CHRIS ST JOHN – Dreaming and Composing music
1.Please introduce yourself to the audience.
Hi friends. I’m Chris St John. I’ve been writing and singing songs on my guitar since I’m 14. I have had other careers, but music is my passion. My new album, I’m Dreaming, showcases 15 songs, 13 are originals. The songs are mostly autobiographical. The songs on the album are drawn from very diverse musical influences from the 1950’s—1980’s artists, but I wanted them to be uniquely mine with a contemporary touch. My producer, Mike Hogan, of Youngstreet Studios did a terrific job helping me make the album sound the way I wanted and then some. The album is so very diverse, but strangely cohesive, and it keeps the listener guessing what is coming next. That was the idea, and my humble hope is that these songs can resonate with my audience and touch them the way only music can. My album I’m Dreaming is on all major media platforms and can be purchased digitally or by CD, with some really nice merchandise at www.chrisstjohn.com
2.You have a new single called “I Called You Rose”, please let us know about all the details.
I Called You Rose was written during the recording of I’m Dreaming. I loved the melody, and the lyrics came flying out simultaneously, with little need for any revisions – it was written in less than ½ an hour. This is very rare for me, and I felt like an intermediary, the song being gifted to me by a higher power, with me the messenger. Usually, I write a song and work on it for days or weeks to make it feel right to me. I quit drinking about 15 years ago. The song is about falling in love with alcohol and how hard it is to say goodbye. The song sounds like a love affair gone wrong. I guess that’s true in a broader sense.
3.What about your full album called “I’m Dreaming”, how and when did you record it?
I fell in love with horses at 55 during COVID. I went to Jackson Hole and went on some long mountain rides. A month or two later I returned and took part in a real cattle roundup. There were 5 riders, punching 650 cattle down Big Horn Mountain. It was 10-12 hours a day in the saddle for 7 magical days. I fell in love with my 3rd horse and purchased him from the rancher and had him shipped to NY. He’s a special Quarter-Horse. I named him “Reagan” and wrote “I Need a Horse” about him and my trip. I wrote it in my office dreaming of being a real cowboy. I really loved the song and what it had to say, so I had it professionally produced. I was so happy with the result, I decided to keep going and make an album. Reagan, my horse, set all of this all in motion.
4.Is it true that several of your songs were dreamed in your sleep and written them down afterwards?
It is true. Many songs come to me in my sleep. When that happens, I wake up, grab my guitar, a recorder, and a pen and pencil — no matter the time of night. I sit with my guitar, recording the melody and start writing enough lyrics to give me a foundation to finish later. For me, if I wait until morning, it’s gone. I’ve also written songs that hit me during the day, and I’ll steal away no matter where I am to write. One example is after my mother died; she came to me in a dream. I was joyful to see her and trying to reach her and tell her how much I loved her. The visit was short, she disappeared, and I awoke. I was full of happiness (for the visit) and sad (for the departure). I got up around 3 in the morning and wrote Two Tender Angels. That one also came fast. I don’t always dream songs in my sleep, but it happens enough that it’s a significant contribution to my songwriting. I also use the word dream a lot in my songs. When you think about it, we spend so much of our lives dreaming, in our sleep, and while awake. Dreaming ideas, the things we hope for, who we want to be, and, if you are spiritual, about mystical things, about God.
5.Why did you choose to include on the album the cover of “Peggy O’”?
Well, I really love the Grateful Dead. The song is an old traditional Scottish tune called The Bonnie Lass of Fyvie’O , but it was recently made famous by Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead. Paul Simon, Bob Dylan and many others recorded this song also. I changed the words a bit to suit me, rearranged it, and sang it the way I wanted to. I think the story sells the song. There is no bridge or chorus, and frankly it doesn’t matter. It’s just beautiful.
6.Besides your career in music, you have worked in the State Department, participating in the Reagan-Gorbachev Summit in 1987. Which was exactly your role in this Summit?
I was working in the State Department as a writer/editor at the time. I was writing letters on behalf of the Secretary of State George Schultz and Press Secretary Charles Redman. During the summit I worked the press room fielding calls from the press. During that time, I witnessed a speech by President Reagan at the State Department. I was in the front row and he exchanged a joke with me on the way in. It was an exciting time for me. After that I worked for a Congressman for several years and then went on to law school.
7.Moreover, you started a not-for-profit charity called HALO Missions, which provides medical care, clothing, food, farming equipment, and surgeries for AIDS orphans and the extreme poor throughout Africa, Central America, and the Caribbean. Please let us know about this important activity as well.
I started this charity with my friend Dr. James Bopp. He is an emergency room doctor. We are a fully accredited nonprofit. No one takes a stipend or salary, and we mostly self-fund the work we do, including our travel expenses and medical supplies. We travelled to Zambia several times to serve AIDS orphans living in the bush. We provided medical and dental care to them, also providing school uniforms (thousands) and personal clothing. (There are public schools, but the children cannot attend without a school uniform, which few can afford. It’s maddening when you think about it.) We expanded to perform cataract and general surgeries for the few village elders left to care for these beautiful children. We’ve also served the extreme poor and orphans in El Salvador and in Haiti. Our goal has been to restore these children’s health, and to get them an education. We can’t raise them all or save them all, but we want to give as many as we can a chance for a happy and productive life.
8.Do you host any music events to gather funds and resources for the HALO Mission?
Not yet, but people can visit www.halomissions.org if they want to help. We will likely sell merchandise and provide information as we tour to raise more money so we can help more people.
9.How did Covid-19 affect your activities?
I had a tough time for a bit. Laying off very good workers who I care about was very difficult, but a necessity to save the business long enough to bring everyone back. I kept the employees’ health coverage in place, and thankfully they are all back to work again..
10.What about your next move in the music?
I already have about half of the next album written. It should take about 6 months to a year to finish and produce. We may release some singles in the interim. Our singles from I’m Dreaming are really moving up the Indie charts (“I Called You Rose” reached #3 in Europe and #8 worldwide. “I’d Send You My Heart”, only out 3 weeks, is at 1#1 worldwide, and #9 in Europe and climbing. I’m hopeful as I think there are even better songs on the album I’m Dreaming to be released as singles. My album I’m Dreaming is on all major media platforms and can be purchased digitally or by CD, with some really nice merchandise at www.chrisstjohn.com
