Touched to tears

Roy Ayres · From: Riverview, Florida, USA, R.I.P.

Have you ever been “touched" to tears by one of your own recordings?

I know how egotistical that question must sound, but I have a reason for asking it, as that exact thing happened to me recently.

I just finished cutting a Steel Guitar CD called "Footprints" at R. J. Buras’ “Silver Creek Studios” in Kiln, Mississippi just a dozen miles outside of Gulfport a few weeks ago. The last song on the CD is the Albert Malotte arrangement of “The Lord’s Prayer” where Hal Higgins sang one of the most inspired renditions of that wonderful prayer given to us by Christ Jesus that I have ever heard. We had laid down the rhythm tracks and the main steel track with all instruments plugged directly into the board, which R.J. was operating. Then, after we got all of the tracks the way we wanted them, Hal went into the isolation booth and laid down the vocal track. I was still sitting at the steel, and the further Hal got into the words, the more my eyes welled up with tears. When I later received the master, in listening to the final mix, I learned that I had been playing harmonic fills throughout the entire song, but I was so overwhelmed by Hal’s beautiful and powerful voice and the words of the prayer that I don’t even remember playing the harmonic fills. It turned out, however, that R.J. had picked them up on a separate track, and when he and Bill Stafford later did the final mix-down after Laurie and I had hit the road, they put that extra track of harmonic fills in over the main steel and vocal tracks. When Hal had finished the vocal track and the already-recorded ending steel tag had finished, I looked up at my wife, Laurie, and she was crying. I broke down and joined her in a crying jag of my own. Then R.J. joined in and Hal came out of the isolation booth and also joined in. The four of us just stood there in a giant four-person hug that must have looked like a senior version of the Dallas Cowboys in a huddle, while Hal said a beautiful prayer of thankfulness for the inspiration that had come over us. I feel that the Holy Spirit was there with his hand on us saying, “Well done, my good and faithful servants.”

Egotiscal? Yes, no doubt about it. But I felt it was appropriate to post – if for no reason but to demonstrate the power of music to touch the human soul.

Roy Ayres

[This message was edited by Roy Ayres on 19 April 2004 at 10:35 AM.]

Rick Schmidt · From: Prescott AZ, USA

Cool Roy! That's what music is all about.

Billy Woo · From: Los Angeles, CA, USA

Wow if you stop and think about that's a cool title for a song..yes to the other, I wrote a song about my daughter years ago.

Bronco Billy

Paul Graupp · From: Macon Ga USA

When I first started to play I was stationed in England. I'd been a few months on the Fender 1000 and was trying emmulate my hero, Bud Issacs. I had learned his version of By The Waters Of The Minnetonka (sp ??) and a version of Danny Boy as taught to me by my Mentor Tom Vollmer.

We played a benefit one sunday afternoon at a nearby orphanage. A small boy, severely handicapped and in a wheel chair was placed to my front left. I noticed him become aggitated doing the Waters instrumental and again, later, when I played Danny Boy. Then I noticed the tears coming down his cheeks and realized that the music had moved him.

That realization and surely not my feeble efforts at pedal steel guitar brought the tears to my eyes as well. I tried to cover it up with a cough and almost choked on my efforts. That childishly honest review of my playing has never left me anything but very humble and thankful !!

Regards, Paul

Colm Chomicky · From: Kansas, (Prairie Village)

Paul,
I couldn't keep a dry eye while reading your post ! Hard to believe that a little boy's tear from long ago still lives today.

(I'm sitting here on lunch break telling folks, I got something caught in my eye.)

Kevin Macneil Brown · From: Montpelier, VT, USA

I think that when music moves through us to bring another person to tears of emotion, we are granted the momentary gift of experiencing for ourselves the awesome power of music to communicate what lies beyond words.

Bill Stafford · From: Gulfport,Ms. USA

Roy Ayers and the word "egotistical" are not to be ever used together. Just doesn't fit!
All the above is what "pretty and meaningful music" is all about. And Roy, that "feeling" is still there in the final mix.

Bill Stafford

Ray Minich · From: Bradford, Pa. Frozen Tundra

The music theory prof at Cal State Fullerton years ago explained that music has the capacity to invoke a wide range of human emotion, from happiness and joy, to melancholy and sadness, and the points on the continuum between. Yet, I've never been able to put a finger on what the emotion is called where the notes choke you up, but you are happy 'cause it's so darned beautiful.

That's what the steel guitar does for me.

John Floyd · From: R.I.P.

We play music when we are young to impress others.(I've even heard sometimes its to impress girls,

)

When we finally get old and mature enough we do it to impress ourselves. Thats when we are doing it for the right reasons. If others are impressed, thats just icing on the cake.

Roy
If you were impressed with your own music, Then you have received a blessing,be thankful for it, Ego has nothing to do with it.

[This message was edited by John Floyd on 19 April 2004 at 05:11 PM.]

Jerry Roller · From: Van Buren, Arkansas USA

This is a great story Roy. A moment that does not come along very often for any of us.
That recording is probably going to be a blessing to a lot of people.
Jerry

Terry Sneed · From: Arkansas,

Quote"Egotiscal? Yes, no doubt about it. But I felt it was appropriate to post – if for no reason but to demonstrate the power of music to touch the human soul.quote"

I don't call that "egotistical Mr Roy, I call that playing in the Holy Spirit!
If that's egotistical, then we Christian steel players, need more of it.

God bless, and thanks for sharing that.
Terry

Roy Ayres · From: Riverview, Florida, USA, R.I.P.

Thanks to you who responded above and to the several steelers who emailed me with similar experiences. Don't ever let anyone tell you that some grown men don't cry.

Hal Higgins · From: Denham Springs, LA

Roy....and other responders to this post, There's just something different about playing and singing under the inspoiration of the Holy Ghost......the presence of Jesus was so strong in that place when that was recorded, no one could help but to sureender their emotions to Him. I thank Mr. Roy for asking me to be a small part of his first project. For me it was a joy and an honor.......HAL

------------------
Be Blessed........HAL
'85 Emmons LeGrande D-10,(8 & 6) Hilton Vol. Pedal, BJS Birthstone bar, Rack w/Evans Pre-amp, Lexicon MPX100; (2)1501-4 BW's in custom built cabs by T.A. Gibson, & a Peavey DPC 1000 Power Amp.

Mike Hoover · From: Franklin, TN, USA

Roy, I have had the pleasure of hearing Hal sing in person, the Lord has truly blessed Hal with a talent. I have been told that his daughter is better than he is.

Mike

Roy Ayres · From: Riverview, Florida, USA, R.I.P.

Several people who have read this thread have emailed me inquiring about the availability of the CD. It is currently being duplicated and packaged by Teresa Sweeney; I'm not yet certain of when it will be available, but I'll post notice when it's ready for shipment. Forget about the steel instrumentals; the three wonderful vocals by Rev. Hal Higgins (From This Moment On, You'll Never Walk Alone, and The Lord's Prayer) make the CD worth the cost.

[This message was edited by Roy Ayres on 04 May 2004 at 04:45 PM.]

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