Unbeknownst to most, the deft hand that stewards the intricate and complicated forms, charts and bylaws regarding the all-encompassing realm of "planning" in Lexington and Fayette County can also lay down a pretty hot lick on the six string.
It's a timeless story in the annals of musicians with real day jobs: the mild-mannered suit aptly disguising the frenzied beast waiting to be unleashed on stage. For Chris King, the director of the division of planning for the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, the Jekyll-and-Hyde persona can catch the unsuspecting client or colleague slightly off guard.
"People are usually surprised - it's one of those 'overweight, bald guy' kind of situations," he laughs, comparing his appearance to the quintessential image of a rocker. "That's fun. It's all about the music for me, the passion for the music."
King's passion for music was quietly transmitted through the airwaves into a little radio that a young King would listen to at night while fending off sleep. He absorbed all the sounds of the '50s, especially a forceful new sound that made parents and other squares a little nervous: rock 'n roll. But while many parents were trying to keep children out of the rowdy music halls and away from the instruments of indignation, it was his father's shrewd business style that got the young man interested.
"My dad was one of these guys that liked to horse trade things at swap meets. We had this old car that he swapped with somebody and one of the things he got in the swap was this Sears guitar," King said. "While he was at work, my brother and I would come and we'd push each other and we'd start playing this guitar. Our dad caught us playing one time. He was a very supportive guy, and he got us a couple of cheap guitars."
But you can't have instruments without a little guidance, and soon King's father landed him and his brother some quick lessons in a similar manner.
"Some guy came to the house and said: 'We've got a deal for you. Does your child have any talent? Any instrument, six lessons for $10.' Or something like that," King said. "So Dad signed us up; he horse traded to have me and my brother in the room at the same time. So I had six lessons, but after that it was all self-taught."
Just in time. The Beatles hit - hard - and all of a sudden it was considered very hip to be playing the guitar. King got his first gig in a church basement, and, at the ripe age of 14, got his first paying gig at a poolside dance.
Like any performer who makes their bread doing something else other than working a crowd, the tenacity with which you hit the stage waxes and wanes as quickly as the names and faces on the Billboard charts. And through high school and college, and then through the decades, King has worked his way through a number of outfits. He understands the complexities and drama of being in a band.
"Having bands, it's like a marriage. So many times, the story ends up: 'And then the drummer had to take his drums to the pawn shop and we had to give away the PA system we'd bought together,'" King lamented on past bands. "Things like that happened all through college and high school. I got married kind of young, had children, started working here, but always continued playing."
There's a great divide between playing and performing. You perform for others; you play for yourself - for whatever reason. King, for some reason, has taken to mastering the art of fingerpicking old Spanish classicals - not bad for somebody whose first lessons came from a horse trade.
"Talk about a stress reliever, because when you get home and you try to work through those things, you can't be thinking about 'this,'" he said, gesturing to a mound of very official-looking forms on his desk. "It really helps me relax and helps me hone the creative part of my mind."
Currently, King is one third of Midlife Harmony, an acoustic local favorite that relishes in the smooth hits of yesteryear. He's also experimenting with a group of other musicians who don't mind lugging out the heavy equipment and turning the volume up; he doesn't want any of his instruments gathering dust.
"I've got a few toys. I've never collected, but sometimes those stray puppies kind of fall into your lap," he said. "Enough to drive my wife crazy."
Midlife Harmony will be playing during the Fourth of July festivities downtown. Check the LFUCG Web site for a time and place.
Editor's note: Robbie Clark's Away from the Office series is always in search of the hidden artists of the Lexington business community. Contact tom@bizlex.com.