundtracks, and much more.”
On the other hand, it’s simple. “I play songs that I love,” Sweeney says. “I like songs that are creative, songs with catchy melodies, songs with meaningful and insightful lyrics. I like songs that reflect life’s many moods. I especially like songs that immediately take you back to days gone by – times that make you smile and ponder and be grateful for a life well lived and the dream of brighter days ahead.”
Music wasn’t always part of Sweeney’s life. “I was a jock who loved playing football, basketball and baseball,” he says. “I came from an athletic family; was a huge fan of the Wisconsin Badgers and the Chicago Cubs. For most of my younger days, I loved listening to good music, but I certainly wasn’t passionate about it – especially compared to my passion for athletics.”
That began to change in 1970, during his freshman year in college. “I felt like the competitive athletics thing was winding down a bit and, in hindsight, I must have been looking for something else to pursue.”
So, at age 19, he stopped by a local music store in his hometown of Madison, Wisconsin, bought a $20 acoustic guitar and a songbook. The first song he learned was a sign of the times. “It was “Give Peace a Chance,” by John Lennon,” Sweeney quickly recalls. “I guess that song had meaning for me, and at that time, for many others.
“But the main reason I chose that was not because I wanted to make some kind of political statement during those wildly political times,” he says. “It was because I thought it was a song that was easy to learn for a beginner like me!”
Sweeney’s passion for music grew quickly. Before long, he joined forces with another acoustic guitarist, high school classmate and friend Randy Haines. Using childhood nicknames, they formed a duo called Gus and Emmitt. “We weren’t exactly the next coming of Simon and Garfunkel. It was more like Brewer and Shipley, but even that was quite a stretch!”
They quickly heard about a bar in downtown Madison, down Regent Street from historic Camp Randall Stadium the UW Field House. The bar, called Johnny Laugen’s after its owner, offered live music three nights a week. On weekends, the music was rock and roll – electric guitars, drums, bass guitar, piano and more. But on Wednesday nights, it was acoustic music.
Sweeney and Haynes stopped by the bar to talk with the owner and ask about performing there sometime. Laugen, the bar owner, said they should stop by the following Wednesday night and audition. “He just growled at us and said “Next Wednesday. Around 8 p.m. Show me what you got.”
Gus and Emmitt showed up, took the stage, played three songs for the owner. “When we were done, he growled at us again and asked if we could play the following Wednesday, seven days later.”
It was great news, Sweeney recalls, but there was a small problem.
“We only knew about six songs at the time,” Sweeney says. “We tried learning a few more, but when next Wednesday rolled around, we played on the back patio stage for four hours. We did more talking between songs that you could imagine. And we cycled through those six songs about four-five times. We were hoping that no one stayed very long!”
Later that year, Gus and Emmitt were hired to play at Christmas Mountain, a new ski resort in Merrimac, Wisconsin, about a 45-minute drive north of Madison. “For much of the Wisconsin winter, we played every Friday and Saturday night, and Sunday afternoon. We laughed about it – joking that it felt like the Beatles playing in the Liverpool pubs in their early days.”
Once again, Gus and Emmitt were busy adding new songs to the repertoire. “The popular song at the time was American Pie, which one of the longest songs ever written. We did our best. The song was requested throughout the night – and we just kept repeating and repeating it.
“We were fortunate to have a gig like that,” Sweeney says. “Lots of energy. New place. The rich tradition of après ski and all the good times associated with it.”
The following summer, there was another memorable gig for Gus and Emmitt. They were booked at a downtown Madison eatery and pub called The Brat und Brau, where they performed every Wednesday night in the summer of ’72. The weekly event was promoted as Nurses Night. Medical professionals were offered drink specials. The event was lively; the music was entertaining.
“When the nurses found out there were free drinks, they stopped by in droves to check it out,” Sweeney says. “And, not surprisingly, when the young men heard about that, they stopped by to check it out, too. It was a great gig. The bar was packed. Long lines to get in. Lots of great summertime fun on a weekly basis.”
Speaking of great summertime gigs, for two straight summers Sweeney – who was now performing as a solo artist – headed west and played five nights a week at the Depot Restaurant and Bar in downtown Missoula, Montana. Often, after finishing his gig in the restaurant bar, he would head down to the Top Hat Lounge to hear local bands play country western and bluegrass music.
“It was the best of both worlds,” Sweeney said. “Performing for two hours a night, then listening to some of the best live music I had ever heard, music that had a big impact on me.”
There was a point in time when Sweeney and Haines joined up with a bass player and a drummer and spent a short period of time playing in a rock and roll band. Early on, the four members of the new band each chipped in money to buy a used van. And while the band now had a van, it didn’t have a name. Apparently lacking any originality – at least in regard to naming their band – the four band members decided to use the name of the company that remained painted on the side of the used van – and thus, they became known as La Rosa Electric. The band lasted less than a year. “We always liked to say that we weren’t very good,” Sweeney says. “But we were really loud!”
Eventually, Sweeney began to pay significantly more attention to other important aspects of his life. He found the love of his life – his wife Sharon. They married in 1985, raised a family, worked at jobs they loved, and spent quality time with a bevy of family and friends. And while music remained important to Sweeney, his musical career – with its vault full of great memories – found its rightful place on the backburner of a good life.
But as retirement neared, Sweeney decided to dust off the guitar, sing a few songs, and rekindle that love for music.
“I had always played a little bit of guitar over those many years” Sweeney recalls. “But when I had a bit more time on my hands, I decided to rekindle that musical spirit and see where that journey might go.”
In the summer of 2020, Sweeney began booking gigs in Madison. “I played on the back patio at a local country club,” he says. “I loved it. It felt like I had hit the ground running.”
The number of gigs continued to grow. Each summer, he has a steady stream of performances in and around his hometown of Madison. In recent years, he’s added some wintertime gigs in southwest Florida as well.
“There’s no doubt I am a lucky guy,” Sweeney says.
Over a 50-year period, Sweeney has performed in front of a number of audiences large and small. Asked to name his all-time favorite gig, Sweeney has a surprising answer. It wasn’t those early days at Johnny Laugen’s, or Christmas Mountain, or The Brat und Brau, or the Depot, or any of those traditional musical performance venues.
“I was working overseas in the Netherlands in a Peace Corps type job,” Sweeney says. “It was in a home for juveniles who, for one reason or another, were struggling.
“The staff actually lived in this group home – it clearly was a 24/7 type of job. When folks there found out I knew how to play the guitar and sing, they assigned me with a special task.
“Each morning, when the house was still, when no one was awake, when the sun was about to rise, when it was time for everybody’s day to begin, I picked up my guitar and walked the halls, strumming my guitar and singing a soft, quiet song or two, helping everybody start their day with some gentle, peaceful music.
“Everybody said it was the best part of their day. They said they looked forward to it.
“I absolutely loved doing that. My passion for music soared as a result of that. Looking back, it was a strong reminder to me that music – for so many different reasons - can and should be an important and valuable part of our lives.”