I'm Back - I think.

The last few days have been hectic. Busy. Full. Loaded down. Use every possible description you can think of - and every one of them would be accurate.

Since June 30, I've been on the road, taking Singing News to concerts in North Carolina, Alabama and Florida. With five concerts and over 30 different groups appearing during those events, I've got several things to choose from for this edition of Danny's Diary.

However, you'll only get text comments today. I've got to have a long talk with the camera I took with me -apparently, it decided that it wanted to sleep for the entire time.

You just can't find good help anywhere nowadays.

Nevertheless, here are some thoughts from this past weekend...

The very first stop on the trip was in Candler, NC, for the Primitive Quartet's annual Hominy Valley Singing. It was a rainy Wednesday night. In fact, it rained for several hours prior to the concert.

For whatever reason, tenor Norman Wilson showed up wearing different attire from the rest of the group. No problem, but the other guys (Reagan, Mike, Larry, Randy and Jeff) really ragged him about this apparent senior moment.

But, as I pointed out to them...the moment Norman stepped onto the singing grounds, the rain stopped and did not return the entire evening. That is, it didn't return until Norman got back in his car to go home after the concert. Hmmm.....

Then there was TaRanda "I've Got To Hurry Up And Have This Baby" Greene. She started having contractions while on the way to Montgomery, AL, where that group, the Hoppers, the Kingsmen and the Perrys were singing on Friday. "T" sang the first song and turned it over to a pretty decent fill-in, Kim Greene Hopper.

Still no baby as of this writing, though. If that baby doesn't arrive soon, I'm not sure Tony's gonna make it. Either he's going to have a nervous breakdown or TaRanda is going to have to kill him to get him to relax. She's doing fine.

Jason and the rest of the Crabb Family were in Bonifay, FL, Saturday night. It wasn't long before Jason and I started talking behind the product table and he shared with me an idea he's been kicking around for a while. Now, I can't just say what it is, but IT IS A GOOD ONE! If it all works out, it's something that a lot of people will want to be a part of. That's enough said for now. And, just in case you don't already know it, Jason is one of the nicest persons you'll ever meet.

I worked with the Kingsmen this weekend. New tenor Jeremy Peace is really starting to gel and the quartet's blend is getting stronger. The guys worked in a lot of Kingsmen standards this weekend, ending up with "Beautiful Home."

It was like old times - band kicking, the audience on their feet screaming for more and Ray sliding the last note in the way only he can. After an encore or two of the song, the Perrys' Joseph, Tracy and Loren came out to lend a hand and Loren promptly put a little Jim Hamill into the song - with terribly strong vocals and a patented Hamill coat toss that would have made Jim proud!

And finally, as I was driving in the wee hours of the morning, I was dial hopping and ran across an AM station just at the top of the hour. The news came on, immediately followed by the local funeral arrangements. I had to stop a while so I could quit laughing when the announcer said this..."We don't have any funerals to report today, but hopefully we'll have some tomorrow."

I wonder if that guy ever realized what he said.

Be back tomorrow!