I was on my way out of Nashville after 5 intense, exhilarating days back in the saddle, performing for the first time with BSR at Tin Pan South, Nashville. Having a glass of wine at the airport waiting for my flight home, I texted Gary and Georgia: “Finally slowin’ down. I am so proud of us, and treasure this 3rd chance to reinvent myself. Thank you both so much for the rush!!”

To which Gary replied, “Who IS this?” That’s SO Gary. I howled.

So…”Finally Home…”  It feels as if I’ve been writing those words for over 30 years now.

I wrote them long ago, in the first year of Loggins and Messina, when I imagined myself as the feisty sailor of “Vahevala,” turning his distant island paradise into his new home.

I wrote them when I changed direction and made “Celebrate Me Home,” my first solo record.

I wrote them when I met Julia and created “Leap of Faith”… (or should I say it created me?)

“ The voices in the wind
Will take you home again
The journey on has just begun my friend…”

I wrote them again with Georgia and Gary in Santa Barbara last December, when we wrote “I’m A Rider.”

“I’m a Rider
‘Cross the great unknown
That horizon
Don’t need to get no closer
Let the wheels keep rollin’
‘Cause wherever I go
‘Cross the blue
‘Cross the sky
I know I
I’m finally home.”

Seems I’ve been obsessed with finding my “home.” (They’ll probably put that on my tombstone.) But I gotta tell ya, that night at the Rutledge was so strangely comfortable, even though my heart was pumping like a Texas oil rig, singing with Gary and Georgia was like some kind of homecoming… again. It’s like we’ve been a Band for 3 years now, only it’s just been a few months.

(I couldn’t help but notice in Georgia’s blog from before our Tin Pan debut, she referred to our coming show as “the finish line.” I had to chuckle. There is SO MUCH ahead. We’ve just finally made it into the starting gate. :))

When we harmonize, it’s as if I “remember who we were/are, this entity, this Blue Sky Riders.” This has déjà vu written all over it. (That was just a few sentences for my old “woo-woo” friends.)

But honestly, it’s happening almost exactly as I dreamed it. Only I don’t remember being this tired.

But I am filled with gratitude for how much assistance our “friends and family,” let alone Fate Itself have been generously sending our way, smoothing out the path for us. Everyone I love is on our team. Not that it’s all been easy, by any means, but we’re having fun, just like we promised each other last October. (Or was it only November!!??)

The day after we played the Rutledge show, while still at GnG’s place in Nashville, we wrote yet another really cool tune, (in my opinion). It was about 11:00 AM, and I just put it out there…“Gary, Georgia, what sort of song do you wish we would have had in our back pockets to play last night?” and within a few hours “As Luck Would Have It” wrote itself. Holy shit! After all these years, I can recognize a Zone when I’m in one. Can I get an Amen?

I have to say, it was Georgia that got the ball rolling the night before. As we were sitting around the kitchen table late Saturday night, basking in our first show’s after-glow, she smiled at me and said simply, “Isn’t it time for you to sing a love song?” “Hmmm…” I said, “Haven’t done that in a while. Let’s give it a try tomorrow.”

Welcome home, ol’ man.

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