Featuring Kenny Loggins, Georgia Middleman and Gary Burr
The creative spark that turned into Blue Sky Riders was struck as two veteran singer/songwriters worked on their first song together.
“The best part,” says Kenny Loggins of that meeting with Gary Burr as he wrote for How About Now, his well-received 2008 release, “was that when we sang together, we sounded like brothers. The last time I experienced that kind of blend was with Jimmy Messina in 1971.”
Loggins, one of the premiere voices in modern popular music, called Burr, one of Nashville’s most accomplished writers, afterward and asked if he’d like to form a band. Then he suggested they look for a third, female voice.
“I’ve got the perfect person,” said Burr. “Georgia Middleman. She’s the best I’ve ever worked with.” Loggins flew to Nashville and the three sat down to write. “What a meeting!” says Loggins. “We wrote our first song and were singing with a three-part blend that comes once in a lifetime.” With that, Blue Sky Riders was a reality.
Middleman, a renowned singer/songwriter, says the experience has reminded her of the Joseph Campbell line, “Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls.” “I’m definitely looking bliss in the eye right now,” she says.
All three sing lead amid the three-part harmonies that told each of them from the beginning that they had something special.
For Loggins, Blue Sky Riders is a new creative step forward in a career filled with magic moments. His hits, early on as half of Loggins and Messina and then as a solo artist, include "Danny's Song," "House at Pooh Corner," "Your Mama Don't Dance," "Angry Eyes," "Whenever I Call You Friend" (with Stevie Nicks) and "This Is It," a series of movie theme songs, including "I'm Alright" (Caddyshack), "Footloose" (Footloose), "Danger Zone" (Top Gun), and "Nobody's Fool" (Caddyshack II), and later AC smashes including "Conviction of the Heart," "The Real Thing," "If You Believe" and "For the First Time." His songs have been covered by artists including Barbra Streisand, Lynn Anderson, Anne Murray and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Loggins and Michael McDonald co-wrote "What A Fool Believes," which received a Grammy for Song of the Year, and "This Is It," which earned Loggins a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal.
