New Album from Scott Simpson
Ozzie’s Guitar 20 Years Later
Released August 1, 2020, Ozzie's Guitar 20 Years Later is available on all digital platforms!
Started in the summer of 2019 and finished up during the CovID-19 pandemic social distancing, this album has, in many ways, been percolating for 20 years. Album number 28, it celebrates the 20th Anniversary of my first album, Ozzie’s Guitar, by bringing 20 years of experience into a novel reimagining of those same songs (I heard that Cat Stevens just did something similar with Tea for the Tillerman’s 50th Anniversary).
I’ve rarely spent this much time working on an album, but I felt that marking 20 years of album making by reimagining my very first album would be a challenging and exciting project, and it has been! Some of the songs sound similar, but with a new, fresh arrangement. A couple of the songs are wholly reshaped, drastically refitted from the original. But I’m excited for you to hear all of them! Keep an eye on my Facebook page and website (Scott Simpson & Dancin' Moon Music & www.scottsimpsonmusic.com) for info on a possible virtual release party. Also, once the album is out, I’ll be talking through all 12 songs, new and old versions, on episodes of Dancin’ Moon Songcast at www.scottsimpsonmusic.podbean.com or wherever you like to listen to your podcasts! Since I’m just releasing digitally, there won’t be any album notes, so I want to toss out some well-earned thanks here.
Thanks to…
My wife Sheryl Simpson, for amazing lead, duet and backup vocals on the entire album, for the beautiful piano on Place the Flowers and for being the inspiration for that song 20 years ago, for stories from childhood inspiring everything in the song Ozzie’s Guitar and for her wonderful insights as I mixed and remixed and finalized… and of course for her patience.
My daughters, Maegan Detlefs and Laurel Simpson, for lending their beautiful voices to Ozzie’s Guitar, A Good Man and Take All You Want (it would have been more but for that darn pandemic), and for their fine insights into various versions of the mixes… and additional thanks to Laurel for the wonderful album cover design.
My dad, David Simpson, for being the kind of father who inspires a song like A Good Man and elements in Call It A Day… and for inspiring and encouraging music and singing in our family from as early as I can remember.
My mom, Pat Simpson, for inspiring every bit of Man on the Mountain with her storytelling about our family and her enthusiasm for history, adventure and mountains… and for making sure I had piano lessons when I wanted them before quitting, then guitar lessons when I wanted them before quitting, my first and second guitars ever… and for buying the John Denver’s Greatest Hits album for our family.
My Grandfather, Loy Stockburger, whose dad, Lee, was the Man on the Mountain, who took me up to the farm on Stockburger Mountain and inspired me to love the outdoors and always wearing jeans, who also inspired elements of Call it a Day and, hopefully, passed his longevity on to me.
My Grandfather, Lindel Simpson, who also inspired elements of Call it a Day, and set an incredible example of love and quiet strength.
My Father-in-Law Roger Lessly, whose dad was Ozzie Lessly who inspired Ozzie’s Guitar, for passing Ozzie’s actual guitar down to his daughter and her husband (me) upon which I wrote the song… and for constructing the lovely lap dulcimer that I play on the new version of Call it a Day.
My Mother-in-Law, Betty Lessly, whose dad, Richard Williams and his wife Fern Williams inspired Take All You Want (and eat all you take!) with HIS saying and HER cooking.
My best friend Kirk Miller for teaching me more than anyone what friendship looks like and whose untimely death in 1992 inspired Time.
Marion Toillion and the Sigle family whose husband and father Dave Toillion’s life, stories and graceful passing inspired Dave.
The Matthews and Homestake Opera Houses, Paul Higbee, Jon Wiley and the cast, band and crew of Deadeye’s Wild West who in 2014 and 2015 gave a new voice and fresh life to Hampton Town, Wildflower Moon and Lonely No More.
Technology & Innovation in Education and my colleagues there who have over the last 12 years provided inspiring work and numerous opportunities to produce music and fine-tune my studio skills for both work and personal projects.
The Black Hills, He Sapa, for inspiring Wildflower Moon.
The Mississippi, the Missouri, the Platte and Spearfish Creek for inspiring Dry Land.
Songwriter, folk singer Tom Paxton, who in 1999-ish came to BHSU to do a songwriting workshop and gave me the beginnings of the melody for Call it a Day.
Sharla Steever, Rodney Alan Garnett, Alan Claassen and Sarah Carlson—my final listening and feedback team—for providing a diversity of unique and honest feedback on near-final versions of all 12 tracks, feedback that helped me to clarify and make final and very beneficial adjustments.
Hank Fridell, Marion Fridell and Liz Madzsar Scheetz who played on 2000’s original version of Wildflower Moon and have never been adequately thanked (or paid)!
Everyone who has valued any part of the music I’ve produced over the last 20 years, whether in person, via purchase, through streaming, in Spearfish, across South Dakota or on the other side of the globe. I’ve spent far more money than I’ve made doing it… and gained so much joy as well!
--- Scott Simpson, June, 2020