About The Art
The red crepe paper valentine was trimmed with my great grandmother’s pinking shears, surrounded by white crepe paper hearts and sewn together with blue embroidery thread. It was made by my great uncle and given to my grandfather in the late 1920’s. The message inside reads:
“While I write in your book, ah, do you not know?
We are writing in books wherever we go.”
The collage of letters on both the front and back covers were written well before my time. One, dated 1947 is from my grandmother to my grandfather…they were married in 1948. Another, prominently featured on the front cover is a letter to my mother from my great uncle. It was written July 5, 1966, shortly before he left for Vietnam. He died on June 25, 1967 in Dinh Tuong, South Vietnam.
On the back cover is a photograph of my grandfather at nine months old. The skeleton key separating the image from the track list seems quite appropriate, since my grandfather rarely if ever threw away a key, no matter how old.
The inside covers are filled with images of family and farm…the license plate from an old truck, a cigar box that held old photos, a yellowed postcard from Bennett Springs State Park, and pieces of rusted out metal, nails and wire. My great grandparents wedding photo is fittingly held in place by a clothespin. My relatives used clothespins like most people use paper clips and a stapler. It’s resting on an English Reader, which was used by my great aunt when she taught in a one-room school.
The cd is a scan of a 45rpm single that my mother released in 1981, with her info scrubbed out and replaced with the details for “So Many Incidents”.
The booklet cover is an envelope saved since 1947. Coffee stained and weathered, it was tucked away in a box, not to be forgotten. The letter that was inside the envelope is near the back of the booklet, with another photo of my great grandparents and the imprint from my mother’s birth certificate.
All of the photography is the work of Jim Mayfield, a renowned artist perhaps best known for his iconic images which graced the covers of Ozark Mountain Daredevil albums in the seventies. Nationally recognized graphic designer Patrick McWhirt took a box full of family mementos and old “stuff” and created a work of art. The result is the visually stunning eight-panel Digipak and twenty-page booklet…with type large enough to read.
About The Musicians:
Larry Lee… original member of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils spent many years in Nashville producing major label acts such as Alabama. In addition to producing “So Many Incidents”, Larry played all instruments that aren’t listed elsewhere and added his trademark pristine harmony vocals to many of the tracks.
Dave Painter... considered to be one of the top guitarists in the Ozarks has lent his skills to numerous bands through the years, and is currently playing with The Ozark Mountain Daredevils.
Ned Wilkinson…Ned “The Band” Wilkinson is a wizard on bass. An honors graduate of Berklee College of Music, Ned is a longtime member of the popular Ozarks trio, Nick, Ruell, and Ned the Band”.
David Wilson…mandolin & fiddle player extraordinaire, the names of artists he’s collaborated with reads like a Who’s Who list of Country and Bluegrass icons.
Kelly Brown…the go-to guy for keyboards, has played with area bands M-Dock and Unmistaken, and is currently playing with the Ozark Mountain Daredevils.
Randle Chowning… founding member of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils, was also an original member of Springfield based group The Skeletons. Usually known for guitar work, on this project, he played harmonica.
Kristen Carroll…a Missouri State University student from St. Louis is member of the vocal group, A Cub Bella. For “So Many Incidents” she sang back up vocals on “Thirty One Days” and "Keep It Simple".
