The last track for the CD is done. And appropriately enough, it’s a gospel song that came out of a dream.
When Johnny Cash passed away in 2003, I figured I had to write something. A day or so later, I had a dream. The details were hazy upon awakening (dreams are like that – I’m seldom get anything tangible out of them) but I did remember one thing: An image of a big glowing white ship – that was floating, I believe – with gospel music coming out of it.
This had nothing to do directly with Mr. Cash passing away, but I set to work on the song. I ended up with a gospel song about old-time gospel songs. I included a verse where a few famous folk appear. After Mother Maybelle Carter shows up, I added this line:
“June was holding Johnny’s Hand. He looks good in white.”
That was perfect. I wanted to write about Mr. Cash, and I didn’t want some maudlin sappy tune about a music hero. I played it under the title “Gospel Ship” for about a year and then spruced it up with the revised title “Old-Tyme Heaven”. (No one would confuse it with the Carter Family’s “Gospel Ship” that way.)
We recorded it a few months ago. Jimmy, my producer later brought in Karin Phoenix, a wonderful local singer. The song mentions the tune “I’ll Fly Away” several times in the chorus. At the end, Karin sings the chorus from that wonderful old standard. Really adds a nice tag to the song.
The CD itself is almost done. It’s been “almost done” for months. This time it’s really “almost done”. I have the master sitting on my desk. As soon as the layout is complete, we ship it off to production.