My Dad's Song

Remember my dad's song? I blogged about it long ago. Okay. Now, are you familiar with the singing done by Brent Spiner (played Data in Star Trek - The Next Generation)? No? Then go over to his website and have a listen. This post will make more sense if you know what his music sounds like.

When I first heard my dad's song, I almost immediately thought of Brent Spiner. I could even picture him (or hear him) singing my dad's song.

Eventually, I found an e-mail address for Brent Spiner and asked him if he'd like to hear my dad's song. He said yes!! That was pretty amazing. So I e-mailed him a copy. Then I waited. And I waited. After awhile I thought he was either not impressed, or he just wasn't going to e-mail me back, and I eventually sort of forgot about the whole thing. Then today I GOT AN E-MAIL FROM BRENT SPINER!!! He said he liked the song. He said my dad should have been a songwriter!!!

I like to think he's sincere, but I know there's room for "just being nice." To tell you the truth, it doesn't matter! I'm just really thrilled that he listened to the song and took the time to write back.

Brent Spiner is my new hero!
❤

Dad's Song!!!!!!

It's here!! Ken finally sent the records (and I love him for that). There were two. I expected one. But there was an Annette Warren version and a version sung by a male singer. I like them both. I'm attaching the Annette Warren version for your listening pleasure. The title is "Did I Ever Tell You."

Here's the photo that came with the records:

Did I Ever Tell You

My dad wrote a song. Well, he wrote the lyrics to a song, "Did I Ever Tell You." I found out about this song after he died. I was going through some of his things and found the correspondence between him and someone who was helping him get the song published. I don't have the lyrics or the song, so I decided to try to find it.

I contacted the Library of Congress (LoC), where they found a copy of the lyrics and music. But they won't send me a copy without the permission of the copyright holder. To find the copyright holder I have to commission a copyright search by someone at the LoC. This copyright search will cost me $150 per hour. They have estimated that the search will take two hours or less.

Well, I just don't have $300 to pay for a copyright search when I don't know if the copyright holder will even give permission for the LoC to send me a copy. Someday I might have. But not today.

The song was recorded by someone named Annette Warren circa 1940. When I google that name all I get is hits on Annette Benning and Warren Beatty. No luck finding other people mentioned in the correspondence, either.

I'll keep trying, and if I come up with an extra $300, I'll commission that search. But until then I'm sort of stuck.

So I may or may not ever get to hear or read the words to the published song that my dad wrote.