Remembering John Denver

An Invitation From Steve Brook

Saturday, 21st January 2006

Review of Steve Brook’s Concert, By Debbie Austin

What a musical extravaganza we were presented with on Saturday at the Steve Brook concert. I counted a total of 31 songs – 25 by Steve and 6 by special guest artiste Mark Robinson - the vast majority of which were original compositions interspersed with some of our favourite John Denver songs.

An appreciative audience of around 60 people gathered at the St Joseph the Worker church hall in Coventry for this afternoon delight. We love this hall for concerts. It is just the right size for creating an intimate atmosphere and the acoustics are perfect.

And Steve did not disappoint. With his natural charm and grace he took us on a journey through his extensive self penned repertoire. My particular favourite was “Seachanheaba” (pronounced Sa she nee baa) – a very unusual and distinctive song which perfectly complimented the richness of his voice. He also performed a selection of John Denver songs including two which have very special significance for FoJDer’s – “Wings That Fly Us Home” and “Durango Mountain Caballero”.

A welcome addition in the second half was an appearance by Mark Robinson who performed 6 songs, most of which were original compositions, plus a duet with Steve. Mark has been absent from our stage for a few months due to ill health and I know he has been missed, so it was good to see him back in fine form. My favourite from this segment was his rendition of “The Water is Wide” – a hauntingly beautiful song enhanced by the addition of two extra verses, one of which was penned by Mark himself, and delivered with his customary excellence.

Another person who has been a stranger to our stage in recent times was Mike Bradbury who accompanied Steve on keyboard on several of his songs – and a fine job he did too – especially on “Sunshine On My Shoulders” – a song which always invokes memories of John as a young man for me.

The day was enhanced by Rob (Austin) who worked hard all day to make sure the sound quality was consistently excellent, and by all the ladies who kept us liberally plied with coffee and cake.

And I think it is testament to the friendships which bind this group and the high regard we have for Steve that around 35 of us rounded off the day with a relaxing meal at a nearby hotel. Several people were staying over in Coventry for the night – and I had the pleasure of Anita and David’s company for the weekend. And so the ripples of the concert reached far beyond the event itself as we renewed friendships and reflected on how blessed we are by the people we have met through this group and the rich talent it contains. So thank you Steve.

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