Tim Dabbs

Here are the stories behind some of the songs on the Safely Home, Live! and Juniper Light albums..there are lots to links to other sites, videos and music clips...

Steady Rhythm...a song inspired by the early and harsh Michigan winter. I remember the dark November morning that inspired this song, when the wind rattled the window pane, and blew a chill in through the cracks, like an unwelcome guest coming through the door…

Shine Your Boots...this is a song for my grandfather, Charles L. Cosgrove, who was a conductor on the Conemaugh and Blacklick Railroad. He told me many stories about working the rails, all set against the background of him shining his boots next to the old wood stove.

Graveyard of the Alleghenies...inspired by the early pioneers of the airmail service, and dedicated to the 34 pilots who lost their lives flying the “hell’s stretch” between Bellefonte, PA, and Cleveland, OH.

Waterman...as a kid, I spent a lot of time on Maryland’s Eastern Shore with my uncle, Michael Vaeth. I was always intrigued with the waterman culture of the Chesapeake Bay, and finished this song after a day with Captain Wade Murphy on the Rebecca T. Rurak, the oldest working skipjack on the bay. Captain Murphy is a man of many stories, and is dedicated to the conservation of the Chesapeake. Be sure to check out his    website at www.skipjack.org, and the short music video/documentary produced by my friend Anthony Frazier

Safely Home...during my active duty time in the Air Force, I flew with Lieutenant Colonel Michael Anderson for nearly 5 years. He was one of the finest men that I’ve ever known. Mike, along with the crew of STS-107 perished when the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon reentry to the Earth’s atmosphere in February, 2003. This song is dedicated to Mike, the crew of the Columbia, and all of the brave pioneers who have gone before them while exploring earth and sky for the betterment of mankind.

High Banks...I love rivers. Floating down them in a kayak, standing in them chasing trout, or just watching them flowing by. This song is an anthem to the mighty Au Sable river in northern Michigan, and the result of a few hundred miles of running it’s banks over the years. 

Cambria Bells...Cambria City is a National Historic District in Johnstown Pennsylvania that was settled by European immigrants in the late 1800s. They came to work the steel mills, railroads and coal mines that were producing the steel for the expansion of the American dream. They built the churches in Cambria City, and you can still hear the bells ring as they have for over a century. I grew up listening to the Cambria Bells, and they form the backdrop for this story of the rise and fall of the steel industry in Johnstown, and the hope for the future of this historic area. If you're ever passing through the Johnstown area be sure to stop by the Heritage Discovery Center, an interactive museum that tells the story of early immigrant life in America. Sadly, as of July 2009, Bishop Ademec closed the 5 diverse ethnic churches in this National Historic District. The magnificent buildings stand vacant now, with an uncertain future. Bishop Ademec's short sighted disregard for the culture of the Johnstown immigrants will go down in history as one of the grandest insults to the men and women who risked it all to move to America to help build our great country. 

227...My grandmother loved to play the daily number. Whenever I was visiting, I’d be given an errand to run a scrap of paper to the little general store down the street. The man would take the paper, write some stuff down, and I’d leave with a red licorice stick and some of those flying saucer candies. It wasn’t until I was a little older that I realized that she was ahead of her time, playing the daily 3 before it was “sanctioned” by the state. 227 was one of the regular numbers that she played. This song is 98% true, but the names have been changed…to protect the guilty.

Juniper Light...There's an abandoned lighthouse by this name in the middle ofLake Champlain, between Willsboro Bay and Burlington Vermont.  I used to anchor off the small island where the light is located, and row ashore to visit this historical place.   The light was built in 1846, and is mostly cast iron, enough to withstand more than a century of harsh winds and North Country winters.   The spot offered a great view of the surrounding lake, as well as a sense of solitude.  

Willsboro Bay...It's been said that sailing is one of the most sensual of all sports.   It truly works all of your senses...the sound of the wind, the taste of the sea, the motion of the boat, and the multitude of changing views.   This song is a celebration of sailing, and the joy of being on the water.

Walls of Stone...While visiting the Anasazi ruins at Mesa Verde National Park in 1996, I met Patrick Joshevama, a Hopi, who shared some of the oral traditions of his clan.  Hearing his interpretation of the ancient life there, while sitting in the courtyard of the Balcony House ruin, inspired this song.

The Day the Rumors Came True...As a child, I lived along the banks of the mighty Conemaugh River in Johnstown,Pennsylvania.  Johnstown is famous for the three major floods that have hit the area in the last century or so.  I have vivid memories of my grandmother telling me stories of the 1936 flood--tales of people,animals and roof tops floating right past the back porch of her house in Minersville.  The first and most tragic Johnstown Flood occurred in 1889 and claimed 2209 lives.  The real tragedy in 1889 is that most historians believe that the flood was preventable.  There had been warnings about the frailty of the old earthen dam above the town,  but nothing was ever done to prevent the eventual disaster.  Long before the dam ever broke, there were rumors about the dam breaking.  It finally did give way, and resulted in one of the worst manmade disasters in American history.  

Running River...
I wrote this one day while out chasing trout around the Little Ausable River in upstate New York.  It was my first time fishing the river, and I was caught up in the excitement of each new turn revealing new waters.  It occurred to me that life is like that--always changing and often, not revealing things until you're right upon them.  A concept so simple seemed to beg for a country gospel melody. My friend Chris Westfall recorded a great version of this song in Nashville, and it's a real honor to know that he's out there playing it at every show that he does around the country.

Worn Ivory Keys...
My first exposure to music was with my grandmother, Ruth Cosgrove.  She had an old player piano that she had won in a slogan writing contest by coining the saying "The Children of Today are the Musicians of Tomorrow."   We spent a lot of time at that old piano, which was the focal point of the living room in the small house. My grandmother was the first, and most significant musical influence in my life; she always encouraged me to stick with the guitar. I have so many fond memories of sitting with her at that old piano, or just sitting in the room listening to her vast collection of old 78's. I play this song at nearly every show that I do and I'm always amazed at the number of folks that I meet that tell me that they had a similar experience around an old piano or guitar with a grandparent or other family member or friend. Music is truly one of the greatest gifts that we can share with our children; Ruth Cosgrove's love of music, and her legacy will live on as long as I can get out an play for those kind enough to listen