I just made someone's dream come true...

[onoffon]

Talk about strange and wonderful...A woman called me from Tennessee today. She's been doing some research on her natural father, a trumpeter that went by the name of Jimmy Valves. She knew him a little and had spent time with him before he passed away but had little history on him. She knew that he played on tour with the Beach Boys for a while and was involved with recording in the Hollywood area. But, she has no recorded history of her father at all.In her searching, she found a reference to a group he formed and recorded with in the 60's called Jimmy Valves and the Incredible Jangle Group. It named Nocturne Records as the label he recorded with, which was my father's label, so she tracked me down.I had never heard of the group but I'm still finding recordings that my father was connected with that I never knew before. She also found a label from a record that confirmed the recording was indeed done on Nocturne and sent me a jpeg. In talking with her, I told her that it was a 45 rpm label and that I would search for it in our archives. Then, I remembered when my mother passed away last year, I brought home a pile of 45's that are sitting in a corner of my living room. While we talked, I meandered through the pile. Sure enough, there in my hand was a pristine copy of her father's 45, with an original tune on one side written by him called 'Walk on the Beach'. I immediately put it on my turntable and played it for her over the phone. It was the first time she heard her father play on a recording, let alone his own composition.I'm sending it to her now. She was floored - she couldn't believe it - I couldn't believe it - what an absolute fluke to have a copy of it. She offered to pay - I said don't be silly...All this on what would have been Harry Babasin's 88th birthday today...Ahhhh... life is good...

[crystallions]

What an amazing and wonderful event. Thanks for sharing! ~ Lydia

[brindabella]

That is incredible! Life is certainly richer than fiction. Good for both of you!

[sgs4u]

Mar 19, 2009, 9:40am, onoffon wrote:Talk about strange and wonderful...All this on what would have been Harry Babasin's 88th birthday today...Ahhhh... life is good... I burst into tears when I read that. I bet your father did too. What pride for you and your family legacy!

[matthoggard]

Great story!Nice of you to help her make a connection with her father!M~

[mojobone]

Damn screen's all blurry again, have to call the repair guy.

[liamkelly]

VonIt must give you an indescribable buzz when things like that happen. Hell, it's a buzz just reading about it! What a great post

[louis2012]

Great story! 1000 karma points credited to your account.

[devin]

Wow...awesome post, thanks for sharing!!!

[onoffon]

Thanks everybody! I just got back from the post office - I wrapped it with a whole lot of TLC and sent it priority with delivery confirmation so I'll know right when she gets it... She told me that she is a musician and artist herself and when she was growing up, no one in her family was artistic, so she never had that connection in her life. Now, knowing her dad was a musician and getting to have a recording made by him, well... it completes her.What an absolute honor it is for me to be able to do this for her... I can't tell you...