Copyright 2007 - Kidvibe.com (ASCAP)
Music by Robb Montgomery
A road song for people on the move.
Archive for October, 2007
Yes, at last - I am back in a writing mode and am beginning to put together musical ideas for some new songs. Not sure yet if there will be an album of only children’s songs - some of the material I have been developing is more blues and electric guitar-oriented.
But there are also more lullabies in the pipeline including recordings of some favorites like Hushabye Mountain and Blackbird - songs that my daughters request at bed time almost every night.
So - it will be fun to track my take on those standards - we do them a little differently around the Montgomery house and you may enjoy hearing them, too.
So - like most projects - you enter the studio studio thinking you are going to do one thing and leave sometimes with a completely new and different thing. That’s the fun for me - I love that process.
Wish me luck and hope to be sharing new songs with you in the spring of 2008.
Robb Montgomery
Naperville, IL
The musicians and co-collaborators on this album are friends and family members who share a love of songcraft and storytelling. Robb Montgomery sings and plays bass and guitars. His brother, Jon, and his wife, Jamie, are the featured vocalists in the song “One.” Percussionist Duane Moore is Robb’s neighbor friend extraordnaire.
Linda Baumheckel is the Director of Music for the First Methodist Church of San Angelo, Texas and co-produced the principal recording sessions with Montgomery. Baumheckel arranged orchestral parts and is featured on keyboards. She also sings the duet vocals with Robb on “Enchanted Lullaby.”
Guitarist Jacob Hand is Robb’s nephew and lives in Broken Arrow, OK.
Bob Fila is the studio chief photographer for the Chicago Tribune and has been a been a friend of the Montgomerys for many years. He made the portraits of Robb and his children.
In the studio with Robb Montgomery
Jon Montgomery and Jamie Addams are the featured vocalists on “One.” Their contributions and willingness to be a little bit silly helped make the song a hit.
Jon and Jamie met and fell in love during their high school production of the musical “Anything Goes” which is perhaps one reason why “One” has a Cole Porter Broadway kind of vibe.
The climax of the song feaures Jon’s character embarking on a childhood “rant” - a feature that was improvised on the fly in the recording sessions.
Jon talks about the making of “One.”
“We (Jamie and I) came to Robb’s home studio in the evening, mainly to spend time with Robb and my cousin Linda and see what they had been up to. We had no idea we’d get swept up in the song-writing process. Linda and Robb started playing some music, and Jamie and I sat down to look at some of Robb’s lyrics. Robb had a melody and a few lines to a song called “One” which seemed like it could be a counting song.
Jamie seemed drawn into writing from the perspective of a one year old, wondering what each age might be like, and she quickly added several more verses. Linda jammed on the keyboard, and we all tweaked the words to fit the melodies.
My contribution is the tangent near the end of the song, when the child has grand, if off-beat, dreams of what he will do at future ages. Robb had suggested said the song needed an element that was radically different from the rest of the verses. That was all the invitation that I needed to provide a dose of the absurd.”
1. Why did you record this album?
I wrote the songs for my children, Kellis and McKayla Skye. My friends and family heard these songs and would ask for copies to play for their kids and I would make them homemade tapes. Recording the tunes in a studio allows me to share this music with many more people.
2. When did you start playing guitar?
I started playing bass guitar when I was a teenager. Bass is a lot of fun because you only have four strings and you play it with your fingers. I taught myself to play guitar about seven years ago after my wife, Mary, bought me an acoustic for my birthday.
3. What do you enjoy most about being a songwriter?
Hearing my two-year-old in the other room singing my songs to her sister.
4. Have you written any other songs?
Oh, gosh yes. I have at least another dozen kids songs I’ve started working on and I’ve got a bunch of songs that older kids and grownups might like. I’ve also been a bass player on a collection of blues recordings called “Tupelo Sessions.” I’m excited about these future CDs.
5. Last Question. How many guitars do you have and do you have a favorite?
Hey!, that’s two questions… OK, I have several types of guitars and you can hear all of them on this album. Let’s see, I play electric bass, electric guitar, nylon-string classical and steel-string acoustic guitars. Each instrument has its own special sound and I’ve written songs with all of them. Whichever one I pick up is always my new “favorite.”
Listen to 30-second previews from “Lullabies and Little Ditties”
Half the songs on the album are tender, sleepytime songs and half are fun little ditties laced with humor.
