A Berks County musician who claims he taught Taylor Swift to play guitar and write songs is now making national headlines.
After years of silence, Ronnie Cremer, of Spring Township, spilled his alleged Swift family secrets to the New York Daily News last week. His story made the front page on Sunday.
"It was surreal. It was surreal," said Cremer, who works predominantly as a computer technician in Kenhorst.
But years before that, according to Cremer, it was he who first taught the now-superstar to play chords, back when the family lived in Wyomissing.
In the New York Daily News piece, Cremer detailed his role, claiming that he's received very little recognition for it.
"It would have been nice if they could have just said, 'Ronnie Cremer taught her this, taught her how to write songs,'" he told 69 News. "That's not writing a check. That's just being honest."
Cremer further alleges that Swift has embellished facts pertaining to how she first learned to play the guitar.
In interviews, she has detailed the "magical twist of fate" that launched her guitar-playing; while doing homework in her room one day, the man who was hired to fix her computer noticed a guitar and asked if he could teach her how to play. That's what's outlined in a clip from her "Journey to Fearless" DVD, but it isn't the way Cremer describes things.
"I did come over to her house and fix her computer after I was giving her lessons, sometimes the same day I was giving her lessons," he said.
Swift has not responded to his claims.
Cremer has received tokens of appreciation from the Swifts, including a platinum DVD that was sent to him in 2007.
He said he isn't bitter, but is rather happy for the mega superstar's success. Had it not been for the newspaper allegedly tracking him down, he would not have shared his side, he said.
"It's kind of cool because she still employs a lot of the things that I taught her. I don't know the first thing about being a pop star, but I do know about structuring songs and music theory, and she has used that stuff pretty well," he said. "So for that, I'm proud of her."
Since the story came out Sunday, Cremer said he's received calls from people requesting music lessons.
In terms of response to his claims, he's faced mixed reviews.
"There's been some negativity nationally," he said. "Locally, I've gotten great response because a lot of people did know the story."
from 69News:Home http://ift.tt/1Iti370
