About The Album Cascade

Rob recording Cascade album in Durango Colorado

It was pretty easy to pick the title for this new album. The song Cascade is my oldest song, though it’s been through many changes since I first started it in 1972. There’s a story about this song in the lyric section. My wife, Leslie, and I live in Durango, Colorado part of the time, and in East Texas part of the time. We are very fortunate to live in such beautiful places. I always knew that Cascade would be on any album I recorded. Though the song mentions hiking on the Cascade Creek Falls trail, it’s also about just living here in Southwest Colorado. The photos on the cover of this album show some of the waterfalls on this trail. If you ever get up here, try to make this hike!

Once I had a few songs ready to record, inspiration hit and it seemed like writing new songs was so easy, and I ended up with 13 for this album. There are already 4 for the next project, hopefully that will happen! 

I don’t stay in just one genre on this album. All my life I’ve loved all varieties of music, I’ve never felt limited. I’ve wished sometimes that I’d been born in the 1920’s so that I could have been a big-band musician in the 30’s or 40’s. If I had to pin down my "style" of music, I'd say "Folk/Americana/Country/Rock/Jazz" or maybe just generally "Acoustic Music"—Perhaps there's a new genre of music called "Slash"? Or maybe, like Gram Parsons said of his style, it's "Cosmic American Music".


Gratitude

After starting playing guitar in 1967, 54 years ago, it’s finally time that I recorded some songs. My wife, Leslie, has always wanted me to not be so private in my music endeavors.  My first band was in 1968, there were numerous high school bands and one at the University of Denver, and I’ve played with folks some over the years, but I’ve never gotten in the studio before now. This project never would have happened without Leslie wishing/wanting that it be done (and she was right, of course) – so this album is dedicated to her. My kids, Landis and Haley, of course, and Haley’s daughter, Evie, have been important to this project, and a constant inspiration. I want to thank especially Lee Donelson Buchanan who, with a phone call, put the idea in my head to do this project. 

Also, the incredible musicians – The Stillhouse Junkies (Alissa, Fred and Cody), Jack Maynes, Evan Suiter, Clay Lowder, Kate Willyard, Ted Hockenbury, and Jeff Solon. These musicians didn’t have their parts written out, they improvised, and this is proof of their creativity and amazing talent. All of these tracks were recorded live in the studio, with limited overdubbing. Lastly, this project absolutely wouldn’t have happened without Scott “Scooter” Smith, of Scooter’s Place in Durango. Scooter took my songs and arranged them, and found these excellent players, and of course, recorded, mixed and mastered them. To all of these folks a huge thank you! They brought these songs to life. These songs are so much better because they played on them.

 – Rob Wigley, Durango, Colorado, January 15, 2021


The Musicians

 
  • Rob Wigley—Acoustic Rhythm Guitar, Vocals

  • Ted Hockenbury—Pedal Steel Guitar on Our Story Untold

  • Clay Lowder—Drums and Percussion

  • Jack Maynes—Keyboards

  • Scooter Smith—Percussion

  • Jeff Solon—Harmonica on Love Has Too Much Pride

  • Evan Suiter—Bass on Sunshine Girl, Our Story Untold, The Good Days, Now that Night’s Begun, Aces, and All That Matters

  • Kate Willyard.—Background Vocals

  • Stillhouse Junkies

  • Alissa Wolf—Fiddle

  • Cody Tinnin—Upright Bass

  • Fred Kosak—Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Mandolin


All songs copyright 2020 by Willard Robert Wigley except Ghost of Love, Our Story Untold, Now That Night’s Begun, The Good Days, and Demon Wings, by Willard Robert & Leslie Wigley.

 

Produced, Recorded, Mixed and Mastered by Scott “Scooter” Smith, in Durango, Colorado.
http://www.scootersplace.net/

Front cover photo of Cascade Creek Falls courtesy of Debra Van Winegarden, used by permission.
Back cover photo of Cascade Creek Falls courtesy of Thomas Holt Ward, used by permission.
Inside photo of Rob Wigley by Renee Cornuereneecornue.com