Album Notes

Marlin, Texas was a music-loving town. The folks there loved gospel and R&B. I got a chance to see and listen to recordings and artists that I could never have found in Lancaster, California where Country & Western tastes ran high.

One August day, I came across a 45-rpm single that had over 50 records in the same bin. That was unusual, because most of the records in the bins contain only ten copies. This particular record was on a bright yellow label. The label letters were drawn in big black block letters that seemed to shout the label name: D–TOWN! The artist was named Lee Rogers, and the “A” side of the record was “I Want You To Have Everything.”

It was close to the end of the work day. The heat had broken and the little record store filled up with people. I found myself being pushed aside by the older ladies as they kept coming over to this D-Town bin to purchase this record. Lee must have sold over ten records in less than five minutes . . . and I was so excited and impressed to think of the implications that this could have on my own life. I was not a stranger to the gentle art of dreaming, nor a novice to the songwriting and recording process. I had been recording in my family’s garden shack in Lancaster for over two years. I had many songs that I had already written. I wanted very much to see them pressed and released. Watching the people flock to the bin to buy Lee’s record made me feel that an angel must have brought me to this place. I knew on the spot that I wanted to make records and learn how to market them.

As I watched and witnessed this frenzy of record-selling, I also made up my mind to learn more about Lee Rogers. I made a silent vow to myself that I was going to meet this guy one day. Little did I know that I would be his songwriter and record producer some 14 years later.