Veteran of the 'Summer of Love' mingled with the biggest stars

By DAVID ERICKSON/Whitefish PilotAfter a lifetime spent immersed in rock 'n' roll and improvisational music, Ray Thornhill decided he wanted to give something back.

It all started when he was 12. He saw a beautiful "cranberry red" Gibson guitar hanging in a Boston shop window. It was just like the one his idol B.B. King played, and that encounter sparked a lifetime of playing.

Almost five decades of music and 30 different bands later, Thornhill's only wish was to help share the gift of music with others. Last month, his dream came true with the help of the Twilight Wish Foundation, a national non-profit organization whose purpose is to help seniors across the country.

Now living at Colonial Manor nursing home in White-fish, Thornhill was presented on May 14 with two acoustic guitars and an electric bass so he could play for his fellow residents and allow them to experience the same joy he felt from the instruments.

Now 61, Thornhill was in San Francisco in 1967 during the legendary "Summer of Love." It was there that he formed relationships with some of American music's most famous icons.

"I was sitting in the park near Golden Gate Bridge, and I shared a six-pack of beer with Janis Joplin," he recalled from his patio chair on a rainy afternoon recently. "I didn't know who she was, but she looked familiar. I saw her play at the Fillmore Auditorium a few weeks later, and I was blown away. She was just a down-home Texas gal."

Thornhill said he also mingled with other notable legends, such as Carlos Santana, Jimmy Hendrix and Steve Miller.

"I wasn't blood brothers with any of these people, but I was around them," he said. "I was around a lot of really good music. I was really fortunate to be blessed with people that were willing to take the time to teach me."

After that summer, Thornhill moved to Hawaii for 30 years.

"I jammed with Mike Clark, the original drummer for The Byrds," he said with a grin. "He was a good musician, but he was pretty wild, too."

Because Thornhill is a lung-cancer survivor and had to have his shoulder replaced, he is one of the younger residents at Colonial Manor, but he doesn't mind.

"I've talked to people in here that have so much history," he said. "I feel truly blessed to be here. I just felt like giving something back."

With the help of activities director Coleen Carter, a petition was sent to the Twilight Wish Foundation. Although many residents of Colonial Manor submitted their wishes, Thornhill's stood out to the staff immediately.

"Our director of nursing, Lisa Fisher, looked at Ray's request and said, 'That's going to win,'" Carter said. "And it did. It was the only one that was totally unselfish, and it was realistic as well."

Thornhill's wish was granted, and now he is just waiting for his shoulder to heal so he can start playing for his fellow residents.

"The way I teach is about feeling the music, not note-for-note. I'm more Hendrix than anything," he said.

More than 190 residents from 80 nursing centers across the country sent their Twilight Wishes for consideration. Wish applicants entered in three categories - dream, nostalgic and need. A Twilight Wish selection committee made up of healthcare representatives chose the final candidates. Thornhill's wish was considered in the "need" category.

Since Twilight Wish began in 2004, it has granted more than 900 wishes to seniors all across the country.