Thank you for subscribing to my newsletter. Hope your having fun. I know I am. I'll use this space to share stories about the songs I write and updates for when things are happening. Sometimes I may even share a memory and ask you to share yours. Since I started this program I have added the words and cover art to "All Good People", "the Freedom of Man", and "4 A. M." "All Good People" was written 37 years ago and the first line was actually "17 and justified". I changed it every year until I hit 23 years old and stopped. The song was a way for me to pay tribute to some of my favorite bands, The Beatles, The Stones, and Yes. It is one of the first songs I wrote, but not the first. One of my goals has always been to write songs that are timeless and I hope when you listen to the song you have no clue that it is 37 years old. Morning after morning I find myself waking up at about 4 A.M. and one morning when I woke I began thinking about a friend that moved to California, and I wrote down the words to most of the song. About a year later the band I was in was practicing and the lead guitarist Billy Value started playing something on his guitar, instantly I thought of these words. I pulled them out of a folder I had, and we began to put words and music together. Within an hour we had the song, however it felt like something was missing. So I listened to the tapes of that nights practice, and decided the song needed an ending. The last verse now refers to the first and completes the story. A somewhat happy ending that never really happened in real life. The last song I would like to talk about is "The Freedom of Man". This is a very deep song about the struggles of the black race throughout the history of the USA, and how we treat one another. I had read somewhere that slavery actually enslaves those who hold the power and wanted to touch upon that aspect of freedom. That we can never be free until we all are free, and that freedom comes with a cost. I wanted to say something powerful and deep about an issue that haunts our country and will always be a part of what we were and are. My hope is that the song causes the listener to reflect on their inner feelings as they enjoy a tale of our historic past. I will have new songs to share this month. I'm still trying to decide which and how many, but I will upload at least two in August with cover art and lyrics. Till then, thank you very much for your time and support Believe in Love Rusty Clay