How about a simple, no-frills, original love song this week? I wrote “Country Night” as a young man and it’s the sort of love a young man should believe in. I’d like to think that I’ve retained a little of that innocence, even though the reference in the song to “growing old” has caught up with me.

This cowboy lullaby in ¾ time was written by Kent Lewis and first recorded by John Denver on his Windsong album. It was covered later by Chris LeDoux, a real rodeo cowboy-turned-country singer and Wyoming native. As I was recording it, that other guy wandered in and pulled up a log by the campfire and was pretty insistent on joining in, so what can you do? Unsaddle your horse, lay out your bedroll, and stretch out next to the fire for “Song of Wyoming.” Sweet dreams!

Since Sunday is Father’s Day I thought I’d offer this nugget from Dan Fogelberg. He wrote “Leader of the Band” as a tribute to his father who was a high school and college band director, but most of the words could apply to any father/child relationship. This song is a long-time favorite of mine.

According to the Songfacts website, this Gordon Lightfoot classic has been recorded over 100 times. It’s no wonder. It’s a hauntingly beautiful melody with interesting chords and, of course, Gord’s storytelling at its best. It’s a long-time favorite of mine. I hope you enjoy it.

This Saturday marks my 39th wedding anniversary with my wife, Tina. Most love songs talk about idealized love–fireworks, heart palpitations, rainbows, and so on. That’s all very nice, but anyone who has been in a relationship for more than six months knows that those feelings eventually dim. I wrote “One More Year” several years ago as an attempt to capture what I consider “real” love: it is about choices and commitment and compromise and understanding that “a tapestry of love is woven from threads of trust and fear.” Happy anniversary, Tina, and thanks for choosing to love me for one more year.

Here’s a fun original of mine with a cheesy title, three simple chords, and an upbeat tempo. In other words, the formula for a country/pop hit, right? It’s an “I should go home” song that I like to think of as a happy “Early Morning Rain.” Hope it brightens your day a little!

I wrote “Packing to Leave” many years ago with Benny and Gary Graeff and it first appeared on one of Nancy Tabb Marcantel’s albums. I think it tells the truth about how many relationships end: “some people just drift apart, never knowing when the leaving starts, until they find they’re powerless to stop the flow.” I recruited my virtual twin to help with harmonica and harmonies on this one.

Breaking up is hard to do (you can quote me on that), and it sure has inspired many a song–I’d be interested to know what percentage of pop/rock songs are dedicated to breakups. Anyway, here’s an original one of mine called “All My Yesterdays.”

Happy Earth Day 2022! To mark the occasion, I’m offering this beautiful song written by Michael Martin Murphey–“Boy from the Country.” Murphey recorded it in 1972 and then John Denver recorded it in 1975–much to the delight of Murphey, I’m sure. It’s been one of my favorites since I learned it back in the late 70’s. The message is as applicable and important today as when it was first penned. As always, thanks for listening and I hope you enjoy it!

This original song of mine is from the “advice from a wounded friend” genre. It’s pretty simple, but I enjoy playing it because it has an energetic strum pattern and a little one-note hook. I promise that I’m not really as cynical as the character in the song.