Songwriter Regie Hamm Strikes a Chord with a Special Audience...
Photo by Frank Koester/Spectrum Magazine |
The sights and sounds of the big apple are intoxicating. New York City can truly make you feel like a conquering hero
if you're doing something exciting there. I've been there more times than I can count, and I've had some absolutely cinematic
moments in the city that never sleeps. I remember my first trip to the legendary metropolis. It was the pre-Giuliani era, and
within my first hour in Times Square I had been held up at gun point and openly propositioned by a lady of the evening
(wearing absolutely nothing under her fur coat) - all before I had gotten off 42nd street. I've been escorted out of a high
rise, corner office overlooking central park, over a contract dispute. I once laid on the ground in Battery Park and watched
the sun come up over the Twin Towers, with my wife, while eating bagels. I've heard grungy blues down in the village, I've been
to shows and plays and tapings. I've performed in NYC many times as well, and it has always been a great experience. It's one of
my favorite places on earth and it never fails to leave with an indelible mark of some kind.
Photo by Frank Koester/Spectrum Magazine |
My recent trip there was no exception. After a whirlwind year as the American Idol songwriting champ in 2008, I had been fortunate
enough to watch my song go from "Idol Finale Song", to "that moment" song, to a chart-topping hit that resided at number 1 on the pop
Adult Contemporary chart for a record 16 weeks. The song, however, meant more to me and many in the "Angelman Syndrome" community,
than just music business success. The "Full Circle" story behind it took on a life of it's own and brought interviews and blog readers
and well-wishers from all over the world. It had been one of the most special and serendipitous years of my life. The culmination of 2008
was an awards ceremony in New York City (fittingly) on May 12th, 2009. The ceremony was all I could've dreamed of. Seated at Paul Shaffer's
table for dinner along with my wife and two wonderful friends from the AS community, I enjoyed the music and awards being presented.
Soon enough, I was on stage singing my signature song from that year and accepting the award for "Pop Song Of The Year". Once again,
NYC had not let me down.
The rest of the week was a blur of shows and meetings and ended in a performance in the East Village that was my worst NYC performance
ever. I felt a bit let down. I've never left the city on a sour note before. I didn't like it. The following day I would make an appearance
at a place called the Rebecca School, a therapeutic day school for children with neurodevelopmental disorders, then be on a plane back to
Nashville. Oh well, most of the trip was productive and great.
Photo by Frank Koester/Spectrum Magazine |
The morning of the 15th was business as usual. Yolanda and I packed and met my manager outside the hotel at the car. An old friend of mine
just happened to be in town and decided to ride along with us and see the school for himself. We arrived at the Rebecca school and figured
we would have a good 45 minutes with the kids and then be on our way. Though I am raising a daughter with AS and am around special needs
kids often, I wasn't sure what to expect. It's one thing to be daddy, it's quite another to be the "entertainment" for 60 plus kids with
autism. I was nervous. Just before they brought the kids in, my wife gave me the tip of the week..."play Sesame Street - they'll love it!"
When the kids were in and assembled, I stared at their beautiful, troubled faces. I recognized the facial tics and uncomfortable laughter
and inappropriate movements all too well. I suddenly felt strangely at home and began doing my own version of the Carpenters' classic
"Close To You." It seemed to settle the kids and at the end I received applause that made me breathe a sigh of relief. Then I dove into
the suggestion of my brilliant wife and did my daughter's favorite song..."Sesame Street." By the end of the second verse I had a chorus
Photo by Frank Koester/Spectrum Magazine |
behind me yelling the answer to the perennial question, "can you tell me how to get ...how to get to ...SESAME STREET!!!" Sung at the top
of their lungs. My big finish was my song sung by David Cook that has meant so much to so many. After the first chorus, I saw two children
stand up and begin waltzing to the six eight rhythm. As they swayed from side to side, I caught their teacher out of the corner of my eye.
She was sobbing uncontrollably. I took a quick glance behind me to see a room full of children with Autism (one AS child who had been
mis-diagnosed), dancing and singing and hugging. The teachers and handlers were all in different stages of shedding tears. It was all I
could do to choke back my own and get through the remainder of the morning.
I finished my song and immediately went to embrace all of those babies I could get my arms around. I was hugging the teachers too. Those
20 minutes had officially topped anything that had happened with that song all year. The reason for writing that song, or any song, was
clear to me in looking back at crooked smiles and awkward motion. May the 15th 2009 was the best show I've ever done. Thank you Rebecca
School. Thank you New York City. In the teary words of my friend, who witnessed the whole thing, "I will never forget this." Amen.
