Like most people, Jim
Hull began a lifelong musical journey in early childhood, being exposed to the
styles of music preferred by parents and siblings and being introduced to basic
music theory and instrumentation in elementary school. At home, early
influences, owed to parental preferences, were popular country music flowing
from A.M. radio and crooners like Bing Crosby, Andy Williams, Frank Sinatra and
Elvis coming from the stereo console. Then, of course, came The Beatles. Jim's
passion for public performance was sparked at a Boy Scout talent show at which
he and three young colleagues created cardboard instruments and lip-synced to "I
Saw Her Standing There."
At age 11, Jim was selected (after
an arduous audition process) to be the emcee at the annual Christmas show (back
in those days, you could actually CALL it a Christmas show, not "Holiday") at
Woodrow Wilson Elementary School. That heady experience further animated the
"ham" chromosome in Jim's DNA. But the real catalyst for what continues to be a
love for playing guitar and singing came in Jim's 12th year when, during a
shopping excursion with mom, Jim heard John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High" on
the car radio. For the next several years, in an utterly pathetic attempt to
emulate his idol, Jim obtained from his parents a $35 guitar from the
now-defunct Sugarman's Dept. store in Vestal, taught himself to play it (with
published assistance from Mel Bay), and tried to walk, talk, eat, drink, sing,
write and breathe like John Denver. Thankfully, as the years have passed, while
his love for JD has never waned, Jim has discovered other performers and other
styles of music in a conscious effort to expand his musical boundaries. As the
1970's came to a close, Jim (erroneously at first) began to believe he was a
good enough singer and player for strangers to hear him. A local establishment,
Number 5, began hosting a weekly Monday Night Live talent show, where Jim
eventually became a regular performer. After several years, other local gigs
followed, and by the mid 1980's, Jim had begun to play constantly around his
hometown of Binghamton, NY.
Securing a weekly gig at an east side Irish pub, Jim began
to be joined by some like-minded musicians and new acquaintances, performing
folk/pop/rock songs to standing-room-only audiences. One of those new
acquaintances was this fella from Corning, Tom Dimock, who seemingly played
every stringed instrument ever invented and shared Jim's musical tastes. After
awhile, what had been a loose, disorganized - and incredibly FUN - weekly public
jam session became a full fledged band, "Friends." Years of incredible musical
experiences followed until 1991, when Friends disbanded and Jim went off to
chase his star by helping to form North Country, which enjoyed a great deal of
regional success. After North Country was dissolved in 1996, Jim and Tom
re-organized "Friends," which picked up right where it had left off, again
becoming one of NY's Southern Tier's most popular bands. It was during this time
that Tim Emmons, who'd played with Tom in the Out of Hand Acoustic Band, became
a "Friend."
This is where it gets complicated.
Tom, Tim and Jim and their drummer buddy Frank Ferris
played as "Friends," and were joined by three members of the old band "Mr.
Clean." Tom and Tim eventually quit, leaving Jim, Frank and the three former Mr.
Cleaners playing as "Friends." Then Jim quit, leaving no original members of the
band "Friends." About a year later, Tom, Jim and Tim decided to get out and play
music again. Since the band "Friends" was still playing, the trio couldn't use
that name. So, in a sublime demonstration of cranial creativity, Jim, Tom and
Tim chose the name "Old Friends." The "Friends/Old Friends" family tree has deep
roots and many branches, but the music is still the primary focus, and today one
of the strongest branches on the tree leads to the trio's shared love and
respect for Irish music.
There's something to be said about the passage of time and
the wisdoms gained from pain and experience. Even the hardest of roads can
ultimately lead to a smooth path. Hopefully, all of that, along with the joys to
be found in life, are contained and reflected in the sounds you hear when you
share some time with "Old Friends."