Pam Rose, You Rock

Having lived in Louisville all of my life, I've celebrated Derby Eve a "few" times over the years. I was brave enough to go down to Central Avenue when it resembled Bourbon Street at Mardi Gras; I've waited with hundreds of other people out in the street below the Barnstable party waiting to get a picture of a celebrity; I've partied down at the Chow Wagon.  I have to say that last night was my best Derby Eve ever.  Sorry to disappoint any of you hardcore partyers, but last night's Derby Eve didn't involve the least bit of drunken debauchery.  I spent Derby Eve at a concert by the awesome songwriter and guitarist Pam Rose. 

There were only about 20 people in the audience at the Plum Alley Theater in Elizabethtown, but Pam performed as if the place was filled to capacity.  I had to stare at her hands a few times during the concert - I was sure she had a few extra fingers when she was playing.  I've played the guitar for 30 years, and I'm not easily impressed by guitarists but last night, I was blown away.  It's hard enough to play perfectly with standard tuning, but when you add in playing with open tuning or other non-standard tunings, you've got to be a pro to pull it off.  And Pam Rose sure pulled it off last night.  She could have played there for days doing just songs she's written or co-written, and the mixture from her 3 cd's was the perfect sample of her talent.  Her version of "I'll Still Be Loving You" was awesome.  I bet she wishes she had a dime for every time that song was performed at a wedding in the 80s and 90s.  The song went to #1, and was in the top ten on the Adult Contemporary charts for a half a year.  It earned Pam a Grammy nomination, and was BMI and ASCAP's Song of the Year  "Please Don't Make Me Say Goodnight", a cut from her "Morpheus" cd had me on the edge of my seat.  "Morpheus" is Pam's first solo cd.  The highlight of the concert was a song she dedicated to me, "Safe In The Arms Of Love."  It was on Pam and songwriting partner Mary Ann Kennedy's first cd "Hai Ku."  I had asked Pam if she would sing "Love Like This", one of my all time favorite songs, but she said that she only sings that with Mary Ann, so she asked me for a runner-up song.  It rocked. 

If you've followed country music for the past twenty-plus years, I'm sure you've heard tons of songs that Pam Rose has written or co-written.  That's how I became a fan of hers.  I've always been a big country fan, and when I would go buy albums, there would be at least one or two songs on there that would just reach out and smack me.  I soon discovered those songs had a common denominator - Pam Rose was listed as one of the writers.  She and her writing partners were creating songs that truly reached out and touched the listener.  I did some research (this was the days before the internet) and found the address of Pam's publishing company, and wrote a letter to her and Mary Ann, saying how their songs really touched me, and how important the songwriter is to the music world.  Even with their busy schedules, they took the time to write a letter back, and for the next few years, we corresponded and kept in touch.  Through the past few years, I would see where they would be performing in Nashville, but was never able to go down and see them.  Then a few weeks ago, I read where Pam was going to be in Elizabethtown, so even though the concert was on Derby Eve, the big party night of the year in Louisville, I didn't give a second thought about it.  I knew I would be there.  And I'm glad I did.