What can I say about my musical background?
It was mostly singing along in church and with the radio. Bing Crosby, Eddie Fisher, Tony Bennett, Connie Francis, Nat King Cole, the Beach Boys and the Beatles come easily to mind. As a teen and young adult listening to the top 10 with my favorite disc jockeys was important but a backdrop to my first love—playing baseball.

All my working life has been in manufacturing, as a tool and die maker, a mechanical engineer, and manager. While attending graduate studies at the University of Chicago I decided to start my own business. I always knew as a youngster that this is what I’d eventually do and for 35 years I’ve owned and operated two manufacturing firms.

On the personal side I am from a family of five children, married and a grandfather several times over. The production of this album was a family affair. My wife Carolyn joins me on this album and acted as my voice coach in its production. The CD was produced and arranged by son-in-law Darren Skanson and recorded at his studio in Denver.

Like most everyone I can be my worst enemy as this limerick about myself written to my grandson alludes. But in the end I am irrepressibly optimistic.


To Jordan 4-3-2001.
This is very hard to do--
Putting my sock inside my shoe,
Then placing my foot into the two.
But alas it's the road I choose
Making life very hard to do.


Music has always been important but making a CD wasn't even on the horizon. So how'd it happen?
In mid-December 1997 our little church was preparing for a Christmas Eve service. No one was available to sing a solo, and although I was not a vocalist, I volunteered to sing. When the moment actually arrived, I offered a nervous rendition of “Silent Night.” People were surprised and assumed I’d sung for years. The attention was nice and the discovery of this “gift” was exciting. When I sang that Christmas Eve I was 62 years old. Eventually my wife Carolyn joined me and we helped lead worship, once in a while singing solos or duets in church and at recitals. At the insistence of my friend Tim I try recording one song, and this led to the making of this CD of Christmas songs.

I have no regrets finding this gift late in life. My companies were an adventure and experienced a modest degree of success. Now I am on a new adventure, and it will be fun to see what the future holds.

Why now?
I’m too old to wait any longer.

Why Christmas music?
Christmas is my favorite time of the year. People are filled with more grace and warmth toward each other. We forgive each other or at least put aside our differences to know again the joy of this season. This is no small thing. It raises hope and we know that better is indeed possible because we have tasted it. The coming together of family and friends and the happy anticipation of children waiting for their gifts create a reflective mood. We remember past holidays. Our attention is drawn toward the true gift of Christmas, the One whose birth we celebrate -- the Christ Child.

Jeremy