I had never dreamed that I would write songs...but they happened. I also had never dreamed that I would record an album...but it happened! The most I ever wondered was whether or not some recording artist would want to use one of my songs.
I had sung many times in churches, at a wedding, etc. When we were in Australia, one of my friends and I would sing duets at church. We had voices that blended really well. She sang the melodies and I did the harmony, both high and low. Before we left to come back to Ecuador, she and I filled a cassette with our duets, using a piano, my guitar, and just a regular cassette recorder. It wasn't for commercial purposes (obviously!), but rather as a special keepsake, as we knew we'd probably never see each other again...at least on this earth. One day, in Shell, the tape came loose and I couldn't play it anymore.
Then I had an idea. A missionary friend had built a small recording studio in Shell. I was sure he'd have the equipment to mend the tape in my cassette...which he did. At some point I asked him about helping me record a few of my songs, to make a few copies and give them to family members. But he had another idea. Why not go ahead and record a complete album and have it published? He had produced a number of albums for different people there, and had the experience and know-how. As far as financing it, I would only have to pay him for the master tape, nothing more. And later the sales would recuperate the publishing house expenses.
My mind was a-whirl. Could I actually do it? Our friend made me believe I could. I would have to re-notate the songs I selected to record (all in Spanish), so he could work with the arrangements. But that was no problem, given my musical background. Germán was all in favor of the project, too, and gave me his full support.
Once we had the tracks for the songs, I practiced and practiced at home, nervous yet looking forward to...well, I can't say looking forward to seeing a dream come into being, because I'd never dreamed it could happen! The hours spent in the studio were exhausting (this was post-collapse, so I wasn't in the best of health!) and at the same time invigorating. My producer was a great musician and a kind, helpful friend, so the project went quite smoothly. He was easy to work with, and made what was a rather daunting goal into an uplifting, stretching experience. I learned a lot!
I didn't expect to sell many copies, so we ordered only 250, the smallest amount the publisher would work with. I soon realized I should have had 500 copies made! Some time later, after they were all sold, I would occasionally just use a regular cassette recorder to copy the album to give to someone who was wanting it. Some years ago we had it copied onto CD's. It's been 25 years or so, but I still get an encouraging comment now and then...like from a dear, dear friend in Australia who recently told me that my album is one of her favorites, and it's wearing out, and could I please figure how to send her a CD?
I have been asked numerous times when I was going to record an album of my songs written in English, but for now the two main obstacles are financing (our friend isn't here anymore) and my health. I don't know if I could hold up through all the sessions here in Quito. (In Shell the studio was in walking distance, and schedules much more flexible.) But that's OK. I still have a channel for working with words via my poetry, which reaches more people than an album might.
Over the years, I've learned that we don't need to use all of our God-given talents all of the time! He will bring out the ones that are needed in each phase of our lives. We don't lose the other ones; they just go into hibernation, to be awakened when He needs us to use them again. Or He might give us a gift that will only be used in one phase, and never again. If you're wondering about this in your own life right now, don't be discouraged! Do your best with whichever gifts God wants you to use right now, and trust that when He needs you to use the others, He'll let you know.
God bless you all! See you next time. (And hopefully I'll remember the poem I offered to share in the last post!)
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