bill russell

june is gay pride month so i thought i’d post a lyric i wrote not long after coming out in the mid-70s … at the time i was writing lyrics for and managing a duo called jade & sarsaparilla comprised of janet hood and linda langford … trust me on this — they truly were the greatest group you never heard … they were in a relationship at the time and we wrote into that … it was also when the watergate scandal was unfolding … so i combined all those influences into a country-western song which was recorded on jade & sarsaparilla’s album (soon to be re-released — watch this space for details)

i think i wrote this in 1985 … the date is fuzzy but i stand by the feelings it expresses

this was written in the mid-eighties as aids mushroomed into an epidemic … in this season of hope and renewal, i dedicate it to all those soldiers and civilians living in fear that their lives will be needlessly taken from them

(for john and marcia goldman and, of course, bruce)

last spring, randy adams, managing director of theatreworks, asked if henry and i would be willing to donate our song-writing services to be auctioned off at a benefit for the theater … they’ve produced three of our musicals, and we love them, so we didn’t hesitate to say yes … when two parties fiercely bidding against each other reached into the 5 figures, randy said, “we’re going to ask henry and bill if they’d mind writing two songs” … and, of course, we didn’t mind at all … one of the winning bids came from the goldmans who’ve graciously hosted us at several receptions at their beautiful home … they were about to celebrate their 25th anniversary and when i inquired what they say when people ask how they’ve managed to stay together that long, john responded with what became the song’s title … it certainly struck a chord, as that’s exactly how i feel about bruce … so for valentine’s day: