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Tails are wagging....
Canadian Songstress Nancy Simmonds is very pleased to present Musical Tails.
"My experience in the dog world has been significant and a huge learning experience about the heart of a dog and the goodness of people. Because of rescue groups that have sprung up in so many countries now, the dogs that have suffered at man's hands have devoted volunteers eager to save their lives and give them a voice and a new chance. I hope that everyone can support these groups, these perfect creatures and always remember that every life makes a difference. Please help by neutering and spaying your pet, support your local shelters and bring home a lost soul to fill your home."
These CDs contain songs that Nancy has written and performed specifically for the individual purebred dog. These 'litters' include many of her favourite pups like, "There's Something So Smug About A Pug"; for the Dachshund "Don't Badger Me"; the Labrador Retriever "Sticks For Brains" and the 'oh so popular' Golden Retriever, "King of Cool", just to name a few.
Cover Illustration: Nuala Byles of Garage Communications, Toronto
CD Graphics: Laura Bird
Mastering: David Bradstreet
"I asked my friend, Cheryl Reynolds, who had been involved in the dog world for most of her life, if she thought dog owners would like a song about their individual breed. She thought it was a great idea - so I dove in.
I began madly writing about the popular breeds and loved the process of learning the history of each dog, its terrain, the purpose for which it was bred and then in many cases, I tried to study the music that came from the country of the dog’s origin. After years of writing “real songs” in the music business it turned into a great big fun adventure.
I recorded the songs in a studio in Goleta, on the outskirts of Santa Barbara, called
Variety Music, with Jim Shaffer as my engineer. He won my respect instantly by accepting my project without judging me as a complete nut and, in fact, jumped right in with programming the drums, playing B3 organ and the occasional bass or guitar. I played guitars, keyboards and sang all vocals and usually we had mastered a song from start to finish in three hours.
Within a year I had 50 breeds ready to sell on individual cassettes through my new company, All Breed Dog Songs. Packing up our canopy and ice cooler, my friend Cheryl and I began to sell the songs debuting at the Beverly Hills Dog Club in l990 and onto other AKC Dog Shows in Santa Barbara, Simi Valley, Ventura, Burbank and Lompoc. Several pet catalogues throughout the US also carried my product.
We had the booth for a few years and I continued to add to the catalogue but Jim had moved to Hawaii and this forced me to begin recording in my own studio. The next 30 breeds were all performed and recorded by me except for two songs that my long time Canadian co-writer, Colleen Peterson, and I wrote and which she sang.
Since moving to Canada in 2003 I assembeld all the dog songs and released them on CDs with ten breeds per “Litter” and my new company, Musical Tails, was born. In Toronto, David Bradstreet mastered the CDs and prepared them for manufacturing or downloading through companies like CD Baby, iTunes, Rhapsody and Napster.
Nuala Byles designed the adorable cover.
I still enjoy the process of writing dog songs from nose to tail. there are so many yet to be written that this could keep me busy for the rest of my life. And that’s a good thing!" - Nancy |
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