Behind the Songs


Stories They Could Tell:

I chose this as a companion song for my novel, “Francesca of Lost Nation,” but I initially wrote the song for my Godfather, Roy Rogers.

When Roy had his first major heartattack, he was taken to Loma Linda Hospital. As an unofficial official member of the Rogers clan, I was notified about his illness and went to visit him that day. At first, the visits were very short and he was understandably disoriented and weak. But as time went on, he began to resemble his old cheerful, jovial, warm, interesting self.

He started to tell me stories about the movies he had made with my mother, many of which were filmed in the Alabama Hills in Inyo County near Lone Pine; the all night poker games with the Sons of the Pioneers; the hellishly hot and windy days; the tiny motel rooms; and how Trigger and the other horses were taken care of much better than they were. Oh, the stories he could tell!

When I related this experience to my dear friend and sometime song co-writer, Christian recording artist Renee Martin, she said, “That is a song.”

She was right on the money, as usual. I ended up working with Blue Grass phenom Carl Jackson on the song, which I chose as a companion piece to “Francesca of Lost Nation.”
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First Kiss:

My grandfather J.R. Mendenhall and my grandmother, Frances Ella Pittstick, both grew up on neighboring farms outside of Sac City, Iowa. It was a small town with a population of around 2,000 in the 1890s – despite the fact Mendenhalls and the Pittsticks both did what they could to increase the Census numbers – my grandfather came from a family of eight children and my grandmother was one of seven children.

Initially my grandmother was in love with J.R.’s older brother, Harry. But he fell in love with Maude of the pretty face – Frances’ younger sister. (Does this story sound familiar? If you have read my new novel, “Francesca of Lost Nation,” it should.)

Anyway they were a couple from 10th grade onward and had even played together as children so their relationship lasted 78 years.

In the song, First Kiss, the young boy and girl are assigned a guardian angel and as the years pass and the relationship expands and deepens, the angel is promoted until reaching the rank of Arc Angel.

I had a writing appointment with award winning songwriter Larry Cordle and showed him the lyrics to First Kiss, which were in a pretty good state by that time, and he fell in love with the concept immediately. He was the one who promoted the angel.

Even though I co-wrote this song, it still makes me cry.
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The Train Song:

I don’t know why I love trains as much as I do. Unlike the song, I never had a train set and didn’t ride on a traditional train until my teens. But there has always been something romantic and magical about sitting peacefully in one place and watching the vista continually change in front of you. Even the Imax theater can’t match that impact with all their technological wizardry.
As an adult I’ve enjoyed train travel throughout Europe, the United States and Canada. In fact, my family and I rented a train car for my Aunt’s 90th birthday and celebrated from Filmore to Santa Paula, California and back. She said it was the best birthday she ever had … and I think it was the best birthday I ever had and it wasn’t even mine!
Grammy-Award winning songwriter, producer and musician, Carl Jackson and I met frequently during my years in Nashville. He knew how much I loved trains because I told him so – HUNDREDS of times!!! He finally said, “Why don’t we just write a song.” And we did.
He had a tremendous amount of input in the lyrics and when I suggested the chorus should consist solely of “I love a train, ooh I love a train,” he agreed.

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