In Songwriter Spotlight: Dennis De Castro, Music Lessons and the Lessons of Music I described how the man who taught me not just to play, but to love the guitar would accommodate my musical interests rather than following conventional guitar teaching methods. But even before Dennis showed up in my parents’ driveway the first time there is the story of how that moment came to pass. It all started with the late, great Dave Loggins.
As I approached the momentous event of graduation from 8th Grade at Hickory Elementary School, I had a few friends who were taking guitar lessons from Dennis’ brother, Greg. They were getting pretty good and were clearly obsessed with their weekly lessons. (One of them, Ryan Hedgecock, went on to eventually form the band Lone Justice that achieved some notoriety in the early 80s).
Greg and Dennis had a band at that time called Skye and my friends managed to get the student council to hire Skye for our 8th Grade graduation dance. There were a few grumbles that Skye didn’t play Led Zeppelin, Grand Funk Railroad, Rolling Stones and other staples of the day. But, for me, Skye was a complete revelation. The music that night was not that far afield from the country and country rock albums I had been listening to, alone, for most of my Southern California youth. In particular, they played a song called “Please Come to Boston” which, as most folks now know, is not considered one of the great dance numbers from the 80s. But, it was a terrific song that I had never heard before. And it spurred me to ask my parents to let me take lessons from Greg too.
When Mom checked with Greg about giving me lessons he said he had a full slate of students but his brother Dennis was starting to teach as well. That worked fine for me because Dennis was the one who sang “Please Come to Boston” for Skye.
At one of our first lessons I told Dennis that I wanted to learn “Please Come to Boston.” He dutifully wrote out the chords and lyrics. It was a bit more of a challenge than I anticipated but the extra chords were intriguing enough that I stayed with it.
When Dennis came back the next week and I played “Boston” for him as best I could, he asked, “Have you ever listened to the whole album by Dave Loggins?” I assumed “Loggins” meant Loggins and Messina so I said no but that I’d heard Loggins and Messina before. Dennis chuckled and said, “No, this is Dave Loggins. I think he and Kenny Loggins are cousins or something but it’s a different guy and he’s amazing. You should listen to the album.”
At this point there really wasn’t much that Dennis could recommend that I wouldn’t follow through on so I went to the record store the next day and bought the album “Apprentice in a Musical Workshop” by Dave Loggins. I took it home and played it. The first time I listened I loved “Please Come to Boston,” but the rest of the album was “OK.” Nonetheless, Dennis said it was good so I listened again and I noticed how most of the songs had an unusual chord change or feature to them that I hadn’t picked up on before. So I listened again. By the time Dennis arrived the next week I was addicted to the album.
Dennis and I sat and listened to the album for most of that lesson as Dennis pointed out things that Dave Loggins did as both a performer and songwriter that set him apart. Most significantly was that the album was predominantly country in orientation though not like Nashville or Austin, but somehow incorporating aspects of both. Traditionally, most country hits employ the 1-4-5 chord structure which is as simple as it gets. Virtually all of Dave Loggins’ songs added two to four chords that kept things interesting.
Dave Loggins also wrote lyrics that failed to follow country or pop rigidly. He could be very gifted with metaphor and imagery (as my high school friend Dave pointed out, however, Loggins was susceptible to the occasional clunker lyrically—Dave was always good at helping me temper my obsessions). The thing that Dennis loved most about Dave Loggins though, was his vocal range. I have tried to play many of his songs over the years and usually the thing that defeats me is a high or low note that I can’t pull off.
That Dennis and I were not alone in our admiration became clear at the 1985 Country Music Awards when Dave Loggins, as far as I am aware, made his only appearance on that Awards show. He did not perform one of his own songs but sang a duet with Anne Murray of a syrupy crossover pop song called “Nobody Loves Me Like You Do.” The song ended up being a huge hit for her but didn’t do a lot to expand Dave Loggins’ following. The audience response that night when he walked on stage, however, far exceeded the typical 1980s country music crowd. Most of America may not have known Dave Loggins, but the stars of country music clearly adored him. It is one of my few regrets in life that I never got to see him play live.
Dave Loggins passed away last summer so I’ve spent a lot of time revisiting his albums this year. “Please Come to Boston” was his only hit as a solo performer. He made three more albums after “Apprentice.” I had the same reaction to each of them the first time I heard them—a little disappointment followed by growing infatuation with each subsequent listen. I came to appreciate that Loggins’ gift was his ability to write songs that stood out for their deceptive intricacy that rewarded those who stuck with them. He ultimately had a string of country hits by other artists over the years. I was almost always able to spot one of his songs when I heard it on the radio because of some unexpected chord change or lyric that did not rhyme when I expected it to, but that I ultimately realized made the song better in some subtle and significant way.
“Country Suite” and “One Way Ticket to Paradise” are my favorite Dave Loggins albums but my favorite song was on “Apprentice.” I have been playing “My Father’s Fiddle” for almost fifty years. Loggins’ version features a beautiful pedal steel guitar and a wonderful fiddle solo. Recently, JC and I played with it. I am including the lyrics and video below.
My Father’s Fiddle
Country music was the backbone of his life
Any song, you choose it, he'd play anything you like
Most every evening, you could find me by his side
Where I'd lend a third part harmony to Mom and Dad’s duets
Until lullabies hung from my eyes and I wandered off to bed
And I can see my mother in this country home
I got a sister and two brothers all my own
And believe me, family unity was ever so strong
When I heard my father's fiddle play
Some good ol' country songs
(When my father's fiddle played)
Country neighbors, they say that he's the best around
He played their favorites at every Friday night hoedown
And late in the evening with the neighbors homeward bound
His closings were as customary as turning out the lights
A quarter for my pocket, a love song for his wife
And I can see my mother in this country home
I got a sister and two brothers all my own
And believe me, family unity was ever so strong
When I heard my father's fiddle play
Some good ol' country songs
Ah, but where, oh, where has the time gone?
It's been years since my ears have been played upon
I heard the fiddler lost his tune in some barroom
And his family to another town
It must be lonesome wishin' all you've lost could somehow find you now
And I can see my mother, she lives all alone
I got a sister and two brothers but they're all grown
And believe me, family unity was ever so strong
When I heard my father's fiddle play
Some good ol' country songs
Words and Music by Dave Loggins