tributes

[Tlstella1969]

A couple of MJ tributes I found in my mail's drafts from 2020. The first is written by Pat Alger (copied from Facebook) who wrote "You'll Always Be Heart and Soul to Me." The second - probably from Facebook but don't know who wrote it. I've added both to the Remembrances page.

Pat Alger:
I was in Cambridge MA in 1976 trying to recover from a recent divorce and chasing a hopeless romance that was going nowhere. This might have been the lowest point of my life in a lot of ways except I had two good friends (Zack and his girlfriend Carol) who kept me busy and made sure to pick up the pieces that were falling off me. I had a couple of jobs - one as Zack's helper (he was a stone mason and expert fireplace builder) and another installing skylights in remodeled buildings. Did I mention my fear of high places?
    Zack had recently moved so he offered me his apartment which still had a month to go on the lease. It had a lamp, a chair, a phone you could only call out on, a mattress on the floor & a little transistor radio. It was a generous offer but without a doubt, the most depressing place I've ever tried to call home. At the time I had a suitcase and a guitar and that was it. I would get up at 6:00 AM to go to work rain or shine and often not return until 6:00 PM. Most nights I was too tired to do anything but fall asleep in the chair listening to the little radio. One morning as I was getting ready to go to work a song came on the radio that stopped me in my tracks. I thought "this guy has been following me and knows just what I need to hear". The song was "May You Never" sung by a Michael Johnson - someone I'd never heard of before. The song (I later learned was written by the great English singer/songwriter Jon Martyn) literally went directly to my brain followed closely by my heart and for the first time since arriving there I was hopeful again. Please do your self a favor and download it - it might not have that effect on you but it IS a great record. The song became a popular one that summer and I eventually was able to learn all the lyrics and worked up a version of it - nowhere near as good as Mr. Johnson's but it cheered me to sing it to myself.
     Cut to Nashville many years later and I get a call at my office from Michael Johnson - who by this time has had a string of hits a mile long each one better than the other. 
He was calling about a song I'd written that Livingston Taylor performed as part of his show. He had done a show with Liv and really liked the song and asked if I had any problem with him recording it. Well I'll let you guess the answer to that. The song was called "Heart and Soul to Me" about playing the great Hoagy Carmichael song on the piano with a girl I was in love with as a kid. Anyway he did a great arrangement of the song and it was part of a "Live at the BlueBird Cafe" CD series.
      We became friends after that and several years later for no good reason other than curiosity - Michael, Clive Gregson and I formed a little group with drummer Pat McInerney and his wife Le Ann on bass and vocals. We all sang songs including Le Ann and it was an interesting eclectic group. One of the songs I insisted that Michael include was "May You Never". Pat was the instigator and leader and got us to rehearse believe it or not and we booked a few gigs around town - it was great fun and playing guitar alongside those 2 great singer/songwriters was a big thrill. We didn't set the music BIZ on fire so eventually Pat got tired of herding us together but for awhile it was a great bunch of fun.
      I'm sorry to say that Michael passed away on Tuesday after a long illness - he put up a tough fight and I know many many folks including lots of songwriters will miss his amazing voice and ability to deliver a song. Once upon a time his singing saved this old songwriter from a life of self-pity and for that I will be forever grateful. Rest easy Michael.

Michael was pretty much a perfectionist - he knew the harmonic sweet spots on his instrument and he never sounded like he needed anything more than that classical guitar to accompany him. He had a great ear and a voice that came from deep down in his soul - he knew heartache and could make you feel it too.

I came back to Nashville over 11 years ago and finally got sober. I had lived, as many do, a life of utter chaos and desperation. I came out of treatment and got hooked up with a crusty bunch of "old timers" that took me under their wing. Michael was one on those guys! Imagine my surprise to become friends with a guy I grew up listening to on the radio!!! One time we all got together, for a bit of food and I didn't have any money to eat, Michael reached in his pocket, and without even counting the wad he handed it to me... I was blown away! We traded songs and he told me he thought I was an amazing talent. He was gracious and had a heart as big as they get!!!  My heart is heavy... I loved him. R.I.P Michael my friend!

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Unknown:
~shared a tour bus with this beautiful talent back when he opened for Wynonna for almost a year. beyond the fact that he sang like a lark and was a true gut string virtuoso_Michael was one of the loveliest souls I've encountered in decades here in Nashville. Funny, sharp, kind, humble... it's an honor to have known him and shared a brief musical road with him.

Wow, yeah these got me right in the heart.
So sad he had to die, I missed out on seeing a classic.
I certainly would have flown from Baltimore to Minnesota to see him.
And I'm terrified of flying, but I would have done it for MJ.

Tammy