The Truly Magic Gift of the Song: "Sail Him Home"

                                                                                

The Truly Magic Gift of the Song:   "Sail Him Home"

                                                                           

First and foremost, I'm a songwriter. I'm published in both Nashville and London, England, U.K. Twenty something years ago I wrote a song called "Sarah". I say I wrote it, however, it was given to me. The words came into my brain like I was listening to a radio. I had to write them down as fast as I could, or I would lose them forever. This song I was being given was from the spirit of a Civil War soldier telling me his story from nearly 150 years prior. He only had a brief amount of time to relate it to me. He could only do this for so long. It took a lot of his energy to stay and see it through.

You're free to call me crazy, but that's what happened and who gave it to me.

"Sail Him Home" was the same thing.

On September 2nd 2023, I woke up a little before 8, went downstairs and made some coffee. When the coffee was ready, I went to the music room and turned on the computer to catch up on the day's events.

The computer came on and my jaw dropped. Jimmy Buffett had passed away only a few hours earlier. 

I was shocked. 

I read the piece, as well as looked at other sources as well. After about fifteen minutes I grabbed  my guitar. 

I had been in cancer chemo therapy since the beginning of the year. As it was, I had an effect from it, loosely called "Chemo Brain". In my case I wasn't creative at all. While I could play my guitar, coming up with new, creative ideas was futile. I had not written a song since the previous December.

That morning, magic happened however. I hit a couple of chords and I was off to the races! 

The theme of the song was based on Jimmy Buffett being a sailor. Of course, Jimmy was a sailor, after all. The first line just popped in out of nowhere. 

"Sail Him Home on that schooner from Heaven."

After that everything just fell into place very quickly. Just like "Sarah", I couldn't write the words fast enough. The lyrics were being given to me, I only guided them into the structure of the music foundation. In less than 15 minutes the song was done, arrangement and all.

(Note: I came off chemo not long after, however it wasn't until three months later that I was off "Chemo Brain" and could write another song. How this song emerged... Your guess is as good as mine)

The song was given to me. It was a gift, not only to me, but to all I could play it for.

Writing a song is one thing. For me, learning how to play it is something entirely different. This song somehow, I learned quite quickly. I went over it a few times and said "This is really strange, but I think I can do it justice on Facebook live".

I played it on Facebook Live that day and it worked out quite well, actually!

In 48 hours it exceeded 10,000 views. 

The spirit who gave me this song, never told me who they were. The same was true with "Sarah". Like the spirit in "Sarah", the spirit in "Sail Him Home" only had a very short time to relate, so they kept it to a minimum. Short and simple.

"Sail Him Home"  is on the TRMA Ballot for both  Song of The Year and Single of the year.

Feel free to vote for both!!! 👍

                        

                                                                          

                                                SAIL HIM HOME 

SAIL HIM HOME ON THAT SCOONER FROM HEAVEN

SAIL HIM HOME ON THE SEAS KNOWS SO WELL

SAIL HIM HOME, BACK HOME TO THE ISLANDS

SAIL HIM HOME TO THE TROPICS HE LOVED

FLYING PLANES, WRITING BOOKS

HIS STORIES AND SONGS PEPPERED WITH HEROES AND CROOKS

TALES OF SURFING THROUGH A HURRICANE

EVEN GETTING SHOT AT IN HIS SEA PLANE

<chorus>

AND WE KNOW HIS ROAD HAS COME TO IT’S END

BUT IT CONTINUES ON THE OTHER SIDE

LIVES TOUCHED, OFTEN WITHIN

MAKES US SO GRATEFUL, IN THE END

<instrumental>

SO SAIL HIM HOME ON THAT SCOONER FROM HEAVEN

SAIL HIM HOME ON THE SEAS HE KNOWS SO WELL

SAIL HIM HOME, BACK HOME TO THE ISLANDS

'CAUSE BEING IN THE ISLANDS IS WHAT HE LOVED SO WELL

'CAUSE BEING IN THE ISLANDS IS WHAT HE LOVED SO WELL

YEAH, BEING IN THE ISLANDS IS WHAT HE LOVED... 

WHAT HE LOVED SO WELL

© 9/2/2023 Christopher R. Rehm - BMI  Ian Shaw - Producer,  Denis Blackham - Mastering. 

 Production Music

                                                                       

 

  

Buffett's People and Beyond Rare Buffett/Goodman Live Recording

Buffett’s  People and Beyond Rare Buffett/Goodman Live Recording

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to The Keys

I was reminded of this curious story when a friend in the media mentioned that I was friends on Facebook with someone he wanted to contact.  I won’t name names, because all of the sudden he’ll no doubt get all kinds of friend requests from people he doesn’t know.

The story goes back to 2007/2008, prior to my moving to Key West, when I lived in Miami/Dade. My friend Dave has always been a music fan, especially acoustic music. He had been stationed at Homestead AFB in the late sixties, early seventies and upon his release from the service, he elected to stay in South Florida. He based himself in the vibrant Coconut Grove area, which then was a quaint little bohemian village on the water of Biscayne Bay. My friend Dave was also a serious audio file and would do sound for various coffee houses and bars that hosted live music.

Being the sage fan that he is, My friend Dave would record the gigs, direct from the board to his reel to reel! The quality was always superb. It wasn’t as though someone was out in the audience holding a microphone up in the air in the crowd. No, this was direct off the sound board and when you heard the audience, it was through the singer’s microphone on stage that would pick it up.

Now, I met Dave in the nineties I guess? He’s still a major fan of live music to this day I will add, and that’s how I met him.

Dave gave me a few of his recordings. I have a Steve Goodman gig at a little place called Bubba’s, in Coconut Grove and also a recording of Gamble Rogers, which I think was recorded at The Flick, just off the University of Miami’s campus, in South Miami.

Another that Dave gave me was the last set of a Steve Goodman gig, again at Bubba’s in the Grove. This was interesting in particular, in that a guy named Jimmy Buffett was there as well for this last set, sitting in.

As it was, both Jimmy Buffett and Steve Goodman had just flown in from Nashville after recording Buffett’s first album written in the Keys, “A White Sport Coat and a Pink Crustacean” the name of which was a tongue in cheek parody of Marty Robbins song “A White Sport Coat and a Pink Carnation”.

Few knew who Buffett was at the time. Hell, it wasn’t even his gig. Fame would come after the album’s release. My friend Bill “The Cox That Rocks” Cox was there that evening and became an instant Buffett fan. However, when Steve Goodman introduces him, the crowd gives a polite, subdued, quiet applause.

The recording is one set at the end of the evening. A lot of banter between them both, some quite saucy actually. Really fun stuff! As it turns out, this is said to be the oldest live recording of Buffett and the quality is fantastic!

At one point or another, I made a post about it on Buffett’s fan forum on his website in 2007. Suddenly I’m inundated with messages! Everyone wants a copy!

Now My friend Dave is the nicest guy around. Very easy going. I didn’t think he’d mind at all, but before I did anything. I only thought it right to touch base with him on it. It’s his recording after all.

Dave was a gracious as ever. What he told me was “I don’t mind anyone having the recording at all! However, as I made it, I would like to hand Jimmy Buffett the recording and shake his hand. I made the recording, so I should be the one who gives it to him. That’s it.”

Fair enough! The obvious stipulation being that Buffett is the first recipient.

Well, that’s when I went to work! I spent days attempting to get in touch with Buffett and after talking to a bunch of people, I was finally put in touch with the aforementioned individual at the top of this blog.

He had an unusual location geographically, in my view to be part of the Buffet business group, however, having said that, I was put in touch with him through Buffett’s “people”.

He always came across as a very nice fellow. We went back and forth quite a bit. I told him what we had. Then he got back to me saying that Buffett remembered Bubba's and thought he remembered Dave as well. I recall during these exchanges, Buffett had just done a concert in Hawaii.

At the beginning things progressed quite well. My contact said he was told that it should be pretty easy to accommodate Dave’s request the next time Buffett was in Miami, or maybe Dave could come to Key West, if Buffett would be going there first?

Then it ran into what I named “The Buffett Personnel Quagmire”.  The funniest, most ironic part about it was that it was the exact same thing Buffett would have written a song about had he been in my shoes. Something like “Fruitcakes” where he’s questioning the ridiculousness of society and bureaucratic nonsense.

“Well, we’re not sure who this Dave guy may be?”

Me: “He’s a sixty something year old Jewish guy originally from Long Island, New York”

Them: “But we don’t know who he is. We just don’t know?

All of this translates to lawyers and inter corporate members searching to move up the corporate Buffett ladder by getting involved and inserting their presence.

What happened to “Where are the Junior Mints????”

Before all of this, it seemed that Buffett was talking to my contact directly. Things like Buffett remembering Bubba’s and thinking he remembered My Friend Dave. Now, however, things appeared to have changed. Clearly other people were now exerting their influence.

Next thing you know, my contact is saying that people in the Buffett organization are all saying the exact same thing: “Just send me the recordings and I’ll make’s sure he gets it”

Seriously?

What kind of a moron do they take me for anyway?

What their intention was is exactly the intention My friend Dave was hoping to avoid. Some complete and utter asshole, attempting to walk in and hand Buffett the recording of Buffett and Steve Goodman playing at Bubba’s in Coconut Grove before “.. Pink Crustacean” was released, and taking all the glory in their own eyes.

Then I got the ultimate statement to date.

“Well, we’re not sure who this Dave guy may be?”

 Okay, Right! The implication was more than obvious.

Like some Jewish guy, originally from Long Island, now in South Florida for almost fifty years after serving several years in the United States Air Force, about Buffett’s age, is going to strap on a bomb vest and blow their sacred cash cow to kingdom come.

They’ve got to be kidding.

I want some Junior Mints people!!!

Not long after that I moved to Key West. I felt bad for the relay guy I was dealing with. It started out with him being the point man. After it was established that we had something of good value and interest, the rest of the staff all jumped on the bandwagon, making the point man basically a relay man.  Like I say, it was actually the perfect backdrop for a Buffett song. Ironically, Buffett’s crew would have been the crux in the focus of the angst of the song!

Regretfully, Buffett never got the recording. Fortunately neither did the ones in his organization who said “Just give it to me and I’ll make sure he gets it” They were attempting to usurp My Friend Dave’s work.  Those jerks must have thought that I just fell off the turnip wagon. I mean, seriously? Really?

 All we wanted was honesty and integrity. That seemed to be the case when Buffett was talking to our contact. Likewise with our contact. At that point it was all straight forward. However, when the lawyers, the office turds, and all the bullshit grinders that goes along with them settled, and they messed things up royally. The songs are still in My Friend Dave’s computer and they don’t have anything.  

The saddest part of it all is, looking at the average age of Buffett fans, there’s most likely a fair amount of folks that have gone on to their reward between 2007 and today and never heard these recordings. My Friend Dave certainly wasn’t being unreasonable. He recorded the event, which in any other situation, would never have been recorded in the first place, had it not been for him.

Additionally, it’s not like a recording that was made at some gig in say, 1988, with some fan holding up a mic among 60,000 fans. This is with the late Steve Goodman and recorded before Jimmy Buffett, was “Jimmy Buffett”.  Although My Friend Dave said all he wanted was to hand JB a CD, shake his hand, and go on his merry way, my contact and I talked about My Friend Dave and JB having lunch together for the exchange. That would be nice! A casual lunch at maybe Scottie’s in Coconut Grove, mere blocks away from where the original gig took place, well over forty years ago.

Check below for a clip from the gig in question, “Cuban Crime Of Passion”

I want Junior Mints!

*An interesting anecdote that goes with the story: Around the early 2000's Bill "The Cox That Rocks" Cox met for the first time My Friend Dave. As it turned out, they both had attended many, many of the same gigs over forty years. The gig here was one of them! Bill passed away a year and a half ago. He was a major Buffett fan from the Bubba's gig to his last breath. In the early years, he would go to Buffett's gigs in the middle and upper Keys, often hanging out together after the show. Bill's highlighted in my book below. Miss you Bill!

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Cuban Crime Of Passion - Performed live by Jimmy Buffett and Steve Goodman at Bubba’s

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What Is Trop Rock Music? - Part III

What Is Trop Rock Music – Part III 

What is Trop Rock today?  A lot will call it escapism. The idea behind this is suggesting that listening to this type of music is a get away from living in say, Peoria, and imagining they are in say, Key West, or perhaps Sanibel Island. Sure, this would be escapism. For that particular analogy, it’s spot on.

However, let’s look at it from another angle. I’ll start off with myself and my girlfriend, Dani Hoy. We live in Key West. There’s also Scott Kirby, who lives here as well. Captain Josh, Howard Livingston, and Ray West, live up the Keys a ways in Summerland, Cudjoe, and Big Pine Keys. I can’t even begin to count how many Trop musicians live on the SW coast of Florida from Naples to St. Pete, not forgetting those on the east coast of Florida, and a few in the center of the state as well. Additionally, there are those in Hawaii too!! The point being, there’s a market for what we’re doing here in the tropics for players and fans alike, we’re not escaping anything. This is our lifestyle. We live here and so do a lot of fans of the genre. 

So, while escapism may pertain to some, it’s definitely not something that’s across the board. Therefore, in my view it isn’t an accurate overall definition of the genre.

What the music does do is emulate the tropics feeling. How it accomplishes that today is a multifaceted fascination that is worthy of investigation!

In the last two blogs I mentioned the Country music rooted side of Trop. Some use the great name of Gulf and Western for this style. Think of players such as Kenny Chesney, Steven Youngblood, Tom Shepherd, Todd Sparks, or Zac Brown. These are just a few of many who are deeply rooted in the Country side of Trop.

Here’s the great Thom Shepherd doing his song “Sand In Her Shoes”, which the video was recorded in Key West, for those who might be curious. Thom, along with his wife Coley, a highly respected songwriter in her own right, is deeply involved with Country music, with having written several number one hits He is an excellent example of how an artist can wear more than one hat at a time. Thom’s main hat is Country, but he has the option of being a Trop artist at the same time.

There are a lot of Trop musicians who fall on the outskirts of Country music and the outskirts of Rock. These would be the singer/songwriters, those troubadours with a very serious gift for weaving the best stories and amazing word structure, to music. With their roots in both Rock and Country, they wear both hats, as well as the Trop Rock hat. A few great examples of these artists would be Scott Kirby, Kelly McGuire, and the late Hugo Duarte. 

Here’s an incredible song by Scott Kirby “The Last Flying Boat” from his album “A Night on the Beach”.

Okay, so now let’s take a look at something entirely different. Many Trop performers don’t focus at all on the Country side of the genre. Many performers will anchor themselves on the English speaking Caribbean islands music. This of course, is nothing at all like the Gulf and Western Country influenced music I was just talking about. 

As Americans we often tag it all together, when in fact it’s quite individual. Reggae for instance, is rooted in Jamaica. The steel drums are from Trinidad. The Bahamas don’t have Reggae, or steel drums.

Here’s an example of Bahamian music with Ronnie Buttler doing his famous song “Who Put the Pepper in the Vaseline” which quite a few Trop artists have covered.

The beat to the music is Junkanoo, which is nothing like Jamaica’s Reggae and likewise, we don’t hear any steel drums either because they don’t use them in Bahamian music.   

All are utilized in Trop Music, often together, which in their native countries would be scowled on. Myself, I always feel that it’s good to know the history of any music you play. However, the English speaking Caribbean has a large influence on Trop Rock music.

Let’s look at Hawaii, while we’re at it. Hawaii is often emulated in Trop Rock as well. Back at the beginning of this series in the first blog I mentioned Martin Denny. More currently many know Israel Kamakawiwoʻole, better known as Bruddah Iz, who did the beautiful version of Over The Rainbow on the ukulele. That song struck into the hearts of so many. Additionally, Bruddah Iz was considered a national hero of the Hawaiian Islands, long, long before the song became a hit.

 

 Bruddah Iz passed away at 38 years old, nearly twenty years ago in 1997. He was Hawaii’s greatest promoter for all things that were naturally Hawaiian, especially its music!

Today you will find Hawaiian Ricky Hanna quite easily in Trop Rock, as well as Renn Loren, a native Hawaiian who has spent years on both the North American continent, as well as Scandinavia.

Here’s a piece by Renn Loren  

Okay, so now let’s toss a real monkey wrench into the mix. I know I’m not the only one who’s heard the phrase “New Orleans is the northernmost city in the Caribbean”!

Well, when one considers that much of the African/American culture, as well as French decedents, came there from Haiti, it seems to fit in quite well actually, especially their music, which is derived from Haiti, by way of Africa.  

Here are The Neville Brothers doing “Yellow Moon”.

The Caribbean roots in “Yellow Moon” are beyond apparent.

So again we come back to the original question at hand:  What is today’s Trop Rock?

Through the last three blogs we’ve seen it having roots in Hawaiian music, which itself had roots in South American jazz via Martin Denny,  Jimmy Buffett bringing it to light, Country music, all sorts of Caribbean music, both English and Spanish, again more contemporary Hawaiian music.

In his book that he co-wrote, The Story of English, television news anchor Robert MacNeil states that languages which stop growing are destined to die. Latin, which was set in stone, literally, was used as a prime example.

The same is true with music. If one looks at the musical pieces that were done by Strauss, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, or Beethoven, then compare them to pieces by Ravel, Stravinsky, Varese, or Zappa, music has indeed changed and evolved and Classical music continues to thrive.

Trop Rock music must continue to grow if it is to survive in the long run. The man credited in starting the genre, Jimmy Buffett, just turned sixty nine. The majority of his fans are naturally in his age group known as the Baby Boomers. 

Several years back Country star Alan Jackson did a duet with Buffett “It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere”. Jackson is 57 at the tail end of that generation. Zac Brown also did a duet with Buffett, “Knee Deep”. Zac is thirty seven. The Zac Brown Band brings a whole new generation to the table. The quest here for Trop Rock is that The Zac Brown Band’s fans are right at Trop Rock’s table, they just don’t realize it. Likewise with Kenny Chesney. He’s a little older than Zac Brown at 47, but he has droves of fans that have no idea they are Trop Rock fans!

Going back, don’t forget that a musician isn’t locked into one category. When you stop and think about it, a Western Swing musician could easily be classified under Country, Jazz, and Rock!  So we can wear many hats in Trop as well. 

Obviously we must include Rock in all of this!  Back when Jimmy Buffett released his first album from his Keys period, he was a Rock artist. Back then, there was what was known as "Progressive Rock" and that included everyone from James Taylor to Black Sabbath. Some bands from that era, such as The Eagles, or Buffett, today might be lumped into the Country genre. A great deal of today's Trop Rock music has it's basis in the border regions where Rock and Country converge.

So what is Trop Rock?

Potentially pretty progressive music actually, depending on the artist’s vision for a horizon! Any music that feels like palm trees, beaches, warm ocean breezes, sailboats, cocktails in the tropics, where the feel falls under the 30^th Parallel North and above the 30^th Parallel South in the Western Hemisphere, although those lines are subject to change at the drop of a hat and flex slightly. It’s a style of music that can be constructed on virtually any genre of music being used as a foundation. 

As time goes on, we'll see how it progresses and evolves! It should be a fun ride!