Dead Divas Society is a live-recorded tribute to the departed, yet still spirited, songsters who continue to influence my music and songwriting. The process of choosing the members of the Society has taken many months and I solicited help from family, friends and fans for submissions from their own dearly departed diva drawer. Most influential is John Nustvold, music executive and friend, whose vast musical knowledge spans many decades and genres. He hand-selected hundreds of songs from my favorite artists, some from rare recordings. Also appreciated are the suggestions from Ken Dashow of New York’s Q104.3 and Jane Dashow, long-time jazz radio promoter.
After months of listening, I narrowed the list of selections down to just two songs from fourteen artists. In many cases, these artists were the first to record the song and were, in some cases, also the songwriter. Final selections were based on how the music would come together as a whole to tell a multi-generational story in front of a live studio audience at the historic Coast Recorders. Special thanks goes to Art Khu and Josh Jones for fresh arrangements, which allowed us to bring our talents as long-time band members to the fore. It is with great respect and gratitude that I bring you our interpretation of well-known classics and rediscovered gems as made famous by some of the greatest singers of the past eighty years.