Mike Bunn


Meet Mike Bunn from West Jordan, Utah.

I become an America Fan through my Guitar, which I started to play at the age of 12 in 1970. During my first years of guitar playing I played a 2-chord rhythm I made up and wrote some lyrics for, but my voice is terrible. One day while eating pizza, I heard the Song "A horse with no name" on the jukebox and thought, "cool", that's my chords (almost) with better lyrics. I went home and played the song with the nifty lyrics instead of my lame lyrics. My family heard me play "Hoarse" many times. Whenever they hear the song "Horse with no name" they think of me, so they say.

I immediately bought the "America" album and got hooked on the acoustic sound and harmonies. Then I bought the "Horse with no name" songbook and was playing all the songs on the album. During my 70's high school/college years I collected all the Albums and Songbooks as they came out (Homecoming, Hat Trick, Holiday, Hearts, Hideaway, Harbor) and would strum or key the chords on my guitar or family piano.

I went to an early 1970's concert at the University of Utah and a 1976/77 concert in Logan, Utah. After the concerts I would go home pull out my guitar and dream of being on stage with my guitar. Then, after seeing others reactions to my voice, I became a closet player. Religion (LDS mission), work (Mechanical Engineer) and family (wife and 4 kids) kept me both too busy and poor to putter on the guitar, buy albums, go to concerts, and dream of being an artist. I picked up "View from the Ground" in the 1980s and would spend at least a few months every year listening to old scratched records and strumming America tunes in my room. But, music took a back seat throughout most the 80's. From the 70's I like the Eagles, Doobbie Brothers, Chicago, Beach Boys (wife's favorite), Dan Fogleberg and CCR, but America is my favorite. My record/CD collection can attest to that. It's been great to learn from the America Fan page that America has collaborated with individuals from some of my favorite bands.

After getting a CD player in the early 90's I bought America's History CD (the only America CD I saw in the local music stores). My wife, knowing my love for America songs, found Hourglass and then the Human Nature CDs for my Birthdays. The Human Nature CD led me to the America Fans Web site. I think she regrets getting me started on America again, since she gets subjected to my guitar and singing. In the past year I've updated most my America Records with CDs via the Internet including Van Go Gan and BLW. My wife and I went to a mid 1990's Hourglass Concert in Salt Lake City and I took my 9 year old daughter to a Human Nature concert in Orem in 1999. Now I'm listening to CD's on my car's 6 CD changer or my PC while checking out the America Fan page. I pick up my guitar often to play "Hope", "Greenhouse", "Wheels are Turning" and "Wednesday Morning" along with my old favorites. Sometimes when my daughter Jessica hears me playing the guitar she Says "Dad, will you play Sandman", and sings "Cause I understand... He flies the sky like an eagle in the eye of a hurricane that's abandoned". Then I pick up the guitar and start strumming.

Between my four children (ages 8 to 16) and I, music is all over the house and cars now days. My kids have CD's by Britney Spears , 98°, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Ricky Martin, Faith Hill, Shania Twain, Savage Garden, Bon Jovi, STING, Creed, or whatever the latest radio hit turns out. They think my love for America music is old-fashioned. On road trips I'll let each of them use one slot in the 6 CD changer. I catch them singing/humming From a Moving Train, Sandman, Wheels, and other America tunes, or their Mom's Beach Boys tunes, as much as the so-called "in" stuff.


Here's my interpretation of A Horse with no Name, per Dewey's hint in the Box set, Gerry's hint to Andy, and some help from Cin.

Dewey's three chords with A tuned down to E, plus the E strings tuned down to D.

That is D E D G B D tuning.  1: 202002  2:020202  3:000202.

Two fingers back and forth, like Dewey says in the Box set.

EEm ------ D9/6------Dsus2/6------
    ||||||     ||||||       ||||||
    *|*||*     |*|*|*       |||*|*
    ||||||     ||||||       ||||||

Dewey's Part no alternate tuning -
With one guitar I hate retuning for a song.
Em ------ D9/6 ------Dsus2/6------
   ||||||      ||||||       ||||||
   |**|||      *|**||       |||*||
   ||||||      ||||||       ||||||


Gerry 12 string and Dan ?
Em9 ------  Em7 ------  D9/6------
    ||||||     5|**|||      ||||||
    |*|||*      ||||||      *||*||
    ||||*|      ||||||      ||||||

Repeat Dewey's same three chords throughout entire song

       EEm (4 counts)      D9/6(2c)    Dsus2/6(2c)
On the first part of the journey
I was looking at all the life
There were plants and birds and rocks and things
There was sand and hills and rings
 (Gerry and Dan come in now)
       Em9                Em7           D9/6 (Repeat throughout)
The first thing I met was a fly with a buzz
And the sky with no clouds
The heat was hot and the ground was dry
But the air was full of sound

Feel free to send your comments or questions to Mike.



Written: 30 August 2000
Last Revised: 25 November 2000