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Dalton
Roberts |
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Be very careful about throwing away your creative efforts. You may be burying a blessing.
My first example is a song titled “Veterans of the Honky-tonk Wars.” Maybe I should not be proud of my years of playing in nightclubs and honkytonks but I am. It’s part of my personal history and it gave me a chance to sharpen my skills on guitar, singing and songwriting. I met thousands of good people whose greatest “sin” in life was enjoying music and dancing. I know of no reason to repudiate their friendship and the blessing it has been in my life.
Well, when Moe Bandy and Joe Stampley were hot as a two-dollar pistol with humorous duet songs, I wrote “Veterans” for them and felt sure they would record it. I got it to them but by that time their labels were moving them away from humorous duets. So I buried the song.
A few weeks ago I found it in an old writing book and it is one of my best lyrics. I plan to recut it as a solo. It is a good song and should not have been buried prematurely.
The second example is a song titled “Gentle Years of Love.” In my first marriage of 22 years, my wife and I interrupted several years of distance and coldness with an Indian summer of warm affection. I really thought we might make it and wrote “Gentle Years” as a tribute to that Indian summer of love.
I found it, too, in an old songbook and I felt it was speaking to me saying, “Listen Bud, I am a good song and just because your marriage didn’t make it, you should not punish me. Record me. There will be people who will love and appreciate me.”
I did record it and it turned out better than any song in that session. My first gig after recording it was a before a large group of seniors. Many had been married 25 to 50 years and when I sang that song, I could see them taking each other hands and I saw some misty eyes. It was Life telling me, “You did right.” It is on my “Love Songs” CD and many couples have told me it has special meaning for them.
The third example is “Closer Than A Brother.” I recorded my first album of gospel music when LPs were the thing and when CDs took over a few years later, I re-recorded most of the songs to bring them up-to-date and to release them on a CD. I did not re-record “Closer Than a Brother” because no one had ever requested the song. I ignored my own feelings. I had a special love for that song because it said exactly what I feel and have experienced about Jesus.
As the years went by I felt a deep sadness every time I would think of the song. It had come from deep in my heart and simply because no one else had felt it like I felt it, I abandoned this “song friend.” I felt like I had betrayed a special close friend just because other people didn’t share my feelings.
I went back into the studio and recut it. I cannot describe the sweet feelings that swept over me like waves of peace and joy as I sang it.
I will have it on a new gospel CD I am about ready to release and I will alert you when it is ready because I want you to experience that song. I believe anyone who feels that Jesus is their special friend will cherish it. I will ask my tech men, Donnie Jenkins, and my website manager, Pete Chaney, to make it available to you online.
I don’t care if I never make a nickel on that song. I will forever be glad I didn’t bury it.
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