Songwriters Anonymous - Part Eight
by Mary Dawson
Here we are again!
We’ve been attending these meetings for a long time now. We may even qualify for an anniversary chip if we keep
coming back. We’ve met so many fascinating, but relatively anonymous people in these rooms...people who have woven the
very fabric of our American music tapestry -- often without the listening public even knowing who they are. They are the
songwriters behind the hits, past and present, whose melodies we can whistle on command, but whose creative genius we
have only just begun to know. I hope that these few meetings have whetted your appetite to know more; to become a
real "private investigator" when it comes to your favorite songs. Find out who wrote them...when they were written...what
inspired them...and how they got to the artists that made them famous. You will be fascinated, inspired...and even blessed.
This meeting will be the last in our series, so we will make it a "speaker meeting," and I will be the speaker. That’s right...me! Mary D.
Speaker meetings, of course, are meetings where one person shares his/her experience, strength and hope with the rest of the people in
the room. So I want to take this opportunity to share a few thoughts about anonymity when it comes to the world of music and songs.
Some time ago as I was coming home from the gym, I was listening to NPR in the car. They were doing a tribute to a pianist named Dave
McKenna. I, who pride myself a little, on my knowledge of great jazz players had never even heard of this man, so my ears perked up.
Dave McKenna had recently passed away, so the program was reviewing his life and music. In interviews, he was humble and gracious. At
the piano, he was stunning! It sounded like an entire rhythm section, but it was just one guy at the keyboard. I had NEVER heard a left
hand like this man’s in my life (and I have heard some pretty astounding left hands over the years). When I got home, I immediately
got online and did some research on Mr. Dave McKenna.
His early resume reads like a Who’s Who in jazz. Dave performed with some of the top swing and jazz bands of the 20th Century in his
early years. But when he finally began his own solo career in his mid thirties, he chose to remain primarily in the Northeastern
United States...where he was born...where his family was...where his roots were... rather than to record and tour the country like so many
other artists. He preferred playing in piano bars and hotels rather than to be in center stage. A relatively "anonymous" genius known
primarily to people in his part of the country who had discovered him and who had the perception to know greatness when they heard it.
People like me who grew up in the Midwest totally missed out! I went decades without his music! I didn't discover Dave McKenna until
he had already passed away. But thanks to his family and fans, I have acquired most of his recordings and have marveled at the videos
on YouTube that show his hands working their magic on the keys.
"What’s the point of this experience?" you may ask. "The guy wasn’t even a songwriter." Here’s what I am attempting to express:
There are anonymous musical geniuses in every city and town in the world. It is up to each of us to seek them out -- and then share them
with others. If we fail in this mission, it will be our loss to regret.
The other night I was having a cup of tea and watching a little MTV before turning in. I had the pleasure of seeing and hearing the
latest release from Chris Daughtry, who was eliminated as a finalist in the fifth season of American Idol. Remember?
Chris is an amazing talent. He's a songwriter, musician, vocalist, and producer. Although he didn’t win the competition, he was
signed by RCA and now has become one of the nation’s most successful rock stars. His debut CD became the fastest selling debut rock
album in history, reaching sales of one million units in just five weeks. As I watched his slick new video and listened to another
amazing original song, the thought hit me that he was probably just as gifted BEFORE he "made it big." When he was performing with
local bands and working as a service advisor at a car dealership in North Carolina, he was still the same guy...the same talent. It’s
just that he was anonymous to anyone who didn’t discover him in the local gigs he played. American Idol only uncovered what was already
there.
Almost everyone I meet somehow thinks that the "really good talent" lives and appears somewhere else than in their own home town. Nothing
could be further from the truth! If you love real music (not just "celebrity bubblegum"); if you appreciate great talent, and hope to
improve your own skills as a songwriter and an artist...then you seriously need to get out more! I promise that you will discover a
treasure trove of genius right in your own back yard.
Several years ago I when I was a panelist at a music conference in the Southeast, I was invited to attend an artist showcase on a
Friday evening. There I heard one of the most electrifying singer-songwriters ever. I couldn’t wait to buy his CD! At the product
table, I met his manager who, I discovered, is also the lyricist in their prolific songwriting collaboration. As I have enjoyed
their ever-more-amazing, ever-more-creative productions, I have concluded over a decade that Peter Moon and Peggy Frank are THE BEST
songwriting team I know! And...the Peter Moon Band is one of the most remarkable, "soon to be famous" music acts in the country. These
are artists for whom Music itself is the greatest reward. Sure, they’d love to be world famous...and well they should be...but fame and
fortune are not worth compromising the Odes to Joy and the magical, creative experiences they reveal with every new song and
perfomance. I feel honored to have become their friend while they are still attending some anonymous meetings.
As we end our meeting, here are some questions to ponder:
What and whom are you missing?
What greatness is lurking just outside your door?
You’ll never know until you start attending some Songwriters Anonymous meetings right in your own home town!
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**From her earliest childhood years writing simple songs and poems with her father, through her twelve years as an overseas
missionary, to her present, multi-faceted career as an author, lyricist/songwriter and conference speaker,
Mary has always been adept at using words to communicate her heart to others. She is the President of
CQK Records & Music of Dallas, Texas, a company which creates and produces songs in a panorama of musical styles for a
variety of audiences, She is the host of "I Write the Songs," a nationally syndicated radio talk show,
especially created to inspire and instruct the more than 40 million aspiring songwriters in the U.S.
Mary is a frequent public speaker and seminar lecturer and teacher of songwriting in her popular Living Room Seminars.
She is a Contributing Editor for The Internet Writing Journal ®. You can visit her website at:
www.cqkmusic.com. You can reach Mary by email.
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