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"Free As The Breeze"
A Songwriter's Joys and Sorrows
(PineTree Press, 2025)
Celebrating his 40th anniversary joining ASCAP, and 60th anniversary of his first recorded songs.
This is an illustrated memoir written by songwriter, Roger Hall about fifty years of joys and sorrows in his life and about his songs.Among the memories Roger writes about are:
* His ealy childhood years listening to songs on the radio and singing along with favorite songs.
* A painful family separation in the early 1950s and his slow recovery after going to school at
Eastern Military Academy in the former elegrant Oheka Castle built in 1919 by wealthy New York
investment banker and arts patron, Otto Hermann Kahn.
Roger has presented several webinars for the New York Adventure Club about Otto Kahn and his
music support for musicians like George Gershwin.
* Roger's favorite cowboy movie stars: Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and especially Hopalong Cassidy
(played by William Boyd), who he met in New York City at a magazine photo shoot in 1950.Roger later wrote a song about Mr. & Mrs. Hopalong Cassidy with lyrics by Susie Coffman and titled:
"The Angel Handed Me A Rose" and he dedicated it to Grace Bradley Boyd (Mrs. Hopalong Cassidy)
* In the 1950s, Roger listened to songs that were popular on popular radio shows in New York City
and also was a home alone kid who watched lots of TV, especially old movies, and was a regular
moviegoer at his local movie theater in Bloomfield, New Jersey.
* His first song lyrics were written in his senior year at Bloomfield High School in 1960.
These are a few titles: "Bright Eyes," "Tears," and a dance song, "The Swag."
* Roger played the bongos and was a backup singer for his first complete song in 1961,
"Dream World," as a member of a music trio of Army buddies while he was stationed in Germany.
* One of his songs was inspired by The Beatles, after he heard their songs,
"Love Me Do" and "Please Please Me" while in London on a vacation in 1963.
Two years later, he had his song recorded in Bloomfield, New Jersey titled,
"The Soho Serenade" (about the London district). To listen to this song on YouTube -- click here
* Between 1970 and 1977, he received his college education and did graduate work in music.
He also taught his first college class in 1975: "The History of Popular Music in America."
* He began work preserving American music of all kinds starting in the 1980s.
* He joined ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) in 1985.
His songs and other music compositions are now published exclusively by PineTree Music.* Beginning in 1980, Roger did research and published booklets about the Old Stoughton Musical Society, organized in 1786 and now the oldest choral society in America -- Singing Stoughton.
* In 1990, he produced a special historical program, including a play he wrote,
"William Billings Teaches A Singing School" performed by a local actor.
In addition to his play, the program featured local musicians from elementary school and high school and an adult chorus which sang patriotic music including a song by Roger Hall wrote titled, "Peace,"
set to an anti-war poem by a local 10 year old girl way back in 1814.
That poem and the music for the song are included in the "Free As The Breeze" book.The program from May 10, 1990 is shown here:
"A Stoughton Musicfest" was videotaped and shown on local cable TV.
For information how to order a copy of this 1990 special music program on CD-ROM or USB -- click here
This new book is available at a 20% discount but only until July 15, 2025!
Click below to order "Free As The Breeze" - payable to PineTree Productions,
owner of PineTree Press and pay just $11.95 for your copy of this PDF book,
payable through Safe and Secure PayPal and also receive a Free Audio File (MP3) of the title song --
Important!
After you have ordered the PDF book,
send your email address so the book and Free audio of the title song
will be sent directly to you by email attachment.
To send your email for fast Online delivery -- click here
Contact for questions -- click here
Memories And Music book series
© 2025 PineTree Productions. All Rights Reserved for original material on this website. Contact: --pinetreepro@gmail.com: