An Evening Of

Stories And Songs

Last weekend Sandy Hook resident and musician Darryl Gregory offered glimpses of his stories and songwriting.

On Saturday, February 25, listeners grew still at Trinity Episcopal Church’s coffeehouse concert as he conjured images including his aunt Jean seated in a parlor at her piano. “She was the talented one of the family,” he told the roughly 30 guests at the event, which was both a traditional coffeehouse event as well as a celebration of the musician’s third solo release. His aunt sang in the choir, Gregory explained, but “God took her too soon. She died of an aneurism.” The song, “Aunt Jean’s Piano,” about a woman who died too young is among those from his new CD Big Texas Sky.

“I am proud of my new CD,” Mr Gregory said. “It reflects a lot of personal writing — you’re listening to a piece of me.”

For each song he told a story. He next described the song, “How Do I Tell Her,” saying “It has given me problems.” The song is about a man who had to face his wife and tell her he lost his job.

“This song has had many rewrites,” he said. “Here is version seven …”

How does he write his songs? “People ask me, and I don’t always have an answer.” He then explained a song that “makes me believe there is something beyond me, us.”

His mother often sends him cards “with things to contemplate,” he said. He received a card one day with the 23rd psalm printed on it.

“I went to put it down, but couldn’t put it down and I heard [his next] song in my head.” Hurrying to write it down, he said, “It took me 15 minutes because, I swear, something in my head was telling me to write this song…”

With a preface to another song he soon performed, he talked about “one of those nights when you see the person that you love and they’re the most beautiful person you have ever seen — you’ve just got to hold on to their heart…”

Slipping away from smoother rhythms and gentler noted, he introduced the talking blues. Tapping a beat against his guitar he asked, “Why can’t I write one?” and he gave the crowd “Workin’ Man.”

His new CD, available as of March 1, contains seven new songs.

To learn more about Darryl Gregory, to sample cuts from his entire catalog, or to order Big Texas Sky, visit www.BlueCaveStudios.com or www.DarrylGregory.com.