Celebrating the 60th anniversary of his first recorded songs!

"Free As The Breeze"
A Songwriter's Joys and Sorrows

By Roger Lee Hall

PineTree Press, 2025

 

 

 

 

 

 

How does someone overcome his early traumas

and learn to appreciate more through music?

There is much to discover in this new ebook

with personal stories and illustrations

from his life of joys and sorrows.

 

The book includes over 100 pictures including many in color.

There are 12 chapters in this ebook.

The first six titled from pop songs he remembered

and the remaining six are titled

after songs he wrote over the years.

 

Here are the chapter titles:

 

1.  “As Time Goes By”– Growing up in Bloomfield  

                               

2.  “Back in the Saddle Again” –
        Riding with Gene, Roy, Tex and Hoppy                                                                                

3. “Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning” –  
        Eastern Military Academy at OHEKA Castle  

4. “Sh-Boom” –  Movies, TV and Radio    

5.   "Love Me Tender" – Electric Elvis and Me  

6.   “Sleep Walk"  –  High School Heartbreak
                                           
7.  “Dream World" - My First Songs

8.  “The Soho Serenade” – Memories of The Beatles and Sadie
             
9. “Free As The Breeze” – Night Walking in New York City

10. "Creator God" - Songs of Salvation

11. "Dedication" - Celebrating a Music Bicentennial

12. "Peace" - Radio Appearances and A Patriotic Ode                                                 
    

      

 

Among his memories are:

 

* He was a young fan of cowboy 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. Later on, he wrote a series of articles in his

Hopalong Cassidy Song Series for the Hoppy Fan Club newsletter.

His ebook in the Memories And Music Series is titled:

"Following The Stars" - Music & Memories of Hopalong Cassidy

* In his senior year at Bloomfield High School he wrote his first song lyrics.

One of them, "Bright Eyes," he wrote for his high school girlfriend.

For his high school graduation present he received a tape recorder

which he used to record demos of his first songs

 

 

* While he was in the Army stationed in Germany, he wrote several songs

and played bongos when taping his songs:

"Dream World" and "Frauleins From Frankfurt"

* In 1965, he had two demos of his songs made at music recording studio

in Bloomfield, New Jersey, and one of them was this song

which he thought might be used in a movie about London --

To listen to "The Soho Serenade" on YouTube -- click here

*Two other songs were recorded in 1965, "Peace-Lovin' Blues"

and the song which is his favorite one and he used it as the title of his new ebook

"Free As The Breeze" was recorded as a jazz waltz and is included as

a bonus audio file when ordering this ebook.

He tells how he wrote that song while he was walking in New York

one evening in the 1960s.

* In 1985, he joined ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and

Publishers) and has since composed over 100 songs and other works.

* Since 1998 he has been Director of the Center for American Music Preservation

* His songs and other music compositions are

now published exclusively by PineTree Music.

* Because of his many years of intensive work in music production

and American music preservation, he has been honored in several distinguished

directories, i ncluding International Who's Who in Music and Who's Who in America.

* In 1992, he was a guest on a local radio program to celebrate his 50th birthday.

On that radio program he played songs that were popular in 1942,

including "As Time Goes By" featured in the movie, CASABLANCA,

and mentioned the songwriter, Herman Hupfeld, had lived in Montclair, NJ

not far from where Roger had lived.

* Beginning in the 1980s, he has researched and

performed American music from the 18th century

onwards and now is the Director of the Center for American Music Preservation (CAMP).

* In 1990, he produced a special town-wide music program,

"A Stoughton Musicfest" with featuring a play he wrote and played by a

local actor plus music by local singers and elementary and high school students.

One of the selections performed in that program was his song, "Peace,"

based on a patriotic poem written in 1814 by a local ten year old girl.

 

 

 

 

"Free As The Breeze" - A Songwriter's Joys and Sorrows
(PineTree Press,2025)

This ebook with over 100 pictures in color and black and white

is only available here and not at any other web locations including Amazon.

To order your copy -- go here

 

 

 

 

For any questions -- click here

 

 

 

Listen to the brief conversation about his book,

with James Gardner on a Special Episode of

"Your History - Your Story" podcast

available on YouTube -- click here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Making American Music Come Alive Again!"

 

Center for American Music Preservation

 

Listen as Roger Hall speaks with host James Gardner on the popular podcast,

"Your History - Your Story," which is now available at any of these links:

Apple

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/your-history-your-story/id1535889414?i=1000611257078

Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4mS6z5JjFwUapMnp3jk5XJ?si=lYjF4XNiT7iHmZmD7qCF9w

You Tube

https://youtu.be/aPlzapgMVkM

 

 

See the list of other books by the same author

including his previous book,

"You Are My Sunshine" - - Memories of Bloomfield, NJ

in his Memories And Music Series

 

 

 

Learn about his extensive music career at his

Official Web Site

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

© 2025 PineTree Productions. All Rights Reserved for original material on this website. Contact: --pinetreepro@gmail.com: