Songs from the Neighborhood

t all begins with a song. For producer/composer Dennis Scott. It began when he was watching Mister Rogers performing one of his songs on his PBS children's series. "I was taken by the engaging lyric and deceptively complex melody." Dennis was surprised to learn that Fred Rogers was the composer of all the songs on his program and that no major recording artist had ever covered his material. That set the wheels into motion for a two year labor of love.

Dennis wanted to create an album that would feature well known singers performing new arrangements of Fred Rogers songs. The first step was to get permission from Family Communications Inc., Fred's non-profit company. "Understandably, they were hesitant at first. I appreciated the fact that I was asking them to entrust Mister Rogers' musical treasures to a virtual stranger." Time passed but the talks continued and eventually FCI agreed to allow Dennis to proceed with the recording.

The months that followed consisted of a flurry of phone calls to just about every major recording star in the industry. A number were interested but scheduling prevented them from participating. Many requests to artists' managers went into what Dennis describes as "the black hole" - packages were lost or misplaced, phone calls were unreturned and, perhaps, ignored. However, those artists who understood the importance of Mister Rogers' work were eager to get on board.

BJ Thomas was among the first artists to commit to the project. He already knew that he wanted to sing Fred Rogers' closing theme, "It's Such a Good Feeling." Dennis gave each artist the opportunity to pick their favorite Mister Rogers song. One by one, the artists made their selections. "Trying to accommodate everyone was sort of like doing a jigsaw puzzle," said Dennis. Some artists were more "hands on" than others. There was also the occasional left curve. For example, "Ricky Skaggs and I had decided upon a
song, but the night before the recording session he decided to go with a different tune. Which turned out to be the best choice after all."

Meanwhile, SONGS FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD, whose title Dennis had come up with early in the project, was still an album without a home. Every major record label in the US was contacted and while there were some near deals, no one was willing to commit. Eventually Dennis re-connected with an old friend and colleague, Joseph Porrello. Joey was a consultant for MediaNet Group Technologies Inc, a Florida based company who had recently acquired the rights to the Howdy Doody videos. It was a perfect fit. SFTN would be the first CD to be released under Media's subsidiary, Memory Lane Syndication, Inc.

With the financial backing in place, Dennis dove into the recording process beginning with tracks for Amy Grant, BJ Thomas, Crystal Gayle, John Pizzarelli, and Bobby Caldwell. "This album is unique,"
said Dennis, "And we wanted nothing but the best players in town." Of course, there were still bumps in the road. It was difficult to get to the artists themselves to get their approval or input. Dennis recalls, "We weren't sure about the key for Amy Grant's song until late the night before. And when Donna Summer walked into the studio, I was holding my breath to see if she was okay with the track we had prepared for her. In the end, all of the artists were complete professionals and gave absolutely stunning performances."

There are some things the public may never get to hear including a complete Spanish version of "It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood" sung by Jon Secada. A track including strings was prepared for Latin recording artist Carlos Ponce, but because of how the project came together, there was no room for another ballad on the album. Grammy winner Alison Krauss had expressed interest in participating, but her touring schedule left her with no time to record an outside project.

According to Dennis Scott, The most poignant moment came when we putting together the tribute song to Mister Rogers, "Thank You For Being You." There was no way to coordinate a time to bring everyone together, so each artist had to record his or her line separately. When I finally heard the mix with all the voices, it was quite an emotional moment."

The only thing that could possibly top that was a phone call from Joanne Rogers, the widow of Fred Rogers. She told Dennis, "I can't even tell you how full my heart is right now. He (Fred) would love it. I love every song with all my heart."

And, as Dennis says, "that makes the journey all worthwhile.."

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- The CD
A starry musical tribute to
the amazing song- writing
talents of Mister Fred
Rogers featuring some of the
nation's most loved artists.

13 songs
Running time: 43:24

- The DVD
"The making of" DVD,
included as a bonus,
features artists performing
their song, candid interviews,
and stories about their
fondest memories of Mister
Rogers.

Running time: 49:52

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