Last Sunday it was Jackson Browne and today it was another music legend.

I met up with Graham Nash at 3:40 p.m. as he departed the Hilton Hotel in Springfield, Illinois, to board his tour bus and travel to his sold out Crosby-Nash concert at Sangamon Auditorium on the campus of the University of Illinois-Springfield. As he exited the elevator, Nash walked over to our group, said hello, and told us he'd sign one autograph per person. He placed a beautiful silver signature on a single shot from the current tour. Nash has a very long, free-flowing signature and it stretched across the top of the 8 x 10. After signing, he gladly posed for this photograph before grabbing his rolling luggage to head out the door.

I wasn't so fortunate with David Crosby. However, it wasn't much of a surprise. He's one of the toughest autographs in the music business and today was no exception. A few minutes after Nash left, Crosby arrived in the lobby accompanied by his tour manager. Without missing a step, he quickly said, "thanks, guys," and made his way out the front door. At least it was a better escounter than another collector experienced in Washington, D.C., recently when he was doused by Crosby's coffee as he attempted to get a signature.

I finally got to meet one of pop music's most gifted singer/songwriters this afternoon in St. Louis, Missouri.

Jackson Browne, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, stopped to take this photograph and chat about autographs as he departed the Westin Hotel at 3:30 p.m. for his concert tonight at the Fox Theater. Browne was more than happy to pose for the camera, however, he said he just doesn't sign autographs anymore. He said too much ends up on Ebay and in other places. Jackson told a story about a recent visit to New York for promotion work on his new compact disk. He was met by the same collectors in all four places he stopped one morning. He was polite and understanding in his discussion with some other autograph collectors today, but stuck to his guns when it came to not signing. I was just tickled that he stopped to take a photo and chat. I actually think he would have chatted longer if not for having to talk about autographs.

Earlier in the day, comedian Steven Wright stopped to take a picture with me as he departed Lambert St. Louis International Airport. I almost didn't recognize Steven with his beard, bushy hair, and Emerson College cap.

Renowned French chef Jacques Pepin was in University City, Missouri, (St. Louis suburb) last night to sign copies of his newest book, Jacques Pepin: More Fast Food My Way. The signing took place at COCA and followed a one hour talk about all things food. In addition to books, Pepin signed a couple of 8 x 10 promotional shots for me and a magazine article from last month's edition of Men's Vogue. He hadn't seen the article in print and enjoyed looking at the layout and photos. He made sure to tell me about his dog, Paco, who was sitting patiently in the photo while he prepared some wild bird.

About 20 minutes and just three blocks away, I scored this signed album from rock and roll legend Chuck Berry. Berry performs (including his famous "duck walk") monthly at Blueberry Hill in U City. He signed for me and three others just after he parked his car in the venue's tiny parking lot. While Berry does not take photos with fans (he'll stop signing if he sees a camera), he does sign at least one item for everyone waiting. And, if he really likes the item you have, he'll add a "smiley face" to his signature.

Dorothy's daughter was in St. Charles, Missouri, last Thursday and Friday to open the new Lindenwod Center for Fine and Performing Arts at Lindenwood University.

Liza Minnelli was the featured star for the school's new facility. She performed to nearly sold-out crowds both nights. I met Liza as she returned to the Ameristar Hotel following her Thursday night show. Although the show ended at 9:45 p.m., I didn't see her until almost midnight. My guess is she enjoyed dinner after the show. Nonetheless, she waved me and other collectors over to her car as she arrived at the hotel. She was in a great mood and took a few minutes to chat with everyone and take photographs. We asked her to sign, but she said to give all our items to her assistant and she would sit down and sign everything once she got to her room. About 15 minutes, her assistant came down with all our signed items.

In between the show and waiting for Liza to return to the hotel, I made a quick trip to University City to catch singer-songwriter Tift Merritt at Blueberry Hill. Talk about the right timing . . . she was meeting and greeting fans at the side of the stage as I walked inside. Tift gladly signed two 8 x 10s for me and posed for this photograph. She took time with each fan to visit before signing their autograph and posing for photos. Tift especially enjoyed one of the photos I had from last year's South by Southwest Festival.

On Sunday morning, I met up with a couple of members of the rock band, Styx, as they departed Lambert St. Louis International Airport. Ricky Phillips was first to appear and he gladly stopped to sign a compact disk and pose for this photograph. About an hour later, I spotted vocalist/guitarist Tommy Shaw at the check-in line. I waited until he was finished with his flying arrangements before asking him to sign my Shaw/Blades Influence compact disk. I then asked for a photo which he was glad to do. I was pleased he was in a great mood because I had heard from other collectors that he could sometimes be difficult. It wasn't the case Sunday morning. And . . . right before he took his place in the security line, he reached in his front pocket, pulled out a Tommy Shaw Styxworld.com '08 pearl guitar pick and placed it in my hands. Thanks, Tommy!

Frank TV was on the air in Springfield, Illinois, last night as comedian and impressionist Frank Caliendo was in concert at Sangamon Auditorium on the campus of the University of Illinois at Springfield. He has his own sketch TV show, Frank TV, on TBS and you can see him doing many of his impressions (John Madden, William Shatner, George Bush) as the national spokesperson for Dish Network.

Caliendo arrived via the university's transport van at the venue at 7:45 p.m. just as his manager had promised about an hour earlier. As soon as he exited the van, he made his way towards me and greeted me with a big hello. I asked him for a photo and said I'd take it myself. As I lined up the shot, his manager was in front of us and said, "Wow, that's a better job than I'd do." Frank then gladly signed three 8 x 10 photos (one as George Bush, one as John Madden, and one as Robin Williams), plus a photo he took with my friend, Mark, earlier in the year. His manager was impressed with the Bush photo and asked where I obtained the print. Before I could say a word, Frank said, "Duhhhhhh...you ever heard of the internet?" And we all laughed.

Earlier in the afternoon, I was in downtown Springfield for the Barack Obama rally featuring the first appearance with his vice presidential candidate, Joe Biden. A crowd estimated at 35,000 packed the grounds of the Old State Capitol and the surrounding streets. Lines to gain entrance to the grounds were four to five blocks long. For a moment I thought I was in Manhattan. I decided not to get in line, and instead waited until after the event had concluded before entering the Capitol grounds.

As the crowd began to thin, I caught up with CNN's Senior Political Correspondent, Candy Crowley, as she made her way from the media bleachers to the media work area. Even though she was pressed for time, she stopped to take this photograph and chat for a few seconds. I told her I remembered her from her days covering politics for the Associated Press. She said, "Wow, you have a good memory. That was a long time ago...almost twenty years ago."

I also got a photo with Major Garrett, the Congressional Correspondent for the Fox Noise...uh, I mean News Channel. He was sweating it out (see the photo) during his live shots as he wore a navy blazer over his long sleeve shirt. Garrett also took a moment between live shots to visit with me and take this photograph.

As promised...here's another update from last week.

Last Thursday, I took a road trip to St. Louis as it was "celebrity central" that day. First up was a stop at the Ritz Carlton for a shot at Tom Petty. Although Petty left via the garage on his tour bus and Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench ignored me, I did manage to grab photos with bassist Ron Blair and drummer Steve Ferrone. Both were coming back to the hotel following an afternoon walk and apparently a trip to a music store (see microphone that Blair is holding).

My next success was a meeting with Stacy Ferguson a.k.a. Fergie as she arrived at Lambert St. Louis International Airport following her cross country flight from Los Angeles. She gladly signed two items for me and the other collectors as she waited on her luggage to arrive. Fergie was in concert the next night at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield. I asked her about her role in the upcoming movie, "Nine," and she replied that she was heading to London next week (this week) to begin pre-production work on the flick. Check out the size of those sunglasses...they were the size of dinner plates.

Later in the evening, I returned to Lambert to catch jazz saxophonist Dave Koz as he arrived via American Airlines from Los Angeles. He was in concert the following night at The Pageant in St. Louis. Koz was surprised to see so many collectors greeting him upon his arrival. He signed a photo of us from a previous meeting in St. Louis and took this new photograph. And, he signed lots and lots of autographs for the other collectors.

I also scored a signed CD and CD cover from Alice Cooper as he was departing the Four Seasons hotel for his show at The Pageant. He made a quick exit from the hotel to the waiting transport van; however, he did sign while sitting in the back seat of the van. Alice had broken a couple of ribs the week before and didn't feel like getting out of the van for the photograph.

I also caught up with Billy Bob Thornton as he was walking to his bus following his show at the Ameristar Casino. Unfortunately, he ignored me as security walked him to his tour bus. I waited about 30 minutes thinking he may hop off, but the bus started up and headed out of the garage to his next stop in Kansas City.

Just back from a quick and successful trip to St. Louis.

I caught up with rocker Joan Jett as she and her band mate/manager, Ken Laguana, arrived on their flight at Lambert St. Louis International Airport from New York. As she waited for luggage, Joan signed a couple of 8 x 10s and posed for this photograph. She signed 8 x 10s and albums for other collectors, but passed on the request to sign pick guards. Laguana said, "We've been burned on those before, so she's not signing any."

About 30 minutes later, I was at the Argosy Casino in Alton, Illinois, to get an autograph on a photo from a previous meeting with comedian Gilbert Gottfried. He was in concert for the second of two weekend shows. My friend, Mark, was able to secure comp tickets for us, and we were able to enjoy his 50-minute routine which was "over the top!" I still hurt from laughing so much. Following his performance, Gilbert signed autographs at his merchandise table. He remembered our previous encounter and gladly signed the photo and an 8 x 10 photo of the Aflack Duck (he does the voice). Since it was a casino, I couldn't get a new photo inside. Gilbert said meet me outside when I leave and I'll be happy to take a new photo. True to his word, he stopped for this photograph and even thanked me for waiting.

Stay tuned for another update on this past week's activities.