Barry Nilsen:  

in 1999, partly as a gift to my soon-to-be wife, and partly because a doctor told me I was developing emphysema. Yikes! I don't miss it a bit. Playing music has stuck with me through most of my life. I began playing piano as a 5-year-old, joined the flutophone band in elementary school, played trumpet in Junior High and picked up bass and 6-strong guitar around 1970. Bass was a choice, really. I had originally started on a cheap acoustic 6-string then switched to bass when a Folk band I was in needed someone to replace their original bass player. From there, I stayed pretty much with bass through the remainder of high school and onward. Most of my public playing has been on a volunteer basis within the Christian church, although that is by no means the extent of my capabilities with the instrument, my creative experimentation with music composition or my experience playing with others. Many people over time have said I'm very good with the bass. I humbly try not to let it go to my head. I know there are plenty of bass players who are much more skilled at it than I am. I've also stayed with guitar, keys and bought a ukulele recently. I'm nowhere near as good with guitar as I would like to be. Various aspects of my overall health picture hold me back a bit now: hearing loss and arthritis in my fingers.".