This is a story song, a dialog of the spirit.  It was created by a cedar flute made by Ward Stroud, of Sisters, Oregon.  The flute created the song, I just helped the process.

Hawk & Turtledove

This song came through a Cedar Flute crafted by Ward Stroud of Sisters, Oregon.  I call him "Holy Brother Teaching/Healing Flute".  The drum's name is "Poppy", another dear friend.

Chant for Spring

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After the fight with both his wife and ex-wife on the phone, Danny goes to the bar owned by his best friend Freddie, ties one on, and meets an attractive woman there.  Uh-oh....

The picture above is of my Dad, at about age 7.  One of the major paradoxes of my life, and a big part of why I've worked for almost 30 years on this play, is that my Dad was one of the sweetest, funniest and kind hearted people I've known.  He also cheated on both of his wives, never paid a dime in income tax, and set up his family in a small rural town, where he would visit on weekends, while maintaining an apartment in the city where the girlfriends were.  It's taken every bit of that 30 years for me to get a sense of who this man really was, and love him for all of that.

04 What It Is

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Danny calls his ex-wife, Laura, to apologize for missing his son Eddie's birthday.  This does not go well, and halfway through the call his current wife, Doreen, joins in and gives him hell as well.   The picture above was taken at my wedding in 1982, two years after my Dad died.  My Mom (Laura,) is in the back row, far left.  I'm in the back row, far right.  My Stepmom (Doreen) is on the right in the front row,  The fact that my Mom and Stepmom both came to my wedding is nothing short of a miracle...

03 Would - Could

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From the hospital bed we go with Danny as he travels back in time, to his son Eddie's eighth birthday.  Danny and Laura are divorced, and Danny has not showed up as he promised.  Laura is singing to Eddie, as she gives up waiting for Danny and brings out the birthday cake.

Eddie is based on myself, and this kind of thing happened frequently with my Dad.  The picture is of my Mom and me.

02 Birthday

Copyrighted material - Licensed through CreativeCommons.org    (Sung by Kathy Lee - Thanks Kathy!)

This is the opening scene of "Dad At Last", a musical based on my early family life.  As the curtain rises, a spotlight comes up, showing a man in a hospital bed, with tubes in his arms.  A woman approaches the bed as the music begins, and begins singing to him.  The man in the bed is Danny, and he is dying.  The woman singing to him is his ex-wife, Laura.  She has come to say goodbye...

The picture with this track is of my Dad and Mom, the real people who became Danny and Laura

Bob Olofson

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