Posted by Bill Aken

In 1967 Pappy Daily called me from Nashville and asked if I was free to do some work with Kathy Dee. I was familiar with her 'straight ahead' country music on Jamboree USA but Pappy told me that she wanted to change musical direction. He asked if I would write and produce her next records under my company's Progressive Sounds banner. The big hitch was that I didn't want to move to Nashville since I was a natural born 'San Joaquin Valley Kid.' No Problem.... Kathy said she would be happy to come and record in California if it meant getting out of the musical rut she felt she was in. So I wrote "Indeed I Am" and a few other new songs for Kathy to do that would fit her vocal style and still move her into the 'Country-Pop' field. As soon as she heard the new songs I wrote for her and wanted her to record, we had an instant rapport... The deal was made where I would write, arrange, and produce 4 records and an album, Capitol Records would release them, and Cliffie Stone & Quentin Welty would split publishing on the songs, all in the Country-Pop venue.... This was the direction Kathy wanted to go and her enthusiasm and energy seemed to be boundless.... But this is the only one she got to sing because the next day after the first recording session she had a diabetic stroke and had to be airlifted back to Ohio. Sadly she passed away before she recovered enough to get back into the studio to finish the other songs... but this is Kathy at her best... She was part of our family and when she passed away I was so disheartened, I said the hell with it and sold the company.... And I never gave the song to anybody else... (and I did have an offer from Anne Murray's people) It will always belong to Kathy... I never finished adding the lead guitar and string parts. I left it just as it was when she left the studio that day ... The photos are mostly from my private collection but her family is welcome to them..... and yes... the guys around the piano with her in the studio are 'The Jordanaires,' on loan from Elvis... Produced By: Bill Aken - Progressive Sounds of America Recorded at: Capitol Records Engineer: John Phillips The Band: Los Nomadas Vocal Background Singers: The Irrisistibles Arranger/Writer: Bill Aken, BMI ©Bill Aken/Front Row Lady Music BMI