Musings on the loss of Helen Reddy and Mac Davis
l write this on the morning after the music community has lost two of our giants, Helen Reddy and Mac Davis. l grew up listening to both on the radio, and the first album l ever bought with the allowance money l'd saved up was Helen Reddy's "Long Hard Climb". As a young girl growing up in an old school patriarchal Eastern European home, l had been a big fan of Reddy's previous monster hit "l Am Woman". l can remember how good it felt to spin her new album time and time again, knowing it belonged to me. This morning l retrieve the album from my record shelf and take a look at the songs and songwriter credits listed on the back cover, and l see a clear line from my childhood past to my present older adult musical reality. "Long Hard Climb" has been the story of my musical life to date. lnspired by another musical feminist icon, Laura Nyro, l began to write my own songs as a young teenager, five years after the release of the Reddy album. But it is only in recent years that my music has been able to reach a truly international audience. l can now savour the lyrics in the title song, "Hasn't it been a long hard climb / Everything taking its own sweet time".
And the song that follows that track is Buffy Sainte Marie's "Until lt's Time For You To Go". Buffy and her music have become a MAJOR source of inspiration to me over the past five years. From the very start of my music career, people likened my music and voice to Buffy's, which l took as the major compliment it is. Although l had always admired Buffy's chops as a singer/songwriter, l didn't become an all-out fan of hers until she released the album "Power ln The Blood". That album KNOCKED MY SOCKS OFF!! For me, it has everything that a great album should have: brilliant songs about a variety of themes; powerful arrangements and production; deeply passionate singing; and so much more. Most folks don't make albums like that anymore, albums that take the listener on an endlessly interesting aural, intellectual, and spiritual journey. l've had the huge privilege of twice meeting Buffy after a concert, and both times l could literally feel her positive energy lifting me up where l belong (yes, that is a tip of my hat to Buffy's Oscar-winning song from 1982)! And this week, an immensely talented group of musicians and singers will record one of my songs on the same console that Buffy used to record key tracks on "Power". The circle is complete!!
To complete the circle of my e-letter to you, l return to Mac Davis. His gorgeous signature song was one that spoke of the power of music to spread love, peace and happiness. l believe whole-heartedly in that message, as do most singer/songwriters. The news headlines this morning are full of the words and actions of people who spread hatred, so today is an especially wonderful day to get right into my music. Thank you for listening!