Well at long last the CD is finally pressed and ready for sale. I revised the CD title to: "For William: Songs He Never Heard". Sound samples of each of the tunes are already posted on the Music page.

It took a while to get everything done, proofed, printed and packaged. The result is more than I could have hoped for. Stuart Blower did an outstanding job on the CD design and layout. Alex Paris assembled everything into the perfect package: the mastering, final proofing of the overall design, the pressing and packaging. It's been a great adventure putting this all together. I hope you enjoy listening to the CD as much as I have enjoyed completing it.

CD Purchase Instructions: To buy directly from the artist through PayPal, click on the BUY button below. All transactions are secure with 1024-bit encryption. All major credit cards are accepted, as are PayPal payments. The CD cost is $20.00 CDN, which includes postage and shipping.

Alternate Instructions: American and International buyers may prefer to purchase through CDBaby. Once again, all transactions are secure with 1024-bit encryption. All major credit cards are accepted. The cost is $15.00 US plus postage and shipping, which will give a total of about $20.00 US or less.

mp3 Download Instructions: Some of the songs from the CD are available for download through PayLoadz and PayPal. Others will be available in the future. Once again, all transactions are secure with 1024-bit encryption. All major credit cards are accepted. The cost is $1.00 CDN for each mp3. Click on the "Add to Cart" icon to choose each of the available mp3's and to purchase them.

Black Out Night Sky (only released previously on compilations)

Black Beret

One Last Look

Initial Entry: Feb. 15, 2006

Back in 1999, I lost my father to colorectal cancer. In a strange sort of way, it was the impetus to get me started in the music business. Music gave me one way to channel the immense sense of loss I felt.

A lot of years, a lot of gigs, a lot of recording, and a lot of heartbreak and hard knocks later, I'm now at the point where I feel I've come far enough along to do some justice to a CD dedicated to my Dad. It is one of my deepest regrets that he never got to hear or see me perform, so I decided to put together a series of tunes that I think he would have enjoyed.

I am  looking to document the recording process on this website: what tunes and why, the stories behind the tunes, how they were recorded and mixed and mastered and why, who I met along the way in doing the recording, and selections from the tunes as they are recorded. Stay tuned for future developments as I document them on this page.

First Tune Selection: Feb. 16, 2006 (revised September 3, 2007)

I first met Bob Evans at the Canadian Guitar Festival in Odessa, ON back in 2004. Bob was always one with the drollest of stories, and some of the most amazing fingerstyle guitar licks I have ever seen or heard. He was kind enough to post on his website a tab of a tune he had dedicated to his mother, who suffers from Alzheimer's disease: On the Tip of the Tongue. It is a melancholy but heartfelt piece that touches so deeply to the soul of what it is to lose one of your most treasured possessions: your memory. My thanks to Bob for giving me the rights to record this tune. What follows is updated interpretation from August 1, 2007. My hope is that this version captures more of the haunting emotion of the piece.

Click on the play button to hear a short selection from the tune.

On the Tip of the Tongue

Second Tune Selection: July 18, 2006

Ever since I heard Ry Cooder's version of this many years ago, long before I had any clue how to play it, I had wanted to record this piece. "Great Dream from Heaven" harkens back to a time when my Dad was growing up in the Depression. As in the 1930's period film, "Brother Where Art Thou", it reminds me of the tall tales my Dad used to tell us about life in a small town and on the farm in the '30's. Dad and his family had a tough time of it back then, but they always kept an upbeat spirit about them through those times, much like this tune. I think that is why the tune captures so perfectly how my Dad felt about those times.

Dad (centre) and his two brothers in 1927

Click on the play button to hear a short selection from the tune.

Great Dream from Heaven

Third Tune Selection: August 13, 2006 (revised September 3, 2007)

My memory of this tune goes a long ways back to when the family used to own a Zenith stereo, the kind that was more a piece of furniture than hifi. I can’t remember if it was one of us kids or my Dad that bought the Simon and Garfunkel “Sounds of Silence” album. Among the bunch of us, we played that record into the ground on the old Zenith. A real favourite of mine from that time was Paul Simon’s version of the Davy Graham classic “Angie”. I revisit the tune with my interpretation here. (On Sept. 3, 2007, I replaced the original music file with what I hope is a much improved interpretation and recording.)

Click on the play button to hear a short selection from the tune.

Angie

Fourth Tune Selection: August 13, 2006

Dad was a real fan of classical music. Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn were his long standing favourites. My younger brother soon caught the bug as well. I was always a mere dabbler. I’d always liked a number of classical pieces, especially when they were adapted for guitar. Unfortunately, Beethoven, Mozart and Haydn didn’t adapt all that well. So I went to J.S. Bach. The only classical piece currently in my repertoire is “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring”, courtesy of J.S. Bach. One of these days, I’ll get around to learning a few more classical pieces.

Click on the play button to hear a short selection from the tune.

Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring