In January of 2007,
Richard A. Reyes and his wife, Angela, came to meet with me
about being the DJ for Angela's daughter- Amber's wedding reception in October 2007. Richard was
interested in having lyrics he had composed put to music. Upon
agreement that I would help transform the lyrics into a song, the contract
was signed and the wheels put into motion.
Richard was in the last stages of making
the paperwork official to legally become Amber's father by her
wedding day. So, the title of the song- fittingly- was- JUST
CALL ME DAD. I was moved by the story and lyrics and knew this
would be a very special piece of music and opportunity to do what I love
most- write and produce music.
So, after what I'm sure seemed like an
eternity for the Reyes's, I finally submitted a draft of the song to give them my
idea of what would sound good. They had to have a lot of
faith because the rough draft was VERY rough. Richard was
concerned that it sounded more like a Broadway tune and he was aiming for a
more Country sound. I assured him it would be country-like
when all was said and done. He and Angela hung in there with me
through the whole production process and were more encouraged with each version that they
heard.
The final production, it was decided, would
need another vocalist. So, I called on the
vocal talents of my dear friends- Robert Schultz for the lead and he and his
wife, Dana Laughlin Schultz added the backing vocals. (Interestingly
enough, Dana and Robert have an adopted child- their son, Danny. So,
they related to the sentiment of the song completely!). It was a
match. Richard and Angela grew more excited.
Then my blues guitarist friend- Doug See-
came to the studio to lay down his guitar tracks. That really
took it to a more Country feel. I had Doug lay down many tracks
and then picked the best guitar "licks" to really accent the song in the
right places.
After adding the final strings, I got the
approval and total excitement from Richard and Angela that they were very
pleased. So, I mixed the final version, which is above for you
to enjoy here as you visit the Doug Gazlay Client Care Center.
On October 6th, 2007, after Eric and Amber
Ziegler had finished their first dance, Richard A. Reyes got the chance to dance
with his daughter, as he had dreamed for years, to the tune that came
straight from his heart. There was not a dry eye in the place
when the song finished- including the videographer! I'm very
grateful to have been given the opportunity to help bring something so
personal and special to the family of one of my clients.
Richard and I are now working on other songs
as well as searching for which Country star will put our song on
their CD. Any ideas? We hope you enjoy!- Doug Gazlay |
