Note from Composer Reed Maxson

THE MOCK FAMILY
Notes on Letters and Memories
Reed Maxson

I have been reviewing nearly 35 years of correspondence with Jerry, Ruth and Julian Mock, consisting of approximately 120 letters, not counting post cards and email. The now adult children were ages 5, 7, and 9 at the beginning of this correspondence in 1975. During an era of failed marriages, broken and scattered families, I have had the opportunity to watch a family grow and develop, a somewhat rare and unique opportunity, with a unique family.

I met the Mocks through a mutual acquaintance, Patrick Read, who told me about a small, family owned press which published Creative Guitar International. Patrick was active in the classical guitar circles of Southern California, knew of some of my work and suggested that I contact the publisher, Mockingbird Press, which I did without expectations. I was pleasantly surprised by the cordial responses I received from both Ruth and Jerry Mock. Our initial correspondences were rather formal and business oriented, but continued to evolve into friendly exchanges of ideas and information including musical resources, teaching methods and styles, composing and arranging. Our communications continued expanding into areas such as energy efficient housing, the citrus industries of Texas and California, wood stoves and fireplaces, food, and family. We became friends through our letters. After many years, when members of the Mock family first visited my family in Davis, California, this first meeting had the quality of a joyful family reunion.

Beyond the technical demands of music composition, perhaps more difficult is finding or creating performance opportunities. The situation was perhaps even more difficult within the classical guitar world when Pat Read informed me of the Mockingbird Press due to the generally conservative preferences of the classical guitar community. But the Mocks threw caution to the wind when they invited me to compose a piece for them, not knowing what I might throw at them. I greatly appreciated (and appreciate) having been given the opportunity to invent something for them, having their trust extended to me, and their willingness to take a chance.

And chances they certainly were willing to take, far beyond suggesting that I compose for them. In addition to venturing into the publishing business, the family traveled extensively, performing in a wide array of venues. There are inherent inconveniences, difficulties and logistics in traveling. Included in the Mock's logistics were three young children, five guitars, sheet music and stands, as well as a limited budget and no outside support such as booking agents. Ruth and Jerry enthusiastically assumed all the necessary tasks with no discernible apprehensions, and did so with such ease that the children apparently thought that they simply did what “normal” people did. But they were not the normal, average American family in pursuit of an ephemeral security. They traveled, shared their inspiration and joy of music, and managed to carry their security with them along with the rest of their gear. The “gear” that they carried, beyond the physical equipment, was a clear sense of what makes sense in life.