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=\=THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG

Bill Pere and Tom Callinan perform USS Connecticut at the dedication ceremony,
in front of Governor John Rowland, ship sponsor Patricia Rowland, Captain Davis,
and many dignitataries. |
Title:
USS Connecticut
(words and music by Bill Pere and
Tom Callinan)
Appears on: "Profiles of Connecticut"
1998 edition.
Notes: The Klaxon sound is from the the Nautilus, the first nuclear
powered sub. The Sonar sounds in the song are real, provided by Sonalysts
Inc. of Waterford, CT.
This was the first (and probably only)
time that I''d use the word "circumnavigate" in a song.
Click here for Lyrics
listen - purchase - download
|

as reported by Tony Castagno
Troubadours first
emerged, singing their lyrical poems, just after the turn of the last
millennium in the midst of the Middle Ages. Starting in France, they soon
were everywhere throughout Europe, singing songs of heroism and love,
bringing news of great deeds and accomplishments. The troubadours became a
vital part of the arts and cultures of the times, passing these songs and
stories from generation to generation.
It is fitting, then,
that two of Connecticut's own troubadours have composed a song to honor the
USS Connecticut. Tom Callinan and Bill Pere, two of Connecticut's
official state troubadours appointed by the state Commission on the Arts,
have put the finishing touches on a recording of their song, "USS
Connecticut".
The song pays
homage to technology, but reminds us that it is people who have built the
USS Connecticut and people who will guide her for the generation to come.
When the idea of a song was introduced at a USS Connecticut Commissioning
Committee meeting last June, committee member John Stratton immediately
thought of recruiting his friend Bill Pere, to help. Pere contacted
fellow troubadour Tom Callinan, and the process was underway. Pere and
Callinan met several times over the summer and into the fall to compose
lyrics and music for the song.
Although as
troubadours they share certain common interests and philosophies, the
differences in their, styles would make this collaboration all the more
interesting: Pere is technologically and orchestrally oriented while
Callinan pursues a more acoustic, traditional folk approach.
The song was
ready for its initial public performance in February 1998 at the Nautilus
Museum reception for USS Connecticut crew and many other naval officers and
area business leaders.
Just before they
began, a klaxon sounded, calling everyone's attention. Both Pere and
Callinan knew then that this exact klaxon sound would make an effective
addition to the song when they recorded it later in the year. They also knew
they needed a realistic but reasonably melodic sonar sound to punctuate the
mention of sonar in the first verse.
"One thing I've
learned is that there's no such thing as a dead end," said Callinan, who
undertook the "sonar" search. He contacted friends who had worked at
the former Underwater Sound Lab, which led him to other friends at Sonalysts
in Waterford, and they had the perfect sound. Pere and Callinan held a
contest for a prospective cover design and selected the one painted by
Ledyard artist Amy Francis-Renaldi. The cover art is a dramatic portrait of
the submarine surfacing in the middle of a stylized U.S. flag shaped like
the State of Connecticut.
About the
Troubadours
Both Pere and
Callinan have a "no dead ends" philosophy when it comes to their art. And
both are committed to using their own talents, and tapping the musical and
artistic talents of others, to promote social and environmental improvement.
In fact, these beliefs have characterized much of what both of these
troubadours have already accomplished in their lives.
Pere was named the
official state troubadour for 1995. He decided to use his tenure to bridge
art and science and to demonstrate that the two are powerful complements of
each other. Pere, who was a senior research scientist at Pfizer, gives
several dozen performances a year and donates all proceeds to local
organizations that fight poverty and hunger, including the one he founded in
1989:
Local United Network to Combat Hunger (L.U.N.C.H.)
. L.U.N.C.H.'s fund-raising events and
their recordings have raised almost $1,000,000, which has been used to
help hundreds of thousands of people at area shelters, soup kitchens and
group homes. The power behind Pere's allvolunteer program is the
involvement of children, showing them how music can be used to help others.
As of 2008, more than 2500 children have participated in his programs. A
musician and songwriter since he was a teenager, Pere has received many
awards and honors including being named Connecticut Songwriter of the Year
in 1983 and 1993, the first recipient of the Connecticut Renaissance Award
and the recipient of a citation from the Connecticut General Assembly in
1997 for his work with L.U.N.C.H. He was named National
Independent Artist of the Year in 2003. Pere, was honored to
participate in the creation of the "USS Connecticut" song and considers it
yet another way "to use power of popular song to bring interesting events to
public awareness."
Callinan was
named Connecticut's first official state troubadour when the program was
created by the Connecticut Commission on the Arts in 1991. He has been a
full-time creative artist and performer since leaving junior-high-school
teaching in 1977 and currently gives more than 200 concerts a year all along
the East Coast. He has received several awards from the
Connecticut
Songwriters Association and has performed
at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the National
Theatre in Washington, DC and has been featured on ABC TV's "Good Morning,
America," Peter Jennings retrospective "Images of the 80s," PBS's "Shining
Time Station," CNN's "Earth Matters," and many others. As part of his work
with the nonprofit group, National Week of the Ocean, he received a grant to
present programs to more than 6,000 middle school students in Florida. When
named state troubadour, he decided to use his one-year tenure to promote
environmental causes, particularly those involving Long Island Sound and the
oceans. He also established an archive of songs about Connecticut, a project
he continues with the Connecticut Historical Society. He and his wife, Ann
Shapiro, manage
Crackerbarrel Entertainments
in Clinton; he has produced a total of 16 recordings:
six solo albums and 10 with groups with which he performs. Collaborating on
the creation, performance and recording of "USS Connecticut" has been "a
tremendous experience," he says.
|
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY
21, 1998, NEW LONDON SERVING EASTERN CONNECTICUT SINCE 1881 VOL.117, No.
204 36 PAGES 50 CENTS
'The ships that bear
our name' will be something to sing about
By ROBERT A. HAMILTON Day Staff Writer
Connecticut
salutes you as you slip beneath the foam,
Our name and hearts go with you Until you're safely home.
In this "Land of Steady Habits," Some things stay the same;
The pride of folks who build and sail The ships that bear our name...
So Goes the refrain
to "U.S.S. Connecticut," the song troubadours Bill Pere of Mystic and Tom
Callinan of Clinton have composed for the submarine of the same name that is
under construction at Electric Boat.
"It's important to
commemorate important events in our state, both past and present," Pere
said. "And with all the focus that is going to be on the ship, I wanted
something that would place the emphasis on the people who designed it, the
people who built it, and the people who will sail it. It's a very
people-oriented song."
The two songwriters
have also begun a contest to come up with cover art for the cassette tape
they expect to issue after the tune is recorded next month, Callinan said.
The contest is seen as a way to get more people interested, and involved, in
the commissioning of the Connecticut, the second of the Seawolf-class
submarines EB is building.
Callinan was the
state's first official troubadour, in 1991 and 1992. Pere was the fourth.
"Some people say I've
written more songs about Connecticut than anyone in history," Callinan said.
"I don't know if that's true or not, but I'm willing to accept the title."
The Connecticut,
which is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy late this year, is the fourth
warship to bear the state's name. Pfizer Chairman William C. Steere was
appointed chairman of the Commissioning Committee by Gov. John G. Rowland,
whose wife Patricia Rowland is the ship's sponsor.
Commissioning
Committee member John Stratton, who works at Pfizer, said he knew Pere was a
songwriter and approached him a few months ago about doing a song
specifically for the commissioning. In the past, many ships have had their
own commissioning songs.
Stratton said the
committee has several projects in the works designed to promote awareness of
the Connecticut commissioning.
Pere said he called
Callinan, whom he has worked with in the past, "and we got together a few
times and worked out the song."
"U.S.S. Connecticut,"
sung, to the tempo of a march, has three stanzas, with lines such as: "Her
hand-picked crew was chosen for the task; With inner strength and well-honed
high-tech skills; Together they have learned to work as one; They've trained
to fight, but pray they never will." The song will go to the Commissioning
Committee for approval in a couple of weeks, Stratton said.
Pere said until the
committee officially approves the song, he's not sure what the recording
arrange-ments will be, but he and Callinan would probably publish it
themselves.
"Whether it makes a
penny or not is not really important to me," Pere said. Any money he makes
off music typically goes to local social service agencies or nonprofit
groups, he said.
"I like to use music
as an inclusive vehicle, allowing as many people as possible to
participate," Pere said. "So this song, and the art contest, this gives
people in the community chance to contribute."
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