See Substack post “One Shining Collaboration” for more.
Music, like sports, is at its best when it’s a community endeavor. And though I’m a confessed introvert I still love making music with others. There’s a feeling you get when you’re groovin’ with other musicians, especially ones you know well, that you just can’t get any other way. It’s communication on a mystical, metaphysical level.
A musical nexus
Thinking back, it would be impossible to list all the people I’ve met, worked with, been recommended to, or become friends with through Solid Sound studio in Ann Arbor MI. It was a sort of musical nexus for an ever-expanding group of talented local and not-so-local musicians. A nexus is a “means of connection,” and that’s a pretty good description of the place. Through the openness and musical hospitality offered on a regular basis at Solid, plus the personal expertise-mixed-with-friendliness always exhibited by Rob and Will, its engineer-owners, it became legendary—even apart from its many award-winning recordings—and will always hold a special place in my heart, as will Rob and Will themselves.
They were always encouraging, always flexible, always had an idea when you had run out, always gave expert advice, and were unfailingly generous. Once they even offered me free studio time to do a 5-song demo after they got a new automated mixing board. They said it was so they could learn how to use it, but it also allowed me to take some fresh songs on an upcoming New York promotional trip.
Over the years and projects, we all got pretty familiar with each other’s musical abilities and styles along the way, and that’s when Rob and Will started matchmaking. They really excelled at that!
Over the years they’ve matched me up with SASI music—a music production company created by Shirley Stockwell, Rob and Will—and its many clients, Gemini, the Chenille Sisters, Chris Barton and SongSisters, Edie Herrold, Ann Doyle, and many other wonderful musicians and singers. (Eric Wojahn, who started engineering under Rob and Will and now runs Solid Sound, seems to excel at this, too, and I’ve had the pleasure of working with him and Jackie King on two albums.)
The poetry of basketball
One of the many matches they made for me was with David Barrett, a singer-songwriter from Haslett MI. One fateful night in 1986, David was sitting down at the bar after his music set, watching Larry Bird on the TV screen and (unsuccessfully) trying to strike up a conversation with the waitress about the “poetry of basketball.” The waitress was not impressed and walked away. But the idea seemed like a good one, and it stuck with him. He reached for a napkin and wrote three words: “One Shining Moment.”
The idea grew a set of lyrics the very next day (on a second napkin), and the music quickly followed. And that just happened to be followed by a casual mention to a high school friend, who just happened to be a writer for Sports Illustrated, who passed a demo of the song to a friend of his from CBS Sports, Doug Towey, who loved the song and planned to use it for the Super Bowl XXI postgame highlights montage in January 1987!
Unfortunately, the game ran long, and CBS had to switch to a scheduled primetime show, so the montage—and the song—got cut. The golden opportunity suddenly evaporated into thin air. Until Towey had another idea: “Dave,” he said, “you wrote it for basketball. I think it belongs with the Final Four.” So, as fate would have it, David’s song aired for the first time after the 1987 NCAA championship game. The emotional reaction was immediate and the segment became an instant tradition.
So where do I come in, you might ask? I don’t blame you for wondering how I could possibly be connected with any kind of basketball glory. My own basketball career lasted all of three minutes at the end of the last junior high game of the season, after our team already had it sewed up.
The coach probably wanted me to feel like it had been worth it to show up and work hard in all the practices, so he finally sent me in. His mercy knew no bounds. Unfortunately I got so nervous when they passed me the ball that I headed toward the wrong basket, somehow managing to lose it to the other team. Oh, and sprain my finger.
I think it was around that time I decided to go into music. Turns out that was a good choice, because it gave me a chance to be involved in one of the premier basketball events in the whole world!
Barrett had not only written “One Shining Moment,” but also a beautiful instrumental piece called “Golden Street” which was going to be used as a long intro section, and—yup, you guessed it—Rob and Will matched me up with the string-writing part of the production. (Hey, thanks for giving David my number, guys!)
So I wrote a string arrangement spanning both parts of the song, and conducted a group of players from Michigan State, Grand Rapids and the Detroit Symphony that Glenn Brown, the co-owner of Audiograph Productions in East Lansing had brought together. Glenn, an award-winning engineer and producer, engineered that day’s session and was involved in the song’s shape and evolution, with work on later versions then shifting for the most part to Solid Sound.
The song has appeared in several versions through the years, with and without the “Golden Street” intro, and with various vocalists—Barrett himself, as well as Teddy Pendergrass, Jennifer Hudson and Luther Vandross—and will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2027.
The story has been told again and again by now, too, in various media, in varying degrees of detail. When I asked David to recall what it was like for him during that time, he said the memories of all that happened 40 years ago are becoming a bit foggy — a theme I heard repeated by several in the production team — but he remembers the nights he slept on the floor of the control room, or on friend’s couches (mostly Will’s). And then he said, “Drawn to its North Star was I.” And that’s a star powerful enough to break through any fog.
I have to admit, the whole experience really improved my feelings about basketball. Though I was paid a modest sum for my work on the original session, the modest sum paid yearly for its repeated broadcast has now made it the second-most lucrative recording session I’ve ever had. And that string arrangement is undoubtedly the most-often heard work I’ve ever done.
Forty years of collaborating
From the start, working on David’s music felt like falling off a log. The most natural thing in the world. His musical language made perfect sense to me, and always started my muse humming. Since that first shiny sports theme jump started our collaboration, we’ve done many, many other projects together — with me generally contributing string and/or brass parts or sometimes entire arrangements: sporting event themes (CBC Olympic theme, CBS/PGA Championship, CBS Winter Olympics, US Tennis Open, CBS Sports Golf Series), scores of ad jingles and other custom recording projects. Even a documentary film on Norman Vincent Peale, an exercise video, and more demos than I care to count. Last, but certainly not least, is an ever-growing collection of David’s own gem-like songs.
David still works very closely with Will Spencer these days on a string of opportunities that never seems to end. I love it whenever one of them calls with an idea and a chance to get involved, and I know from the time I hang up the phone that whatever we’re working on will turn out to be something I’m proud of. Unfortunately, with ages creeping up and families getting larger by the year—not to mention living 4,000 miles apart now—the chances come less often. 🙁
On the bottom shelf at the back of my studio is a huge folder of Barrett arrangements (see photo). When it was time to down-size for our Hawaiʻi move, I cleaned out several file drawers full of arrangements, and I mentioned that to Barrett one day. He quickly asked if I’d mind holding on to all of the scores we’ve worked on together. “Of course, Dave!” I said. ”I don’t mind at all!” And just between you and me, I wasn’t planning on throwing those out anyway. After all, you never know when the next incandescent inspiration might come along. 😉
Listen for yourself
David’s newest album, Guitar Stories from the Midwest is now available on Bandcamp, and includes five more of our recent collaborations. I’ve put some links below where you can stream them. I’m also including a YouTube playlist with some of our older stuff, including “Golden Street/One Shining Moment” and several other sporting event and inspirational themes. Hope the music shines for you like it has for us!
From Guitar Stories from the Midwest (2025)
Instrumental arrs on Love, Love; From Time to Time; Wedding at the Mill; Three’s a Charm; Virginia Park
From Virginia Park (2020)
Instrumental arrs on What You Need Me To Be (Is Not Who I Am) – a favorite!; Virginia Park; Springfield; Spring Came Early This Year
YouTube playlist of earlier collaborations
Leave a Reply