Songwriter Sammie Haynes sat in her back yard and began singing the title track for her upcoming compact disc "Treasure Every Step," on a gorgeous New England afternoon. Her sweet voice was a perfect fit for the upbeat message: "If you’re feeling blue, in the middle of the day, Just tell those blues, be on their way.
"It’s up to you, you’ve got a choice ‘Cause you’ve got a brain, and you’ve got a voice ..."
Haynes just began recording her second CD of children’s music at Bad Dog Productions in South Berwick, Maine, on Friday. The songs will include music with her band "Mainesqueeze" and with her husband, folk singer/songwriter Cormac McCarthy. She adds with a smile that this CD will most likely have a chorus of charming local children singers, just like her first release, "Many Hands."
"‘Treasure Every Step’ is a metaphor. It’s a song that empowers kids to realize that they have a voice and they can express themselves and be heard - and that they have control over what they feel and how they respond to their feelings," Haynes explained.
Haynes has been entertaining for years. She began in high school when she and seven other girls joined to become the Wayfarers. Haynes laughed as she explained how all eight of the girls sang and four of them played guitar - all four just taking lessons!
"We wore these awful dresses and I thought we weren’t very good. People loved us, though. We sang at our school, Hopkinton Junior Senior High, and open mic at other schools - we did very well. We always came in second or third. Legendary blue grass musician Peter Rowan’s brother, Loren, used to always win at the competitions. He was incredible," remembers Haynes, who grew up in Hopkinton, Mass.
After high school, Wayfarers member Sherri (Bancroft) Jackson and Haynes formed a duo and played folk music at colleges and coffee houses for a couple of years.
"During that time I was going to the School of the Worcester Art Museum, which I attended for a year and a half. When the tuition doubled, I took time off to save up money. I started singing solo at coffee houses and colleges and it came to pass that I didn’t return to school," said Haynes.
But she did continue her music. She performed from Cape Cod to Maine and New York and she eventually moved to the White Mountains in North Conway, N.H. There she worked steadily singing solos and duos. It was there that she met musician Doug Bennett.
"Doug encouraged me to play in Portsmouth. After I played open mic at the Press Room, we went to Gilley’s and that was where I met Cormac McCarthy. I fell in love with him the first time I heard him sing, but I’m sure he fell in love with me at first sight," she said, laughing. "We got married two and a half years later.
"In the late ‘70s I was about the only female folk singer that was steadily working in this area," said Haynes, who moved to South Berwick in 1978. "In 1985 I had a terrible car accident and it took months before I was able to go back on the circuit. I lost a lot of ground during that time - things had changed radically and I had to start over in the business. Since then I’ve never returned full time to the music industry, but it will always be my passion."
Despite not making it back "full time" with her music, Haynes has kept very busy over the years. In 1986 she and Bennett worked a few gigs as a duo while they remained busy with their jobs and families. Haynes later received a call from Bruce Derr who plays pedal steel guitar and she invited him to a "hoot" (open mic) that she was hosting at the Stone Church in Newmarket.
"He sat in with me and played so beautifully that I called up Doug and said we need to start a band! That’s how Mainesqueeze began. We’ve got a unique sound that all ages seem to enjoy ... western, swing, country, folk and shuffle ... but not too ‘twangy’ for folks that don’t like that and not too folksy. Our varied backgrounds and approaches shine through, making for a novel sound and style. We have a great time when we play together."
Varied background is right! Bennett, their lead guitarist and vocalist, had released a CD titled "Long Time Blues" and was the lead singer for the Doc Johnson Blues Band. Derr, who plays pedal steel guitar and sings, also plays with Rounder Recording artist Slaid Cleaves as well as Big Maul and Lex & Joe. Jon Booth, also a guitarist and vocalist, is a Berklee College of Music graduate. He played lead guitar for the popular band Terri Bright and The Motives in the late ‘80s. And last, but not least is Jamie Decato, who is also known for his work in the jazz band Color, which has been voted best jazz band in the Seacoast. Decato also teaches drums at Berwick Academy. Mainesqueeze also has an honorary "Squeeze" talent, Kent Allyn, who sits in with the band on piano whenever he can.
One of Haynes’ recent thrills was their trip to Nashville this past February. The groundwork was laid in 1986 when she and Cormac were asked to produce a program for Prescott Park titled "A Tribute to Woody Guthrie" which was written by Millard Lampell. They invited some of the area’s finest musicians to give a show in Portsmouth and a show in Worcester, Mass. As a result of that production, McCarthy’s one-man show of "Hard Times and Good Times in America" and Haynes’ background as a children’s singer and songwriter, they were invited to the 90th birthday celebration of Woody Guthrie.
"Cormac and I were invited to participate in Nashville’s monthlong 90th birthday celebration of Woody Guthrie. Cormac had written up a program for the schools called ‘Hard Times and Good Times in America’ - it’s about the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl." The two musicians combined their talents to perform their Guthrie assembly program at school shows and coffee house shows. They were also involved in the recording of a documentary about the Woody Guthrie 90th birthday celebration.
"At the same time we were able to participate in the North American Folk Alliance meetings that were taking place there. We had a chance to see a lot of our old friends and meet new people that are in the business," said Haynes.
Another great thrill for Haynes has been working with the Treetops Chorus, the children singers on her "Many Hands" CD. Her son Davis, now 14, was a Treetop singer.
"Davis was the main impetus behind my wanting to be a children’s songwriter. As I was rocking him and singing him to sleep, he kept requesting "more." When I ran out of lullabies and children’s songs, I found myself pulling out from my old repertoire Bawdy Blues ballads - totally inappropriate for a child’s bedtime. That’s when I started to create my own lullabies and children’s songs."
From singing with her young chorus to her artist-in-residency school programs, Haynes’ real passion is to bring young children the tools and confidence to write songs. She has done numerous workshops in local schools as well as a full week residency program at Vinalhaven School, located on one of Maine’s beautiful islands. Haynes plans to include some of the music created by the Vinalhaven students on her new CD.
"I love showing them how their ideas and feelings can translate into songs," said Haynes.
Haynes has received much acclaim from the media to her countless audience members for her performances and for her first album "Many Hands." Most of her songs on "Many Hands" are originals with a few done by friends. Her interactive style of singing for and with children rather than "at" them creates a comfortable and almost familiar feel to even her new songs. Her fun and inspiring music reflects issues surrounding children’s likes, dislikes and self-esteem. And, of course, then there are the downright funny ones that bring giggles to small and big people alike. Expect no less with her work on "Treasure Every Step."
For further references or booking information, please call 207-384-3234
or email: SammieKids@aol.com
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