PEACEFUL JOURNEY: A CELEBRATION OF NORTH CAROLINA
I focused on my favorite places across North Carolina and traveled there for inspiration. Using my guitar, Celtic whistles and piano I composed 14 songs. Later other layers of instrumentation were added including cello, violin, hammered dulcimer, flute, saxophone, bass, organ and percussion by a group of outstanding musicians.
Next, I took a digital tape deck and returned to many of these spots and recorded natural sounds that reminded me of these treasured locations. I have woven together many of these sounds into the fabric of the songs. Sounds of waterfalls, rushing rivers, tin roof rain, migratory songbirds, tundra swans and distant trains add a vibrant thread of realism to the melodies.
What a warm and “Peaceful Journey” this has been for me! Thank you for traveling with me for sojourns at Ocracoke, Montreat, Kanuga, Lake Mattamuskeet, Bath, Roan Mountain, Roaring Gap, Morganton, the Roanoke River, Grandfather Mountain and other locations.
- Bill Leslie
1. “Quaker Meadows” is a trip back in time. The melody came to me after a visit to my ancestral home in Burke County. On this property under a giant oak tree Revolutionary War leaders Charles and Joseph McDowell gathered the Overmountain Men in September 1780. Here these courageous patriots crafted plans which led to the defeat of the British at Kings Mountain, the turning point of the war in the South. This song is dedicated to my sister Miriam who inspires me with her passion for history.
2. “Grip Fast” grew out of my love for Grandfather Mountain and the Highland Games where every July the Leslie family and other Scottish clans march in the Parade of Tartans. Clan Leslie is said to descend from Bartolf who was carrying the queen across a Scottish river by horse in the eleventh century. The queen slipped and almost perished but Bartolf saved her by crying: “Grip Fast!” The queen took hold of Bartolf’s belt buckle and survived. The grateful queen bestowed upon Bartolf vast lands and the title of governor of Edinburgh Castle. This song is dedicated to Grandfather Mountain owner and Tar Heel treasure Hugh Morton.
3. “Montreat” may be my favorite place in the world. It has been described as a place set apart like no other mountain retreat. Drive under the stone archway entrance and you’re in a different world. The sound of rushing water will draw you in closer to Lake Susan. The friendly people and enchanting cottages will make you want to return again and again. Bill Covington’s improvisation on piano is the highlight of this haunting melody. This song goes out to Barry, Missy, Niels, Devon and Tenille.
4. “Daddy’s Car” triggers childhood memories of my father driving up and down gravel roads in the mountains looking for a place to put his easel for a new pencil sketch or painting. Special thanks to Jennifer Curtis for making this song come alive. Jennifer is a brilliant fiddler from Chapel Hill. This song is dedicated to Burgess Murphy McSwain who remembers all of Daddy’s cars!
5. The sound effects for “Tin Roof Rain” were recorded near Roaring Gap, NC one stormy April night. The thunder eventually gave way to a gentle rain. The rhythm on the roof lulled me to sleep. The next morning the air was fresh and sweet as the sun pushed its way up over Pilot Mountain. This song is dedicated to Mark, Vivian and Nate.
6. “Mattamuskeet” wasn’t supposed to be a part of this CD. However, I was so moved by the haunting sounds of tundra swans and snow geese at Lake Mattamuskeet on a cold January night that a melody emerged. Mattamuskeet is a favorite wintering spot for migratory birds in the Atlantic Flyway. The sounds you hear on the song are the birds returning to the water at night after a day of feeding in neighboring fields. This song is dedicated to bird lovers Grover and Judy Miller.
7. “Bound for Boone” is dedicated to my daughter Lauren who was off to college this fall for the first time. She wants to be an elementary school teacher so Appalachian State University is a perfect choice for her education. Her mother and I are sending Lauren off with warm gloves, thermal underwear and waterproof boots.
8. “Penny on the Track” reflects my lifelong love of trains. My father used to take me down to the Morganton depot where we would place a shiny penny on the tracks and wait for a thundering locomotive to smash it into the size of a quarter. Also, my father filled our basement with a sprawling model train set. Those were some of the happiest moments of my life. Marc Walker captures the warmth of those days with his whimsical impressions on sax and flute. This song is dedicated to my son William and also to Matt, Susan, Nicole, Kira and other toe-tapping tune lovers.
9. Every spring I enjoy listening to my favorite choir. The members are neo-tropical songbirds who fly in from South and Central America to nest in the vast unbroken forest along the Roanoke River in Martin County. “Roanoke Rhapsody” celebrates this wonderful world of warblers. This song is dedicated to Cindy who helps me decipher the different bird songs.
10. It takes forever to get there but once you’ve arrived you never want to leave. “Ocracoke” celebrates the island and the village along the Outer Banks of NC. This song is dedicated to teacher, author and innkeeper Alton Balance who once asked me to deliver the commencement address to the graduating seniors at Ocracoke High School – all five of them!
11. “On Roan Alone” is dedicated to my dear cousins Jack and Leslie Dellinger who share my love of a magical mountain. The mighty Roan rises up 6,285 feet in the Southern Appalachians. The Roan’s rhododendron blossoms in late June attract thousands but my favorite time is midweek autumn or early winter in the misty solitude of a hiking trail where all my worries seem to melt away. Special thanks to Clark Wang who charms us with his cello on this tune.
12. “Kanuga” is a sacred place in the mountains where I first learned the importance of silence and solitude. Counselors at a summer camp took my teenage friends and me deep into the woods to listen for the voice of God. We thought the silence would kill us. Instead it liberated us. I have since learned that out of silence great dreams are born. This song is dedicated to my sister Stephanie who met her husband John at Kanuga.
13. “Bells of Bath” is a hymn honoring the oldest existing church in NC. St. Thomas Church is a beautiful Episcopal parish located near the Pamlico River in the historical village of Bath. Special thanks to the vestry for allowing me to ring and record their ancient bell believed to be 18 years older than the Liberty Bell. Much appreciation also to Cary organist Ed Yasick for performing this song. This melody is dedicated to John Carter, David Wiseman and Bob Inskeep who have been known to appreciate a hymn or two.
14. I took a hike near Grandfather Mountain in the dead of winter and recorded the sound of my boots blazing a trail through freshly fallen snow. “Wintry Walk” was inspired by the childlike wonder that so many of us have with a landscape transformed by snow. As a TV news anchor I don’t get to enjoy snow as much as I used to, but give me a chance and I’ll roll around in it like a golden retriever! This song is dedicated to snow lovers Ray and Carol Lundquist.