Create a legacy for the music of Just Jim & Gary

James Capuano (his formal name that I never used) and I met in a Music theory class at The State University of New York in New Paltz. We were instant friends and that very night we sat down to make music together for the first time. We played through the song “Dear Prudence” by The Beatles. Jimmy initialized playing the tune. I had never played the song before, though I knew it well. We harmonized, played complimentary guitar parts and the energy was amazing. Once we had stopped playing I think we both knew we had found something very special. We immediately proceeded, within days, to compete at songwriting. We were most assuredly, each other’s biggest fan.

With the passing of Jimmy in 2015, I accepted that “we were never going to get the band back together again.” Jimmy and I had written, (some recorded), a couple dozen songs. We had never made a penny off of those songs. In 2022 I had a heart attack which stamped the issue of mortality boldly in my thinking. I am pressed by the impulse to archive our musical endeavors should any generation find them worthwhile or useful in any way.

And so, my life’s work, at least for now, will be to organize, re-record, re-mix, polish, and preserve all the songs of Just Jim & Gary (James Capuano & Gary Fitzgerald). To do so will take a considerable amount of time & money. There is much work to be done which could take up to a year, equipment will need to be purchased, and studio time will need to be booked. I have never considered asking for a “Handout” but I humble myself at this, what may very well be the eleventh hour. Dramatic sounding? I know, but I don’t see a lot of sand left in the top half of the hourglass.

My intentions are to register our works with a performing rights organization, find someone to create videos, post those videos on YouTube for exposure and potential monetization. And to create a legacy for the music of James Capuano & Gary Fitzgerald known as Just Jim & Gary.

We have had many friends sit in with us and lend their talents, musically speaking, to whom we are most grateful. I wish to thank them for Jim & I for their generous gift of performance:

Brian Carter - Drums

Larry Walton - Keyboard

Larry Langva - Bass Guitar

Dave Colodner - Keyboard

Greg Houser - Bass Guitar

Todd Turkisher - Drums

Greg Weiss - Bass Guitar

Gideon Grossman - Drums

Bobby Stern - Saxophone

And to the engineers who recorded/mixed our music we thank you as well.

Tony Pipitone

Maurice Puerto

Pat Martin (BMG Studios)