Mot_Music

From 1988 to 1994, I produced and directed corporate videos for TriTel Production (Arlington Heights, IL). After I bought a synthesizer, it occurred to me that I could be writing motivational songs that our clients could use for multi-image productions, business meetings and videos. Fortunately for me, the insanely talented Jim Wearne worked there too, because he wrote all of the lyrics, usually at a blinding speed. If that task were left up to me, my song writing career would have lasted about 15 minutes.

I would drag my Ensoniq ESQ1 synthesizer/sequencer and a couple of Roland rack mounts over to Reel Productions (Rolling Meadows), where Steve Moroniak would put my band tracks onto 2 tracks of a 8-track reel-to-reel tape recorder. I was fortunate to have such amazingly talented singers as Jan Ruby (famous for singing the "Nelson Brothers" Jingle), Cathy Breslin, Tom Krow and too many more to name, sing Wearne's lyrics. The occasional guitar player or saxophone, who were usually friends of Moroniak's came in to finish off the tracks.

As I look back, this was probably the happiest time in my life. I was writing and producing music, creating videos, and business meetings and traveling all over the country putting them on. Now, I will have to go out and create another "happiest time in my life".

America's Family	Being the Best
I will grant you that "America's Family of Auto Parts Stores" isn't ever going to make the Top 40, but it is what the client asked for. After the client told me the theme, I started writing the song in my head in his office. After a while, he realized that I wasn't listening to a thing he was saying and sent me out to write the song.	I can tell from these cheesy production values that no one ever bought this song. Tom Krow and Jan Ruby sang this much on spec, in the hopes that I would sell it. If we did, Jim Wearne would be given the impossible task of incorporating the company's message into the lyrics. He certainly never let anyone down!
No Greater Love	Take On Tomorrow
My big goal was to be able to write jingles someday. This song was designed to launch that career. It was never sold, but we did give it away once, to Maryville, City of Youth, who used it for a pro bono PSA.	I sold this song so many times, I put a deck on my house with all of the money I made. It was originally sung by a guy who's name escapes me, then my Cathy Breslin and finally by Jan Ruby. This is Cathy's version.
Touch of Distinction	Touching All of the Bases
I don't remember who's idea it was to have this long, ballad-like band track/voice-over in the beginning, but I guess I decided it would be easier to score it than to try to use Library Music. MAN Roland commissioned the song. The salespeople heard it every day for 4 days. On the last day, singer Cathy Breslin was there to sing it live. It was meant to be a big surprise having the actual singer there who performed the song for the last 3 days.	Mark Ornstein from United Insurance was a huge baseball fan. It was his idea to incorporate a baseball theme with the concept that "salespeople have to do everything right every day" for this multi-image show. By this time, Jim Wearne had left TriTel, but we continued to collaborate. I held the phone up to the speaker while this song was playing, and he somehow figured out what the meter was and wrote the lyrics in about 45 minutes.