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Thursday, June 26, 1997
How about that newsletter?!Many of you probably received the hardcopy version of our Friends of Amy June1997 newsletter before you got the e-version (due to my modem woes). I hopeyou like it half as much as we do! (If you don't care to indulge me thisstory - feel free to delete at will!)
Getting to deliver the copies to people who contributed to the anniversarysection has been most gratifying! In fact, it's almost been a spiritualexperience.
Before I had even written one 'thank you' note and gotten copies in the mailto contributors - I had a rare opportunity to pass some copies out in person. Marty McCall recently released an album entitled IMAGES OF FAITH. I highlycommend it to you. It is truly moving an inspiring. At any rate, he wasscheduled to perform the songs from the album at church last Sunday nightintertwined in a specially written liturgical service. Now I know fromexperience that "liturgy" CAN be about as dry as so many dead bones, BUT whenfleshed out with the Spirit - it can provide a strong back for one amazingexperience. In addition, Marty's wife Vickie had painted some gorgeous imagesto present our faith visually and they were displayed along both sides of thesanctuary.
When we pulled into the parking lot - Brown and Debbie Bannister pulled inright next to us. I just happened to have a box full of newsletters in theback of my car having just picked them up at the printer late last week. Igrabbed a handful for them and a few for Marty. When I got inside - Gary andCarol Pigg were sitting two pews ahead of me. Right next to them, Gwen Moore.And nobody knew that everyone else was going to come! It was an impromptureunion of all the 'old Belmont Church music community' from 20 years ago!Amy was one of the few who wasn't there and boy did she miss out! Our choirsang along with Marty. I count many of them as friends anyway, but when I sawthem in that context - it just lifted my hopes to see publishing companypresidents, label A&R reps, even a retired label president up front singingand serving! And then we all partook of the Lord's feast at a common rail. AsGary later said, "This is what heaven will be like!"
As for the newsletter - it was met with squeals of delight. Some of thepeople who sent notes had not seen the photos that I chose to use in theletter. I got them from the old Koinonia Bookstore archive thanks to myassistant, Jeri, who used to manage the place. (Small world, Nashville). Atany rate, it was so much fun seeing everyone together again and watchingpeople perusing the pages and pointing at picture, "Look! Did you see this?"They all thanked me for putting it together. Marty commented that what was inthe newsletter was kind of like what we were experiencing that night. Iwatched as all the St. B's people dispersed and went home leaving all us oldBelmont folks standing around talking!
Monday morning, Gary Pigg called to ask for more copies. Wednesday, I sentJeri by the management office with a stack to distribute and before she evengot back to my house, the receptionist called to say she was down to 10copies - please send more!
This is not a common reaction to the newsletters. I have concluded thatunlike my song-writer's tribute of last June, this issue really hit upon anote of community. Song-writing is so often done in seclusion, at most withmaybe two or three. But the business of recording Amy's first album oh solong ago was about the concerted efforts of a body of people. In it together,being a real support for each other. And it wasn't because any of them had ashred of notoriety or expertise (at the time), they were swept up in thespirit of the adventure! And this newsletter (like Marty's concert) broughtthose people and that experience back together again. Wow!
As Amy commented when she recently had an opportunity to sing "Somewhere DownThe Road" for a 21 year old dying patient at St Jude's Children's Hospital -"it didn't make me want to cry, it was just an intensely human connection".Yeah.
I know it won't impact the average subscriber the way it has impacted us, butI do hope that this issue will hold something special for you, too. Even ifyou are a fairly new Amy music fan - you can take a glimpse at the heritageof the music you love today and some of the people responsible for bringingit to you.
Enjoy!
-Lori Mc