You might think
it odd for All Things If to devote an entire issue to a progressive rock musician, but if there was ever anyone who has faced both Triumph and Disaster with integrity and an enviable attitude, it is Stanley Whitaker.
Stan’s most illustrious band is Happy The Man—instrumental progressive rock so amazing that music icon Peter Gabriel acknowledged their incomparable skills with a once-in-a-lifetime offer. You’ll find out whether it ended in Triumph or Disaster in his story.
When you read his story, you’ll see names you recognize, and you’ll share the journey of a man who became one of the most revered guitarists in the progressive rock world. Stanley got cancer in his forties and now lives with a form of leukemia—a fate he’s taken in the same even stride as he takes his Triumphs—musical and otherwise.
He’s a man who bases his choices on the right thing to do and accepts the consequences, good or bad, with equal self-possession. His latest album Primary Elements (with the symphonic rock band Six Elements) features Kipling’s poem “If “ set to music, with Stan on vocals. He sings it with the triumph that could come only from the man who has lived it.
All Things If has produced a video to illustrate this song and honor the classic Kipling’s poem that inspires this magazine (yours truly had the honors of being the producer). Today, we premier this video to celebrate the latest Triumph of Stanley Whitaker–a man who has lived many the ideals of Kipling’s “IF”.
Susan Hawkins,
Senior Editor
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