Jets have been screaming overhead, but fortunately it’s just part of the show. Last night Sound Traveler played our small part in Brevard County’s Air Force Week at Oh Shucks at The Cocoa Beach Pier. The crowd was small, but the energy was strong. Tomorrow night we’ll again be at The Original Portabella’s Italian Restaurant in Rockledge for a frighteningly good time!

When did a song make a difference for me? Well, it happened like this. A new friend of mine at the time, Patty Kunze, had come over to watch a music practice session involving Ellie Hjemmet and myself. Practice sessions are often fun, but they are always work. As part of the session we started working with a song I had written called “Long Time Waitin’.” I like the song, but Ellie and I were struggling with its arrangement and performance. When Patty first heard the song, she looked up at me and asked “Did you write that?” I wasn’t too proud of how the song was sounding at that instant, but I told her that I had. And from that moment things changed between us. She didn’t just like the song, she felt the song — she got the song completely. Needless to say, our friendship grew from that point on. In fact “Long Time Waitin’ ” figured prominently in our wedding as Ellie and I sang it for the lady in white who, on that day, became Patty Kunze Tatum. Yep, without doubt, that song made a difference — and still does. — Bob Tatum

5 Comments to “SongTravelin’: 10.29.10 — When a Song Makes a Difference”

• October 29, 2010 at 9:23 am
  laurence says:

  The song I think of as having made a huge difference is “We Shall Overcome” during the Civil Rights Movement. That was an old spiritual that really packed a punch!
• October 29, 2010 at 9:25 am
  cyberbeat says:

  What about “Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers? That’s a great song and it made a difference.
• October 29, 2010 at 9:27 am
  Lily says:

  Is this like a personal kind of thing or like a society kind of thing?
• October 29, 2010 at 3:15 pm
  Jacques@hotmail.com says:

  Songs have a way of connecting one’s spirit to the spirit of another. When one person feels something, an energy is sent into the cosmos. When someone else is attuned to that energy, they share the feeling. Music has a way of taking that energy and expressing it in a form that many can understand and share.
• October 29, 2010 at 3:43 pm
  Patty says:

  I remember the day so clearly, sitting in Bob’s classroom at Avery Middle School (NC) and listening to that amazing song, just like it was yesterday. He’s right – something in my brain and heart just clicked. Definitely a defining moment for me. I’m so glad I went to that practice session! Thanks for sharing that story with the world, Bob.