The Long and Winding Road

I love lots of songs in lots of styles from many different artists and eras. For me, selecting a favorite song is a little like answering the question, “Where did you eat the best enchiladas you’ve ever had?” Dang, that’s a hard one, they were all soooo good. But I do have a favorite, Joe T. Garcia’s, Fort Worth, Texas (you gotta eat outside to get the full experience).

And I do have a favorite song as well; McCartney’s beautiful The Long and Winding Road. Even though I was quite young when I first heard the tune, I somehow intuitively knew that it contained a great truth, life would indeed be a long and winding road. I’m sure you’ve figured this truth out as well. The older I get, the more I believe that the most important part of our winding-road journey revolves around the relationships we’ll discover with our fellow travelers, and the only way to build real relationships is to share and listen to each other’s stories. Our twists and turns along the way play such an essential role in who we are and who we’re becoming.

So, I thought I’d catch you up on some of my voice travails during the last 18 months and also tell you about where I hope to head. Last March, I laid down my initial “template” vocal and guitar tracks for my upcoming record, Travel Inn. From the beginning, I was struggling with my voice a bit. But I knew I’d get it back in shape in a couple of weeks.  

Well, I got my guitar parts down, “sang through it,” and completed the initial tracks so that the other musicians could do their parts. During the process, however, I developed an edema on my throat and got to the point I couldn’t sing and could barely talk. So, I told Wes Sharon, my producer, engineer, musical genius and friend, I’d take a few weeks off from singing, and then we’d complete the rest of the record. I was sure I’d be ready to do the final vocals in mid-April.

Things don’t always turn out as we expect, do they? There’s that winding road theme again. After several months my voice was not getting better. I began looking for answers. So, after visits with three ENTs in two states, many hours doing internet searches, twice-a-day saline sinus rinses (yuk!), over-the-counter and prescription antihistamines, CT scans, steam treatments, various herbal remedies, and major sinus surgery (ouch!), not much improvement. Finally, thanks to intensive speech therapy with the very gifted Amy Harris at the University of Texas Voice Clinic, I’m finally back recording this week…14 months later!

I’m so grateful to be heading back to the studio next Wednesday to finish the Travel Inn record. I’m grateful for all those that helped me, prayed for me, and encouraged me. And yes, grateful for the journey. Gratitude and thankfulness make for sweet experiences.

I’ll let you know how it’s going along the way.