Last Sunday I was in Louisville, Kentucky recording a new song.  The experience I had that day was what legends are made from.  It felt that way for me, anyway.

On these pages I have indicated my strong appreciation and delight in having the opportunity to have crossed paths with Dr. Millard Dunn.  He was my mentor in the English classroom in college.  His work and advice along the way, over twenty years since I was in one of his classes, has never left me.  Stories are still thrown around like fertilizer.  They get thicker and better every year.  I am fortunate enough to still be in touch with some of the folks that were in Millard’s class when I was.  They too enjoy the telling of good tales and remembrances.  One thing that is not lost on us is what good things we were taught by Dr. Dunn.  All the fun aside, we still hold strong to both the values and the knowledge we gained from this great guy.

Here is Dr. Dunn listening intently to what I am suggesting we do to make a song better.  He gave his two cents also.  I am thankful he did.  He helped to make the tune stronger.

Working on the song, Rod Wurtele, myself, and Millard.  Rod is a keyboard master and he put some beautiful sounds to this song.

We recorded this unlike anything I have ever recorded before.  In earnest, I thought it was quite ambitious.  I was not sure how things would go.  I never lost faith.  It worked fine.

What I did was bring the song lyrics and the tune in my head and sing it for Rod.  I wrote the song in October, the last time Carrie and I were at our favorite spot in North Carolina looking at the ocean together.  She was sitting next to me when I wrote it.  I knew then and there that this was the thing to do with this tune.  It is a ballad and I knew it needed some soft keys that only Rod understands from working with me in the past.

It is not always so serious for us, understand.  We do know how to have a good time.

And there may also be a time when I am a bit too serious?  I don’t know.  This was during the playback and I was trying to figure out if this was really happening.  I was shocked at how well it went.  Given the folks in the room with me, I should not of been.  Like I said, I really did have faith.

The thing is, this will probably the most special song I have ever recorded.  Not just because the song is about Carrie, my dear wife.  The recorded version of the song was taken the first time it was ever sung straight through.  We worked on bits.  Verse here.  Stop.  Chorus here. Stop.  Intro.  Stop.  Chorus again.  When it was time to sing the song from start to finish, we rolled the tape.  We captured it the first time the song was EVER sung.  It was, as Millard to his wife, Carol, later in the evening, “Fascinating.”

Along with The MAN AT THE CONTROLS, Jeff Carpenter, we knew we had found the sound we were looking for.

To share this moment, was very special.

Maybe we will do it again.

By the way, this was post number 300 of…

Speaking the rights.

Danny Johnson