Album Notes

Jim Bearden spent most of his younger years in Lubbock,
Texas, a town which has certainly produced more than
its share of singer/songwriters. He soon followed the
example set by the others. and left (to quote one of
them, Mac Davis: "Happiness is Lubbock, Texas in the
rear-view mirror"). Since then, he's lived in Houston,
Pittsburgh, and Honolulu (where he first started
writing songs), and he now lives in the "Silicon
Valley" area of Northern California, where he also
engages in the local custom of writing computer
programs by day.

His music reflects the influences of songwriters who he
says taught him how to write, such as John Denver, Tom
Paxton, Gordon Lightfoot, Paul Simon, and Bob Dylan.
When asked what genre it should be pigeonholed in
(Folk? Country? Acoustic?), he says the best
description is probably one he first heard from Jana
Stanfield: "Heavy Mental" -- some of his songs will
make you laugh, some will make you cry, but they'll all
make you think.

His first CD, "Sky Pilots" (named after a California
wildflower that only grows above 10,000 feet in the
Sierra Nevada, where he has spent a lot of weekends
backpacking and skiing) contains 16 original songs
which cover subjects from the very serious -- war
("He's Got His Own Wall"), executions ("R.A.H."), and
alcoholism ("For Teresa"), for example -- to much
lighter, like losing and regaining a girlfriend ("You
Got Me").

If you like the slick, polished music that you hear on
most radio stations these days (even "country"
stations), you'll probably hate this -- it's just a
voice and a guitar, with no artificial colors or
flavors between you and the songs. But if you'd like
some music you can really get your teeth into (that you
definitely won't be hearing on your local radio
station), this may be the CD for you.