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History of SAW
Compiled
and presented by Jim Johnson for SAW's 25th Anniversary
Party (December 11, 2004)
As
Don mentioned, he had asked me some weeks ago to research
the SAW archives and interview the past SAW Presidents
to try and put together a brief history of the organization
to present tonight.
When he first mentioned it, I thought – Well, this won’t
be any problem – I can put this together in no time.
And then I started to get into the project and realized
that it was a bit more of a challenge than I had realized.
Going through 25 years of records and newsletters along
with interviewing folks, and then trying to boil all
of that down, all of that history into something relatively
short, concise and interesting turned out to be quite
a project.
Since I have only been a SAW member for a bit over a
year, I decided to start by tracking down the answers
to some of the questions that I was curious about as
a new member, in the hope that others might share that
curiosity, and tackle it from that perspective.
You
know it’s sort of normal on milestone birthdays to look
back at when you were born and how it went. So, one
of the first of the questions that I had was: How did
SAW get started 25 years ago? How in the world do you
create an organization like this out of the clear blue
sky from absolutely nothing. Who started it and who
were the founding members?
Well, it turns out that SAW was the brainchild of two
people. Their names are Anita Winters and John Lyon.
Anita served as SAW’s first Executive Director for four
years. John was a radio personality for WMAL-AM in Washington.
And they came together fittingly, over the radio.
Anita
wrote an article in a 1992 edition of the SAW Notes
in which she talked about the birth of SAW. They say
that good artists borrow, and great artists steal. So,
as I aspire to greatness, I am now going to steal directly
from Anita - and read you just a bit from her article:
“It
was 1979. WMAL-AM. It was John Lyon’s voice wafting
over the airwaves and he was saying something about
writing a song. I was in my kitchen. I stopped, with
mop mid-swab, and thought “Aha! a kindred spirit!” Perhaps
that sounds quaint to today’s SAW membership, but in
1979 I thought I was the only songwriter in metropolitan
Washington.”
“I
wrote lyrics, or I thought I did. But how could I be
sure? I had no one to show them to because, except for
my friend Maryellen Lewis, who sang, played guitar,
and composed a couple melodies for my words, I didn’t
know another soul who did what I did. John’s revelation
was the motivator for what eventually became the Songwriters’
Association of Washington.”
“An
exchange of letters and a flurry of phone calls followed,
and finally we agreed to meet at the Writer’s Center,
then located in a funky space at Glen Echo Park. John
brought Len Jaffe, I brought Maryellen and Ron Payne
joined us. Later on, Russ Schramm would also become
one of the founding members. The Writer’s Center’s Jane
Fox sat in with us that first Fall evening and it was
she who told us we wanted to form an association; we
hadn’t figured that much out yet!”
“As
I recall (and the memory is blessedly dim), none of
us knew much about starting an association, but we had
grit.”
“We
met with a songwriters’ group from Philadelphia and
when the time came, John peppered WMAL listeners with
announcements of the forthcoming meeting. Nine months
after conception, the baby was born. Approximately 40
people showed up at Glen Echo that Sunday afternoon
and they were representative of the type of membership
that still comprises SAW today: amateurs, professionals,
lyricists, composers, musicians, a couple of poets,
and the curious. It was an exhilarating day.”
“And
the work was just beginning. We formed a board, developed
a newsletter, sponsored concerts (at Glen Echo Park,
on WMAL, at Garvin’s on Connecticut Avenue), had meetings
(mi-gawd, did we have meetings!), held songswaps, and
asked questions.”
“Who
was SAW for? The commercial songwriter, the dabbler,
or both? What should be the focus? How could we increase
membership? When should the meetings be held? Where?
What about the music scene in Washington? Was there
a music scene in Washington? As with any toddler, there
were spills, bruises, misunderstandings and tantrums.
But we always rebounded – the strength of SAW today
is testimony to that.”
“The
Mid-Atlantic Song Contest was born in those early years
and it underwent several refinements along the way.
WMAL was an early co-sponsor; eventually we would walk
alone. Today it is one of SAW’s most successful undertakings.”
“What
has been gratifying to observe over the years has been
the growth in SAW’s professionalism, the seriousness
with which it conducts its business, and the stability
of the organization. Despite leadership changes, fluctuations
in membership, the ongoing scramble for appropriate
meeting places, and the hectic workload of all the volunteers
who keep the group rolling, SAW continues to fill the
broad needs of those who call it home.
It’s
still a place for both the beginner and the professional;
more importantly, it brings all songwriters together
in the spirit of camaraderie that was the basis of its
inception. SAW members cheer each other’s successes
and mourn the disappointments. Indeed, who else knows
exactly how it feels?”
That
was an excerpt from Anita’s Winter’s article on the
birth of SAW. And, if her songwriting as anywhere near
as good as her article writing, it must be excellent.
And
so, SAW was born. Another of the questions and curiosities
that I had was? What was the initial goal or purpose
of the association?
What
I learned from interviews with some of SAW’s founding
members was that the organization was created initially
for the purpose of making contacts with fellow songwriters
and networking. Which is, of course, one of the main
benefits that has continued through its 25 year history.
And, our membership has grown from those modest beginnings
to our current count of 392.
Educational workshops on songwriting were also an early
area of focus, which, of course, continue to this day.
The
Mid-Atlantic Songwriting Contest was created around
four years after the birth of SAW. I was surprised to
learn that there was some controversy regarding the
contest when it was initially discussed.
There
were some folks who felt that a contest was not part
of the SAW’s mission, and might shift the organization’s
focus away from its objectives. Obviously, that view
didn’t prevail and the songwriting contest has been
an enormous artistic and financial success for 21 years.
Another
of the surprises I learned while researching SAW’s history
was that - it was certainly not a given that we would
see this 25 year anniversary. This is a real achievement.
There were times when it almost folded due to lack of
volunteer support. There were times when SAW was nearly
insolvent, and couldn’t pay its bills.
But,
through the dedication of scores of volunteers and the
leadership of its officers and directors, it not only
survived, but thrived. Through 25 years, were have seen
a succession of 13 Presidents, or interim Presidents
of SAW. I know some of them are with us tonight. Some
have gone on to other things. And sadly, some have passed
on. But they are all leaders who have been instrumental
in the success of SAW and were critical to achieving
its 25 year anniversary.
So,
if you will indulge me, I would like to read their names,
have them stand if they are here, and join me in recognizing
them for their leadership, tireless work and dedication
to SAW.
They
are:
Anita
Winters
Tom Hinton
Alvin Walker
Bill Dillon
Marcy Freiberg
Meg Dinger
Jordan Musen
Tami Lack
Eric Eckl
Betty Morrell
Michael Sheppard
Steven Cutts
Don Bridges
Please
join me in a round of applause in appreciation for these
folks and all they have done for the Songwriters Association
of Washington.
And
so, after I was able to satisfy my curiosity about how
and why SAW came to be, I was off into finding out about
the rest of what happened over the its 25 years of existence.
I’m
here to tell you, there is just too much.
Through
all the 25 years of workshops and seminars to further
our knowledge of the art and craft of songwriting.
And,
all the songwriter exchanges, receiving critiques and
feedback on our work
All
the open mic’s, and the song circles, and the pitch-a-thons,
the evolution of the newsletters, the financial areas,
the volunteer initiatives, the partnerships and joint
ventures, the web page, the publicity initiatives, the
membership surveys
And
the song contests, and the friendships and fellowship
that we have all experienced through our membership
in SAW
There
is just too much history for one brief talk.
SAW
has a past far beyond the surface that I am able to
scratch here.
So
I will close tonight with the offer to any of our members
with an interest to know more about the details of SAW’s
past, that the archives are open and available for your
research and perusal.
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