Got An Old Sing-Out Song Running Through Your Head?

One day last week I received an e-mail from Morris Lovette, a member of our Sing-Out South cast from 1969-1971. I believe he is in the photo above (the guy on the far left of the picture). I think this shot was taken by Alan Mayor during an SOS show at a local shopping center in Murfreesboro(?) back in the late '60s or early '70s.

Morris' e-mail said: "I awoke this morning with a part of a song running through my head. It keeps slipping away from me and I wondered if you remembered the song and perhaps had the score and lyrics..available?

"Can you build a new world on the ashes of the old,
when you heart is full of ashes and slowly growing cold?

Can you make other people want to care,
When you're all burned out
From finding trouble everywhere?"

Morris continued in his e-mail: "I know the song is part of the SOS musical inventory and I remember singing it...but the remainder of the lyrics and melody eludes me. I don't think it was part of the Up With People inventory...just a local effort...but I could be wrong."

Actually, it is an UWP people song, but it has a strong Sing-Out South connection.

The song is "Ashes" and it was co-written by Cabot Wade (seen above),who was a member of the original cast of Sing-Out South. Cabot helped write a number of songs for Up With People after joining the group in the summer of 1966 including "Is There A Reason Why?" (with fellow SOS cast members Ken Ashby and Dick Smith) and "Live It Live!"

While he was in Sing-Out South Cabot was part of the "Hickory Valley Trio," along with Eddie Lunn (left) and Ted Overman (on bass). The group is seen above during an impromptu performace by SOS on the steps of the War Memorial Auditorium in downtown Nashville just before the cast left for the Action Now! Sing-Out Conference held in Estes Park, CO in June, 1966.

One of Cabot's co-writers for "Ashes" is Glenn Close, now the world-famous star of stage, screen,and television. Since Cabot and Morris are both part of our SOS e-mail contact list, I urged them to get in touch (which Morris did) and Cabot gave some interesting details about how the "Ashes" song came to be.

He responded in an e-mail to Morris (that was forwarded to me): "I am complimented that that song (Ashes) stuck in your head. My co-writer was Glenn Close. She wrote the lyrics down on a sheet of notebook paper and handed them to me on a tour we were doing in Italy. I was amazed at their clarity and insight."

Cabot did not say when the tour of Itay occurred. My memories of the "Ashes" song (while vague) was that I first remember hearing it when the SOS cast attended the second World Sing-Out Festival at Ft. Slocum in the summer of 1968. I don't any clear memories of our cast adding the song to the show right away, but obviously it did later, probably after I left SOS in the summer of 1969.

By the way (although many folks reading this already know it), Cabot Wade and Glenn Close were married from 1969-1973. And lest I forget to give proper credit, the other co-writer listed for the song "Ashes" is L. Reeder, while another co-writer for "Is There A Reason Why?" is F. Hadden.

Cabot Wade now lives in the Williamsburg, VA area and he has continued his musical work. He has a very active group called "The Wade-Smith Band" (with his old SOS/UWP colleague Dick Smith). The group was very much involved in the recent Sing-Out/UWP revival show performed in Branson, MO last summer called "A Song For The World".

Cabot and Dick Smith were also active in creating a musical show to celebrate the recent 400th anniversary of the founding of Williamsburg. VA.

As for Dick Smith and Ken Ashby, they joined the Sing-Out South cast after seeing the national cast perform at their school, Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, back in the winter of 1966Hundreds of SOS members attended that show as well, and soon the group seen above (which also included Joe Capers and Lee Piepmeier) were performing with SOS, as seen above from the NASHVILLE BANNER's coverage of our premiere performances at Hillsboro March 25-26, 1966

One final note, when Morris Lovette contacted me, he said he would like to find the sheet music, lyrics or even a *.wmv version of "Ashes." So far no luck. So if anyone can help him, or if you have a Sing-Out or Up With People song running through your head, let us know by leaving a message below or sending me an e-mail, and we will try and help.