One day, I was at the Covington house between trips to the Mts. and It was early for me, I guess about 9 or 10 and I was still asleep. Linda came in and said "Baby, there's a man out there says he has an appointment with you." I replied "You know I never make appointments in the morning. I don't even know who I am until about noon." That's sort of a joke, but there's a lot of truth to it. Don't know what I'd do without coffee! But anyway, she said "Well he's out there to see you." So I got up and put on my bathrobe and ran a comb through my hair best I could and met with a man named Joe Hood.
He was interested in a studio for an acapella Gospel group The Singing Four Stars. I was no longer really looking for projects I thought, and to this day I have no idea how he knew about me or the mysterious morning appointment that I knew nothing about until it happened. But as I was trying to explain to him I really didn't know if I wanted to take it on, he said "Go on the internet and put in this address." He gave me the address and I pulled it up. It was a video of them where they had been live on channel 57 in Atlanta. I was pleasantly surprised at how good they sounded and I immediately knew I could help them. He told me they also wanted to do a video and he asked If I could "make them walk on water" since one of their songs was called "Walking on the Water". So I told him I would be interested after all and yes, I knew how to do the video he wanted done. He told me another person would be by later, and we set the date and time, to talk to me further. This time I knew someone was coming and I wasn't in my robe and pajamas lol! It was Brother William Devlin.
I tend to like people with big personalities as we all do I suppose. Bro. Devlin was larger than life. I just loved him right off. Full of life and inspiration and energy. I think he too could sell anything. He sold me on basically coming out of retirement to work with him and the Group, The Singing Four Stars. We made a deal and I gave them a good flat rate so we did not have to watch the clock since I wasn't really doing this for the money, I just wanted it to be good for them. Well, we started out with it being Acapella as we had set out, but Bro. Devlin found a young man that could play their style of music very well so he put some music around part of the album. But all this time I never realized that Bro. Devlin was writing all the songs.
One day we were talking and I asked "Who writes all these songs? They are all so different and quite good." He said "I wrote all of them". My jaw dropped. He then proceeded to tell me a bit of his life story. He had written a hit record on the soul charts "Hit Man" back in the 70's or 80's and I think had worked off and on in music in different ways. He had become a truck driver, but he got several of his fellow truckers to all come up with a certain amount of money each and they formed this company BORT Production that Bro Devlin is running to find groups and make records. Well, he said he went to see The Four Stars and left being their manager. That's when they went looking for a studio. I think they had one failed attempt at another studio before we got together and got the album done. But what he told me then surprised me.
He told me that he had written a little song about Neil Bortz, a local commentator on WSB in Atlanta. He's a bit controversial, but funny. But he asked me if I'd do a demo for him. I told him I was pretty much doing just Gospel these days. But then, being the salesman he is, he told me his wife had heard my Gospel music and that she liked my voice and he ought to get me to do it. He offered me a decent deal so I reluctantly agreed. It turned out surprisingly good. Then he tells me "Bird, I write a lot of country music and my wife says you are the only one that can do them justice." By this time we had gotten to be quite good friends. I gave in and agreed to do a couple for him.
We had done a couple of his songs when my Mother suddenly passed away. They don't give you a manual for this. It was, I don't think I can explain what it was like. Other worldly comes to mind. I had so many pegs to put in place. I had always been the prodigal son they worried so much about and though they were happy when I came back to my roots in Gospel music, I guess I always carried some guilt about my earlier days. So all of this just rushes through ones mind and It was a bit debilitating. Especially at first. The next session that Bro Devlin and I had I just basically broke down crying and told him I just didn't think I wanted to pursue the music anymore. And I'll never forget what he said "Bro Bird, you just lost your Mama. Don't make any decisions right now. I'm not going to get in touch with you for 3 months. Just take some time and we'll talk again then." I already loved him as a friend before that, but that just showed me what a real friend he was. To give me space, but not abandon me so to speak.
Well, he called about 3 months later, and I agreed I had to get on with it and we started back up. He gives me a lot of freedom with the arrangements and we've done about twelve songs so far and they have turned out well enough that he wants to release them on a CD in the next year. Don't really know where it's headed, but it should be fun. I love working with him and we've still got lots to do.
But over the years of getting those dozen songs, we have periods where we work a lot and others where life just gets in the way. I recently let my wife talk me into getting a good smart phone and all those little song ideas that I use to let get away because by the time I got a recorder turned on, it was basically gone, now get sung immediately into a recording app on the phone.
So I've started writing again when something hits me and it will eventually wind up on my Youtube music channel. My latest as of this writing is a song I wrote about my cat, Bella.
So who knows what the future holds. I just turned 72 a few days ago (Jan 2017) and I don't know what 72 is supposed to be like. I certainly don't feel 72 in many ways, but in others I do. I'm loving making my music again though and I'm also into wood working and wood carving. I have a Youtube channel for that as well. So if you like music, or if you like wood, come by my channels and visit. You're all invited!
He was interested in a studio for an acapella Gospel group The Singing Four Stars. I was no longer really looking for projects I thought, and to this day I have no idea how he knew about me or the mysterious morning appointment that I knew nothing about until it happened. But as I was trying to explain to him I really didn't know if I wanted to take it on, he said "Go on the internet and put in this address." He gave me the address and I pulled it up. It was a video of them where they had been live on channel 57 in Atlanta. I was pleasantly surprised at how good they sounded and I immediately knew I could help them. He told me they also wanted to do a video and he asked If I could "make them walk on water" since one of their songs was called "Walking on the Water". So I told him I would be interested after all and yes, I knew how to do the video he wanted done. He told me another person would be by later, and we set the date and time, to talk to me further. This time I knew someone was coming and I wasn't in my robe and pajamas lol! It was Brother William Devlin.
I tend to like people with big personalities as we all do I suppose. Bro. Devlin was larger than life. I just loved him right off. Full of life and inspiration and energy. I think he too could sell anything. He sold me on basically coming out of retirement to work with him and the Group, The Singing Four Stars. We made a deal and I gave them a good flat rate so we did not have to watch the clock since I wasn't really doing this for the money, I just wanted it to be good for them. Well, we started out with it being Acapella as we had set out, but Bro. Devlin found a young man that could play their style of music very well so he put some music around part of the album. But all this time I never realized that Bro. Devlin was writing all the songs.
One day we were talking and I asked "Who writes all these songs? They are all so different and quite good." He said "I wrote all of them". My jaw dropped. He then proceeded to tell me a bit of his life story. He had written a hit record on the soul charts "Hit Man" back in the 70's or 80's and I think had worked off and on in music in different ways. He had become a truck driver, but he got several of his fellow truckers to all come up with a certain amount of money each and they formed this company BORT Production that Bro Devlin is running to find groups and make records. Well, he said he went to see The Four Stars and left being their manager. That's when they went looking for a studio. I think they had one failed attempt at another studio before we got together and got the album done. But what he told me then surprised me.
He told me that he had written a little song about Neil Bortz, a local commentator on WSB in Atlanta. He's a bit controversial, but funny. But he asked me if I'd do a demo for him. I told him I was pretty much doing just Gospel these days. But then, being the salesman he is, he told me his wife had heard my Gospel music and that she liked my voice and he ought to get me to do it. He offered me a decent deal so I reluctantly agreed. It turned out surprisingly good. Then he tells me "Bird, I write a lot of country music and my wife says you are the only one that can do them justice." By this time we had gotten to be quite good friends. I gave in and agreed to do a couple for him.
We had done a couple of his songs when my Mother suddenly passed away. They don't give you a manual for this. It was, I don't think I can explain what it was like. Other worldly comes to mind. I had so many pegs to put in place. I had always been the prodigal son they worried so much about and though they were happy when I came back to my roots in Gospel music, I guess I always carried some guilt about my earlier days. So all of this just rushes through ones mind and It was a bit debilitating. Especially at first. The next session that Bro Devlin and I had I just basically broke down crying and told him I just didn't think I wanted to pursue the music anymore. And I'll never forget what he said "Bro Bird, you just lost your Mama. Don't make any decisions right now. I'm not going to get in touch with you for 3 months. Just take some time and we'll talk again then." I already loved him as a friend before that, but that just showed me what a real friend he was. To give me space, but not abandon me so to speak.
Well, he called about 3 months later, and I agreed I had to get on with it and we started back up. He gives me a lot of freedom with the arrangements and we've done about twelve songs so far and they have turned out well enough that he wants to release them on a CD in the next year. Don't really know where it's headed, but it should be fun. I love working with him and we've still got lots to do.
But over the years of getting those dozen songs, we have periods where we work a lot and others where life just gets in the way. I recently let my wife talk me into getting a good smart phone and all those little song ideas that I use to let get away because by the time I got a recorder turned on, it was basically gone, now get sung immediately into a recording app on the phone.
So I've started writing again when something hits me and it will eventually wind up on my Youtube music channel. My latest as of this writing is a song I wrote about my cat, Bella.
So who knows what the future holds. I just turned 72 a few days ago (Jan 2017) and I don't know what 72 is supposed to be like. I certainly don't feel 72 in many ways, but in others I do. I'm loving making my music again though and I'm also into wood working and wood carving. I have a Youtube channel for that as well. So if you like music, or if you like wood, come by my channels and visit. You're all invited!
