PROUDLY EMBRACING THE PARANORMAL!

A few days ago I was apprehensive about blogging my experiences with the paranormal, today I can’t wait to start again! I’ve learned so many things in the time I’ve spent on Earth that I can’t wait to share them!

I’m not a professional psychic, documented healer, or spiritualist. I’m a writer and an artist who’s lived an extraordinary life http://artiewayne.com/ I do, however, consider myself a psychically attuned, spiritually guided, observant layman who has made remarkable discoveries. Ever since I was a child I knew I was being given information and instructions from another place. When I started writing songs and composing music, I always felt that the best ideas, lines and passages came from somewhere else…somewhere outside of my ego and my own frame of reference.

Although I currently use deep meditation techniques to receive and access information, my best and deepest songs have all come from intense emotional times in my life.

The first time that I realized that I was channeling information from the other side was in the summer of 1966. I was a staff songwriter and producer for Scepter records in New York City. I had just gotten married and like most young breadwinners needed extra cash. I made a deal with Ed Silvers, who headed Scepters publishing company, that I would get a base salary of $125 a week plus $100 general advance for every song I’d have recorded. He would usually only accept one or two songs a week, which limited my income.

When he made a two week trip to Europe I took the opportunity to convince the label owners that I could write and produce sides for the Shirrelles, the Kingsmen and the Guess Who, as well as writing 10 new songs for a patriotic and spiritual concept album…all before Silvers got back.

Just as I started writing, my grandmother, “Gooma” who helped raise me and was a big influence in my life, became seriously ill. I was beside myself and stressed out, but I had a big job to do. In between bedside visits, I knocked out the pop songs first…then I did the patriotic songs. When it came time for me to do the spiritual songs, my grandmother took a turn for the worse. I started to write…and as I wiped away my tears, from out of nowhere an entire song came through me in less than 3 minutes. It’s called,” “Daddy, Daddy What is Heaven like?” It’s a song about a little boy having a conversation with his father…

Daddy, Daddy What Is Heaven Like?
By Artie Wayne

“Daddy, Daddy What is Heaven Like?

Is it like our house so pretty and White?

It doesn’t seem right, it doesn’t seem fair…

If Mommy loved us so…why’d she go there?”

“Heaven, my child, is a beautiful place

Where there’s a smile on everyone’s face

Mommy loved us both but she had to go…

We needed her so but they needed her more”

“Daddy, Daddy is Heaven very far?

How long would it take if we go by car?

If you cross me at the corner, I can take my bike

Daddy, Please tell me what is Heaven like?”

 

“You can’t go there by a bike or a car…

But if you’re good you’ll go real far.

Maybe someday you’ll go to Heaven too

If I know your Mommy she’s saved a place for you.”

“Daddy, Daddy I can hardly wait

I’m so excited Heaven sounds great!

Can I run and tell sister goodbye?

Why is there Daddy a teardrop in your eye?”

Copyright 1966/ 2007 Wayneart music

What’s ironic about this is…I never knew my father on Earth and didn’t have any children myself! In retrospect, I look at this as an exchange with my heavenly father who was answering questions that were in my spiritually developing mind.

God let us keep “Gooma” a little bit longer and I was fortunate to have Tiny Tim record “Daddy, Daddy” on his Gold album “Tiptoe Through the Tulips”.

I was proud when Miriam Makeba performed the song to a five-minute standing ovation in Philharmonic hall at Lincoln Center…but even prouder when she sang it on Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show” the following night and my grandmother was able to watch it.

Copyright 2007 by Artie Wayne

Brief Encounters With Burt Bacharach!

Since the early 60’s, Burt Bacharach has been one of the most innovative and influencial figures in popular music. His unique melodies and signature rythyms also made him one of the most imitated musicians of all times. With various lyricists, he racked up an early array of hits that included, “Tower Of Strength”, “Baby It’s You”, “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”, “Any Day Now”, “Only Love Can Break A Heart”, “Blue On Blue”, “Anyone Who Had A Heart” and “Walk On By”.

I always felt a thrill just to be in his presence! I would see him at a party or a music business function and go over and introduce myself. This happened so often that after about the fifth or sixth time I did it, he stopped me, smiled and said, “I know…you’re Artie Wayne!” This not only made me feel good, but I felt validated!

He was not only a musical role model, but a personal one as well. He was probably one of the coolest people I’ve ever known, with his sunglasses on top of his premature white hair he always seemed to be dressed for a tennis game or a polo match! I also noticed all of the beautiful women that would fawn over him and it made me realize that you didn’t have to be a Rock Star to get that kind of attention!

In 1963, after I had my first hit as a songwriter and producer, “Meet Me At Midnight Mary” ( Raleigh/ Wayne) with Joey Powers, I called up Burt to see if he had any songs for the follow-up. I met him in his office at Famous music, in the Brill Building and he played me a new song he and Hal David had written, “Message To Martha” (which later became a smash in the UK by Adam Faith and a hit in the US by Dionne Warwick, re-titled, “Message To Michael”)

I loved the song, but I thought it was a bit too complex for Joey Power’s simple folk musical direction we were taking. I felt really weird turning down the song, but Burt was cool and said don’t worry about it. A few months later, I ran into him on my first trip to London, where he was the musical director on Marlena Dietrich’s concert tour, we had a drink and laughed about my embarrasment over turning down one of his songs.

The next time I saw him was in 1965, I was signed to Scepter records publishing company, as a songwriter and producer. I was encouraged to use the studio as often as I wanted for overdubbing and making demos of my songs to help break-in the studio. I produced or co-produced The Shirelles , The Kingsmen and the Guess Who, there which made the owner, Florence Greenberg, more confident in her new facility. At that point, she offered Burt Bacharach and Hal David, a chance to try her new, improved studio out.

I remember Burt and Hal had trouble mixing Dionne Warwick’s, “Are You There With Another Girl” at the original studio where they cut the track, and they decided to try out Scepter. I remember being in my office the day of the “Great New York City Blackout “…when the lights all over our building were dimming then getting brighter! Burt and Hal, after mixing for hours, ran out of the studio screaming, ” What the Hell’s going on ? We almost had it…We almost had the mix! Then machine started slowing down then stared speeding up!”

Tempers cooled, when we looked out the window and saw lights in the entire city dim…then go black! Florence’s son Stanley, who was head of A+R, as well as being totally blind from birth, yelled out, “Don’t worry, I’ll get us all out of here…JUST FOLLOW ME!”

About 20 of us, with Stanley leading the pack, managed to get down several flights of stairs, in total darkness, safely and without incident. It was an event that I’m sure none of us will never forget!

Copyright 2007 by Artie Wayne