JPF Home Page Forums Lyric and MP3 Feedback MP3 Feedback Forum Bluegrass Angel---Birthday

Hi, guys,
LETHA'S HAVING A BIRTHDAY THIS WEEKEND!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LETHA!!!

Scuse long intro--As Paul Harvey used to say, "And now the rest of the story:--Some months ago I sent Letha a title and part of a lyric and we kicked it around a little but didn't do anything with it-
-Later on Letha was at a Bluegrass festival and they were given several words and had to write a song using them--My title came to mind and she wrote a song with the title and their words---Won the contest--Letha and the Benders have been performing the song to good reviews, etc.
All Letha used was my title and I guess maybe you could say the obvious theme---I protested that I didn't deserve a co write but Gracious lady that she is, she insisted--Thanks Letha!!

The lyrics seem to be a bit messed up. I'll see if I can straighten them out a little--my puter is giving me trouble.
I'll elaborate a more later.
I'll try to see if the link works. Letha didn't have it up on Soundclick or anything so this is a video she had

Letha and the Benders have already been performing this and it has been well received but I suppose it could still be changed a little if they wanted to ,since it's not on an album or anything.

OK, the link seems to work anyway
Letha has been super busy so that's why I'm putting it up
I'll tell a little more story later
Wy


http://www.youtube.com/user/LethaBenders#p/u/3/qYsE9S8ermQ

Bluegrass Angel

(c)2009 Allen/Griffith

She was a miners daughter

Way up in the mountains never traveled too far from the holler

And her daddy loved her

Worked everyday like a dog for a miners dollar

She hardly ever saw her daddy in the light of day

He had to leave her all alone just to make that miners pay

Tryin to feed the daughter and the old dog skinny to the bone

Take a broken down fence to keep the old shack from rattlin cold


But he'd come home at night

Couldnt wait to see her smile

Take his grandads fiddle down

and his Angel would sing her songs


Chorus:

She was a bluegrass angel

The only light in his life

She was his world

She was a bluegrass angel

and the mountains would echo with the songs of his angel girl


But she died one day 'fore he even made it home

and the mountains still echo with the sounds of his angels songs


Chorus:

She was a bluegrass angel

The only light in his life

Suddenly gone

She was a bluegrass angel

and he curses the dark

and he curses the dawn


She was a bluegrass angel

The only light in his life

Suddenly gone

She was a bluegrass angel

and the mountains still echo with the sounds of his angels songs

and the mountains still echo with the sounds of his angels songs

http://www.youtube.com/user/LethaBenders#p/u/3/qYsE9S8ermQ

Wyman and Letha...I really like this. Very sad song...well written and performed:)

You make a good team for sure!!!


Kimberly:)

WOW!!! Wyman ... this is terrific stuff! I love it!

Your voice is tremendous, and your compardres are excellent musicians!

More please!

Stan

Wyman, so good, great performance by all and what a powerful
vocal, sung with passion, really good, kudos to all involved,

Tony.

Cool song and video. Letha is quite the singer. Not sure if you are looking for critiques at this point, but I have one comment that you can keep or sweep.

But she died one day 'fore he even made it home

and the mountains still echo with the sounds of his angels songs......

....left me wondering about how she died. Maybe the fever took her, or ????? Seemed a bit abrupt as is.

Colin

Hey Wy and Letha! Very nicely done! Good write both lyrically and musically. Letha sings it beautifully... One little nit...I'm not quite getting this line. Am I missing something?

Take a broken down fence to keep the old shack from rattlin cold

Hi Wy and Letha

Good song and performance - sound is real good for that situation... What brand and style mic are you using for this application? It woks well. ; ) jm

HI Kim,
Well, this is mostly Letha's project.
As soon as I hear back from her again, I'll tell a little more about how it came to be.

Thanks for the good word.
Letha's voice always blows me away
Wy

Hi Wy:

Very cool! Love it

Very nice to see Letha back in action as well - looks like she has a new project

Scott

I thought this was awesome. Letha's voice always blows me away too and she's the sweetest kindest person as well. I love the idea of a Bluegrass Angel. That was a stroke of genius.

Looks like Letha has been working hard -- there's a few videos there. Thanks for sharing, Wy. Good song and always a pleasure to hear (and see) Letha going at it.

Hey that band needs a bass player, though!!!!!

Kevin

Hey Stan L,
Thanks a bunch.
Yep, I've heard Letha called "The Voice"
With my 'puter troubles and all, I haven't even got to listen to her and the Benders except for this song.
I'll have to remedy that.
Time for vittles
Wy

Howdy Wy, Gus here. That was a joy to listen to. Boy, that gal
can sing it...........Thanks for sharing

Great song, performance and video. Letha is quite the talent! Love her voice. Great quality on the video! You guys did a real nice job on the lyric. Loved everything about it.

Alan

Letha's a bluegrass angel as well. What a voice!
Gorgeous music and melody for a pretty lyric.

I'd like to have seen an extra line or two as a transition up the girl's death, though. It came too abruptly for me (as a reader/listener) to feel any emotion about it.

The "broken-down fence" stopped me for a bit, but I presume it means that the miner used it for firewood to keep the cabin warm.

All in all, though, an enjoyable listen.

Mighty fine title, too.

Donna

Hi Wy, hi everybody!

I don't have much chance to get in and talk much anymore, it has been a strange year, sometimes a hard year, but it is getting better now lol. I moved twice in 3 months, and in the move I lost a power supply for my Behringer mixer,and had a hard time finding one, but I finally did. Now I am trying to get to recording some again, but I did the videos with my computer until I could get set back up to record. I am slowly but surely trying to get the sound and process back.

Thanks Wy, when we talked about Bluegrass Angel some time ago, it was before all those moves and changes in my life, and we didn't get to finish it. I thought I would tell you the story of how it got finished lol. I was going to Atlanta Michigan for "Bluegrass in the Park", and they had a songwriting contest that my band members and I were going to try. They gave six words on Friday, and you had to play your song on saturday. The words were: Dog, holler, fence, daugther, miner and Bluegrass. when I got the words Friday, I started writing, and bluegrass angel just kept popping into my mind, and it seemed to write itself the rest of the way, Wy.

I admit, it was a timed thing, because not only did I have to get the lyrics and melody finished, but we had to learn it and perform it together. I guess there could still be a couple changes to nail it, but we won, and when we play it, people seem to like it lol, so I am not sure if we should change it much.

The couple questions about the lyrics, I will try to answer.

Take a broken down fence to keep the old shack from rattlin cold:

It may be a little fuzzy, but in my mind, it meant taking pieces of the old fence and patching up an old shack where the wind was blowing through. Donna's take on it is very good, cause it might even make as much sense to use the fence for burninng as for patching lol, but remember, "fence" was one of the words I had to use.

"But she died one day fore he even made it home": Yes, I guess there is no lead in to her death, and actually, I almost had "But she died of the fever fore he even made it home", but changed it because that seemed just as abrupt, and I guess I felt it was the fact that she died that was the most important, and people could imagine for themselves what took her lol.

Bluegrass sometimes has some very meloncholy subjects. I love all kinds of music, but I was raised in bluegrass and gospel, and then playing out in a sort of rock band for 12 years might color the way I interpret it now and play it, but I try to keep bluegrass bluegrass, rock rock, country country, with just a little of my own flavor lol.

I hope the story of writing it explains that it was a quick song, but very exciting to finish writing it, playing it and winning first in one nights writing. We didn't win a big prize money or anything. What we won was to play a set before the headline bluegrass band on stage, and to me that was beautiful. I was very happy and will be going to that little festival every year that I can.

Calvin, thank you for the birthday wish! At a certain point, you want to stop counting them, but still they keep coming lol. I guess that is a good thing considering the alternative huh??

Wy, I appreciate that your idea for the title and the work we started back then left such an impression that it stayed in my mind. Thank you so much, because now it is one of our favorite songs to play, and I didn't want to even post it till I talked to you and you approved.

Thanks again to all of you, and I think of you often,

Letha

HI Tony,
Yep on Letha's vocal and the performance
Got me back in a "Bluegrass mood"
Started writing a lyric this morning
Thenks for the once over and good words
Wy

Wy and Letha...

Nice work...melody,vocals and an emotinal storyline.
I too wanted to hear a bit more on how she died. A stand-up bass would be cool as well.

Letha...I haven't listened to much Bluegrass but you IMHO were born to sing this.

You are making a new fan here.

Best of Luck with this one.

Larry

Hi Larry,

Thank you for the compliment. Seems like more than one thinks we should tell how she dies.

Wy, How bout "Fever took her one day fore he even made it home"?

Also, we do play with an upright bass player most jobs out. Here is another video with bass of a different song I wrote.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Aavsg8bdMs

Thats how we usually play live, but sometimes we just practice in the living room with just us three.

Oh, Joice, that mic is the guitar players mic, a behringer condenser mic. It does seem to work pretty good.

Thanks again and have a beautiful day.

Happy Birthday Letha!!!!! This song sounds great! I'm glad you won the contest with it. Great to hear things are getting back to normal for you. Two moves in three months, wow, I can't imagine. Glad to see back on the boards.

Charles

Letha, if I may, I'd suggest having at least a couple of lines about her falling ill. That way, there's time for emotional tension to develop within the lyric. With just one line, the fact is suddenly on top of us and has little or no impact.

Just a thought.

Donna

Hi Wy & Letha,

I love this hook, and everything else, the lyrics, music and performance. Really well done, all around. Nice to hear you again, Letha and a big Happy Bluegrass Birthday!

Ricki

Hi Colin,
Totally agree on Letha.
Yeah, the bridge is a mite sudden. but it's been going over well in performance.
That probably works a little better in Bluegrass than some other styles
A couple other people mentioned the bridge. After things slow down a little for Letha we can discuss it if she wants to.
If we could do it without having to change the music much or any it'd be better.
Course them there is the old adage "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" <G>
Food for, thought
Thanks for the comments.
Wy

Hi Dave,
Thanks for all the good words.
As far as the broken down fence, I looked at it as an old rail fence they were chopping up for firewood to keep the old shack warm.
Letha looked at as an old board fence to patch up some of the cracks in the shack.
Either way, probably most Bluegrass people would probably take it one way or the other.
Thanks for the visit
Wy

Hi Joice and Scott,

Thanks for the kudos Joice.

As to the mic, I'll have to holler at Letha.
Oh, Leeetha!!
Well, it might be her Birthday--I'll try to remember to ask her next time we converse if she doesn't show up.

Hey Scott,
I'll give an Amen to having Letha show back up.
She's a classy addition to the board and we could , uh, probably use a little a' that <G>

Thanks for the lookover and vote of approval
Wy

Hi guys,

I am considering every suggestion here, and appreciate all of them. I do want to put this on a cd somteime, and of course we want it to be the best it can be. we could add a few lines, but somteimes less is more to me, with people using their own interpretation. But at least it is a good sign that the story in interesting enough to leave you wanting to know lol.

Oh, I answered Joyce up there wy, it is a behringer condenser mic I am using through a behringer mixer.

Thanks again and have a good sunday night.

Hi Wendy,
We thank you for the kudos.
Yep on Letha's voice.
As to the title--hook, I've no doubt said this before but IMO the importance of a really good title or hook or at least a unique "idea", is generally underrated.
To put in a lot of time honing something is a waste, if it's not going to fly cause it's not "unique" enough
JMO <G>
More coffee
Wy

Hey Kevin,
I still haven't got over to see-hear the other videos on Letha's site. That's too busy--I'm RETIRED!!. I ain't sposed to be busy!!

As to the bass player, you'll have to talk to Letha. She's boss, brains and talent of this collaboration <G>--
All I do is think up good titles <G>
Thanks for coming by Kevin
Wy

Hi Gus and Calvin,

Yep on joy to listen Gus!!
Oh Leeetha!!!! Have you got an album?? I don't think you've got an album!!--Why haven't you got an album Letha??
I WANNA' ALBUM!!!
Thanks for the listen Gus

Hey Calvin,
Right, Rock on Letha!!
And many more happy, happys
Thanks for coming by, Calvin
More coffee
Wy

crackin stuff

Mark

Hey Al and Donna,

Hi Al,
Yep, Letha is knee deep in talent all right.
She needs to get going on an album--Letha, you need to get going on an album!!!

Well, not TOO fast. I've got a new lyric I wanta' show you <G>.
Thank for the vote of approval from someone who knows about stuff, Al

HiDonnaDevine,
I think Bluegrass and Gospel might be Letha's "forte" though I expect she could sing many different styles. (Did you know she was gonna' start working on an album ? <G>)
(Para <G>)
On the bridge, we'll probably kick the bridge around some when Letha's not quite so busy and quits movin' all over the place <G>

Well, I was choppin up the old fence for firewood like you, (You prob'ly never chopped a stick of wood in your life!! <G>), but Letha was patching the shack with it.--- Ya' see I had a rail fence and she had a board fence

Yep, I'mm a pretty good Titler, uh, title person--it's writing songs that I have the problem with.
Thanks for coming by and suggestions
Y

Hi all,

I am so sorry I don't have a lot of time in here right now. I will have a weekend along on the 19th, I plan to get to come in and listen to some music and get to talk more with you all.

Wy, I always hate to say this, but after all these years, I still don't have any recording for sales. Always been a money thing I think, and I don't think the quality of my recording is good enough to sell. But, I dream of doing it and hope it will be this year.

Thanks to you all again, and hopefully I will get to see you a bunch on my free weekend lol.

Letha

Hi Letha--from-back--there--aways
We haven't really had a hance to talk much and now I signed in for the FAWM thing, Though a couple days late
I can't imagine moving 2 times in three months. I would have lost bout everything" in that process
.
Yeah, I had heard of the BLuegrass In The
Park" thing before.
Ah, that's the easy way when the song just kinda writes itself. And often the best.

I was chopping up the fence and burning it too <G>

You did good Letha

Wy