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PHOTO BY JOHN LARSON

GUITAR MAN. Rod Koon prepares to take the stage at a recent performance at Proctor Farmers Market.

Rod Koon – North End troubadour

By John Larson

Like many Americans his age, North End resident Rod Koon first got excited about rock ‘n roll as a child when he saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. Two years later he had his first guitar.

His musical endeavors flourished as a teenager while attending high school at Bellarmine Prep. “Everybody had a garage band in high school,” he recalled. He was no exception. He played in a rock group that played a few gigs.

A teacher who was into Simon and Garfunkel and played guitar was an influence. Soon Koon was playing in a folk group.

He attended Stanford University in the 1970s, where he was a disc jockey on the college radio station. Living in the Bay Area provided opportunities to catch major acts like Gordon Lightfoot in concert. Another singer/songwriter of the era he got turned onto was James Taylor.

When he returned to Tacoma he played occasional gigs at Engine House #9 and the old Ram near Tacoma Community College.

Koon has never pursued music as a career. He keeps busy enough between his wife and children and his full-time job as director of communications with Port of Tacoma. Sometimes when attending business meetings related to his port job he will sit down at a piano if one is available and entertain his colleagues.

He is asked to play occasionally at community events. At the recent City of Destiny Awards ceremony he performed a new original tune, which he has yet to assign a title, which is about his love of Tacoma. He has other original songs, including “Dreams And Tears,” “Herschel” and “Trojan Horses,” but primarily does cover tunes when he performs. One venue he plays on an occasional basis is Proctor Farmers Market.

Koon knows about 200 songs, although he admits he cannot always remember the lyrics to all of them. His set list reflects the musical tastes of his youth, heavy on artists like the Beatles and Simon and Garfunkel. His repertoire includes Linda Ronstadt, Arlo Guthrie and Jim Croce material. He even reaches back into the 1940s and 1930s for a few tunes. “I like a little bit of a lot of different types of music,” he observed.

He feels good when children at his performances are familiar with the songs. “When I see kids singing along, I think that is cool.”

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