The next two people that I have met are pretty different in their music. One is mostly a gospel singer, and the other is mostly a folk singer. One is probably only known in gospel circles. The other is known all over the world.
In 2008, I was in Nashville working on the next cd for The Cobbwebs. We had done a cd in 2001 that was well received, and then the band broke up. Some would say we took a seven-year hiatus. We had some new songs, and I had written some lyrics for the cd. We were recording in Chris's home studio. One afternoon, a woman came over for a visit. Her name was Kimber Manning. I had heard about her from Chris, but I didn't know her music. As it turned out, she had sung in the Speer Family which was a gospel group. She was wanting to branch out and record her own songs, and Chris was helping her with that. She seemed nice, as we talked around the table in the kitchen. It was obvious that she was a perfectionist in our music. I guess that's why I liked her, because I have been a perfectionist in my work as an actor and writer. I learned later that she was a little bit too demanding in her work. As far as I know, she has released only one cd.
In 1991, Chris and Del wanted me to go with them to a show at a club in Five Points. The singer was formerly in a 60's band that became famous around the world. That band was The Byrds, and the singer's name was Roger McGuinn. He is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Byrds. Roger was in Columbia to do a show with his backup band called The Headlights. We sat two rows from the front, and the show was great. We had heard that he was going to sign stuff after the show in his tour bus. Del and Chris had brought record albums for him to sign. I couldn't find an album, so I brought an article from a Boston magazine about him. His wife was not the friendliest person in the world and was a bit controlling about how many things he would sign. When it was my turn, she handed the article to him. He had not seen it, and he asked me where this had come from. I told him that it was from Boston. He asked me if I was from there, and I said no. A friend gave it to me. He signed the page and gave it back to me. I had a one-of-a-kind piece with his autograph. That was kind of cool. He was very nice. When I got back home, I screamed. I saw the soundtrack to the film "Easy Rider" in my record collection. Roger recorded a song for that record. I could have had him sign it, but NOOOOOO!!!
I kept in touch with Roger after that night. He gave me some pointers on writing songs. In 1997, Crosby, Stills & Nash came to Columbia for a concert. Since David Crosby had been a founding member of The Byrds, I wrote to him and asked if he would be coming up from his home in Florida to see the show. David and Roger had a falling out over The Byrds, but they were trying to reconcile. Roger said he was sorry, but he said "Not this time". We have corresponded a few times since then. When my father died in 1999, the song on Rich's muzak was "Turn Turn Turn" by The Byrds. It was very comforting. I told Roger about that, and his words of sympathy were heartfelt. He was very nice to me. A true gentleman.
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