Barry De Vorzon: The Songwriter's Friend

Many career-inspiring things to experience at the Taxi Music Road Rally I attended last November.  Here's a highlight for me.  Got a photo with composer, songwriter, former record company exec, AND the creator of the songwriting computer program I absolutely love and recommend for any songwriter, MASTERWRITER. 

Yours truly with Mr. Barry De Vorzon

Barry De Vorzon was responsible for classic cuts like "Nadia's Theme" (Young and the Restless), the theme from S.W.A.T. and one of my favorite Carpenters songs, the Acadamey Award nominated, "Bless the Beasts and the Children".  He even co-wrote the Eagles hit "In The City" with Joe Walsh.

Barry De Vorzon: The Songwriter's Friend

A Dream That Won't Come True

Today is the day after Osama bin Laden's death. I suppose I don't need to go into detail for you who he is, and actually, he's not the subject of this post. Let's change our focus, shall we?

This morning as I had iTunes DJ playing while preparing for a hotel departure, the Carpenters came on. The song (not one of their well-known hits) was called "Now".

You know, it's guaranteed that every time I hear Karen Carpenter's voice, I will melt...chills! What a voice! Simple and pure.

Here's something you may not know about me:

It's always been a secret dream of mine ever since I can remember since Karen, Richard, and their parents, were fellow Downey, California residents like I was, to sing with Karen someday. Of course that will never happen because she sadly died in 1983 of anorexia complications. So while I was living my childhood life and spending hours on end hunkered down playing my guitar in my bedroom on the west side of town, Karen and Richard Carpenter lived and we're rising to the heights of worldwide musical fame on the northeast side of town!

Kind of cool to think about!

But now Karen's no longer with us. There a plenty of singers who I greatly admire, but she remains to this day my all-time favorite female singer. I enjoy her not only for simply the heart-warming entertainment she brings but also as a fellow performer. Of course, you'll probably read this a lot in my posts, but I'm so blessed and grateful to be singing for a living and always learning something from admiring the talents of the best!

I can't but help but think there's a little "bit of Karen" I've absorbed into whatever performance skills I may have acquired along the way from watching and listening to her.



A quote that went along with this posted video from NedNickerson2010 for the song "Now":
"Following Karen's death, Richard returned to the studio and worked on his and Karen's last recordings, including two of the songs she recorded in 1982 as well as other songs from previous recording sessions over the years before. "Now" was a work lead, recorded in one take, and was intended to familiarize the musicians with the song as well as Richard's arrangement. After a complete music track had been recorded, Karen would have returned to the studio and recorded new vocals for the song. But as it was, the work lead turned out to be the last song Karen ever recorded."

A Dream That Won't Come True