MAGIC MUSIC FOR FAMILY FOLK

Description

As a father and touring musician, I made this album to keep my children company in my absence, hoping they would sing along in their mother's car. These songs evoke memories of my mother playing her Martin guitar in the living room and my father, at the family turntable, telling stories about Furry Lewis and Gus Cannon or explaining the meaning of a song. I wanted to share these childhood favorites with my children. This collection of childhood favorites was recorded for fun, at home, with family and friends in a spirit of sharing. Everyone is welcome. I wanted to share these songs with my children and my friends' children, as well as expose my daughters to the joy of learning, playing, and recording music that my father shared with me. The recording was largely done in 2017 during dinners, sleepovers, and playdates, either in a family social setting or while the kids were sleeping. After making mix CDs for the family car, I set the project aside until 2023. Finishing the album with new ears benefited from my film music work done in 2020 and 2021. I like to let projects simmer on the back burner until the time is right. The perspective of time cannot be bought or faked. My daughters sang on the album, both in 2017 and in 2023. Overdubbing my daughters in addition to their younger voices, 6 years later, was a unique sensation and a document of their youth. You can hear my youngest daughter sneezing and improvising wordless melodies, but my eldest daughter stole the show after her first overdub night, pulling me aside and asking, "Aren't you getting paid to sing on a record?" - Luther Dickinson