11.25.07           

Richmond, IN

“Welcome Home to Richmond” CD nears completion

After moving to Richmond from California the two things that I heard most from people locally was about the rich musical heritage from the Starr-Gennett record factory, and how difficult it is to keep kids involved in the community.  What I heard from California friends was “What in the world will you do in Indiana” as if they thought I would be bored.  Somehow these comments came together and made me think that with current digital technology we could recreate the recording industry in Richmond on a smaller scale, as well as feature talented local musicians and create opportunities for young people.  The “Welcome Home” project was born out of discussions with Ralph Pyle, Sergeant Major Mark Morris, and a meeting at the Whitewater Valley Detachment of the Marine Corps League with Lonnie Borden and Frank and Connie Gross.  I wondered if there was something that we could do to support the troops that  went beyond a yellow ribbon stuck to the back of our car, and found out that the Marine Corps League sends 75 care packages to the troops every other month.  These packages have necessities like t-shirts and pencils and made me think of my least favorite Christmas presents when I was a kid: I wanted toys!  I thought it would be great to include a CD of music with one of the packages, and then realized we could hit a number of bases by making a new recording with local talent and in the process let our young men and women know that we miss them and hope they will return safely home soon.

I had met David Ripp when he recorded the Richmond Symphony for their 50^th Season CD, and he agreed to help with my crazy idea.  He created a mobile studio at Joe’s Pizza on October 12th, we invited the community to participate in singing a song for the CD, and as has happened in every one of my actions in Richmond, things worked out much better than I could have planned.  As we set up the equipment, David mentioned that there was a young man from his church having dinner at Joe’s that night with his family.  Mark Bottorf, a young man from Richmond was enjoying dinner with his family and fiancé while on leave from active duty in Iraq.  He is a Purdue graduate and had served in Afghanistan and Iraq, and happened to be at Joe’s the night we had scheduled our recording session.  I told Mark and his family what we had planned for that evening and asked if he wouldn’t mind if I introduced him to the people who had come to Joe’s to sing, and he agreed.  Carol Lou Woodward played piano and everyone in the room stood and sang Irving Berlin’s “Always” thinking of the young people serving in the military, and Mark stood before us and sang with his parents and his fiancé by his side.  I couldn’t have planned this event, and as the voices swelled with emotion and Carol Lou played the last few notes, my wife said there were very few dry eyes in the restaurant.  The recording David made that night will be the last piece on the CD and communicates the love the community of Richmond has for our friends and family who are serving in the mid east.

Guy Bordo and the Richmond Symphony has contributed Liszt’s “Hungarian Rhapsody” from their CD, and along with Carol Lou Woodward, work will also be featured by Eric Loy, Lift, and the Earlham Choir, as well as a few selections of gospel, country and rock music by local musicians. 

The project is blessed by the generous donations of time as well as the use of First Christian Church at South 10th St. with the participation of Rev. Amanda Hines, Pastor, who allowed us to record Carol Lou as well as a new rock band “Hollow’s End” one afternoon in the sanctuary.  David Ripp enjoys classical music and was a little reticent to be the recording engineer for a rock group, but when he heard the band play their song “In Harm’s Way” he became an enthusiastic supporter and has taken extra time to create a recording that may bring these young men national attention.  The words to the song were composed by the lead singer, Curtis Collins, who is a Marine, and combined with a driving beat, roaring guitars and a compelling vocal, it will become very popular with soldiers who will find in it a reflection of their own strong emotions.

To complete this project we are also fortunate to have a world class recording and mastering facility in Cinram, who will actually create the CDs, and then bring everything full circle; connecting us to the Richmond heritage of Starr-Gennett while bringing us forward into the digital age.

It is my intention to send this CD to all of the troops from Richmond, and I am requesting that families send me the information on their relatives who are serving so that we may add them to the list at the Marine Corps League, and no one is left out.

Please send Name, Rank, and APO# to:

Jim Hair/Richmond Art Works, 829 E. Main St., Richmond, IN 47374, jim@richmondartworks.com

I have received requests from people around the country who have heard of this project, who wish to purchase the CD, and I will be working on a way to make that possible through a local group like Wayne County Vision.

We are creating a project that all of Richmond can be proud of, and will be part of our new civic awakening.

Any questions on this or other projects may be addressed to me at the Art Works at the address above.

Best Wishes,

Jim