Denny Carleton Activity Since 2015
I Wrote a memoir Welcome To My World which is available on Amazon and Kindle in 2015 . A lot has happened then so I decider to publish an addendum to the original book . This is the addendum
So much has happened since 2015 when Welcome to My World was published that I thought I needed to add an addendum Anyone who knows me now in the year 2024 would not believe what I had to go through in 2015 ,after I had written the first edition of Welcome To My World.
In 2015 I decided to get a physical. They found a growth attached to my appendix and they told me I would need surgery to receive remove the growth and the appendix, which it was attached to and it could be cancerous Within two months in February 2015, I had my appendix taken out and after six weeks of the first operation they called me and the doctors said what I thought was an irregular heartbeat .was actually a mitral valve problem and I would need open heart surgery
I remember thinking this might be the end of my life. I thought I have written the book I had told my story I was then told my mitral valve operation was preventative I had no heart damage and then if I get the operation done quickly my body was young for its age and I would be able to have a good quality of life. So, I set up the time for the operation and two days before the operation about eight months after my first operation I got a phone call saying that my doctor had gone out of town to another country and re-injured his back that he had injured a week before in surgery.
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During this time, I got a phone call from my mother- in-law, and she said she had attended 2 prayer meetings and 4 people while praying for me thought that I had the wrong doctor. She and they were preaching to the Choir, and they gave me the courage to quit to find another health insurance.
I ended up at Cleveland Clinic the number one hospital in the world for heart operations and I felt more comfortable right away. My doctor told me let’s get this done so you can enjoy your summer. Before the operation my doctor came in with his team all dressed in white and I felt there was a band of angels there to help me.
To my surprise Pastor Shane from the Presbyterian Church in Willoughby where I lead contemporary praise drove over and hour or so an arrived at 430 in the morning to pray with me and then stayed for 5 hours with Brenda and my mother-in-law and my good friend Tina. I had only known Pastor Shane for a month or so at the time and it touched and comforted me, and his thoughtfulness and kindness has never been forgotten by Brenda and myself.
The surgery was a success and after a day the doctor came to visit me saw my guitar and asked me to play him a song. I asked what music you like, and he said I like David Bowie and I sang Space Oddity. Within one day I was back to my calling and for the next few days I was the singing patient and I had to sing for whatever nurse or doctor came in
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Within six weeks after the operation Brenda and I and the Parisi side of the family were walking and hiking in Hocking Hills a cavernous mountainous region in Ohio and a month later I got 20,000 steps for a few days on vacation. I was very grateful for my health, and I felt I had another chapter of my life coming You know I was right.
Brenda and I have a balancing act we do. We have strong family, friend and community ties; I have a calling in music and writing and we love to travel and love our home. We also take our faith seriously praying and however flawed It may be to follow Christ. This is what we call life today
In 2018 a lady I knew from church the late Denise Calabrese had an idea to do a Christmas show with the at the Rock and Hall of Fame in Cleveland. I was supposed to play one of my songs Journey to the Manger .As life would have it the whole event changed, and I just ended up me leading praise and worship at the rock hall .I had sat on a consulting board for 9 months but had never played at the Rock Hall. I was excited, but the irony of all things that I could be singing and playing praise and worship didn’t elude me.
But while playing I was struck that my lyrics of my song reminded me of Dylan’s, my guitar riff I played was a little like the Byrd’s, Tom Petty or the The Beatles , I began to have a sense of awe of course of Praising God but deep in my soul I became aware of the respect I had for the musicians that had shaped me ,whose music is honored there .
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This has been a blessing but also a struggle but only in figuring 0ut how to communicate my experience. Recently I think I have come up with a solution. I now have two websites www.dennycarleton.com for my regular music and writings and https://arkandoasis.net for my Christian Activities and Music and writings.
My music and life is a weaving a hybrid of Ray Davies and CS Lewis John Prine. So, I’ll share some spiritual and musical experiences of that weaving with a few traveling stories in between
Brenda and I continued to travel quite a bit and we decided to have a weekend getaway. She would get home from her early shift at 3 and get to Niagara on the Lake in Canada by 730. She had to work late .Looking at our GPS we saw we get there at 940 and have no chance to get a seat at a popular Irish pub that we like. We got to the border there was for once no line. We went over the border and immediately the GPS recalibrated, and our arrival time went backwards to 9 just in time for the last seat and the band to start.
I ordered my fish and chips and at the precise exact moment as I raised my hand for the waitress for malt vinegar the band asked is there anyone out there named Johnny. The waitress pointed to me, and the band says this goes out to you Johnny and I said I’m not Johnny I just ordered vinegar for my fish and chips. The band bloke said Well your Johnny tonight. So, the rest of the night there references and more dedications for and to Johnny, which I had just become.
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That night I knew I could be an Irish singer. Their combination of 70s new wave, brown eyed girl, John Denver’s country roads and traditional Irish done fast gave me the confidence to evolve in an Irish music way. I had been wanting to do that since Van Morrison did Irish with the Chieftains, but that night was my Epiphany. I am English Irish French Welsh and German, but I always felt I was strongly English until my sister did DNA research and I found out I’m 64 percent Irish. So now I usually do a couple of Irish tunes when I play out So sometime when needed time goes backward and you become Johnny for a night.
I saw my good friend Randy Klawon posted a song from the Choir that we had played in together in the 1960s on I Cloud: I mentioned that maybe if we put it out as a Download maybe we could get someone interested in distributing it.
Jim Bonfanti our drummer who played in the Raspberries had a connection with the Record Company Omnivore and they had showed an interest in the Cleveland music scene. Omnivore agreed to hear our tapes, liked and mastered them and got the package out in two months .The CD was called Artifact
We got about 15 Rave reviews and ended up selling 2000 CDs did 2 reunions show at the Beachland Ballroom and did our last show at the Music Box in 2019. We decided to do our version of Its Cold Outside the Choir’s hit that went to # 57 in the USA.
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While playing bass on Cold Outside I felt a little like Forest Gump to be the last bass player standing following Dave Burke, Jim Skeen. Dan Klawon, and the late Bob McBride. I got chills when the good people of Cleveland stood and gave us a standing ovation and I could see a few tears in the crowd. End of an era
I had been talking with Vince from Lion Heart Productions about a possible release of Lost Souls material. Shortly after the Artifact Choir success The Lost Souls were released first as a double CD then as Double Vinyl on Lion Heart Lion Heart did a fantastic job on the packaging which includes a color booklet and with long detailed story and a lot of pictures.
Around this time, Larry Tomczack the drummer of the Lost Souls and his wife Dolores went with Brenda and I to our 50th high school reunion. The Student Council President did a top twenty things that were fun during high school, which all got a polite applause until number two the memory of the Lost Souls at The Saint Joe’s dances brought a thunderous ovation.
Larry and I looked at each other as if to say WOW they liked us all these years. We didn’t know that! For 50 years we had thought otherwise All the nonsense of being thrown out of school for having long hair, bullying and hassles from the school had led us to believe the student body didn’t like us either.
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I wrote a song with a You Tube Video Collage of pictures sort of a time capsule tribute to the band and the audience. It’s called I Wrote A Song For You. Last Line Lyrics in the song are.
Striped Shirts Mini Skirts Love At First Glance There’s are a thousand little stories in every single dance I can’t go back in time, so I did what I do
I wrote a song for You
In 2017 Brenda’s son Casey married Ashley a blessed union with a eloquent speech from Casey’s brother Anthony and yours truly singing a parody of The great Leonard Cohens Halleluiah with lyrics pertaining to every detail of Ashley and Casey’s life. I got all the details from Brenda and Ashley’s parents
They worked and struggled they went to school The learned every counseling flipping rule
Do you really need biology 3 Well do ya? Ash said Case asked when will we wed
At the Frosty Frog in Hilton head
That's what happened I wouldn’t fool you
Ashley’s Mom had prayed for this a marriage with a sacred kiss A marriage where Jesus had drew ya
Baseball was Casey’s life His mom driving through the night the Buick made it again halleluiah
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In 2O19 I went with Brenda with my sister and brother-in-law Judy and Dan to Branson . Enjoyed the company, the shows and the gorgeous lay of the land .
Minding my own business, we went into a little craft shop that had a lot of little Christian artifacts . No sooner had I been in the shop that the owners were praying for us for someone in our family and the one lady had a prophetic word about my music. Just like that.
On our way home from Branson we stopped in Casey Illinois and saw a plethora of the world’s largest random things . To summation of our Branson journey would read :travel, then family, nature ,twangy shows, profound prophecies, huge rocking chairs and other oversized things. As John Prine might say “That’s the way my world goes round “.
Brenda and I also went to the Outer Banks with our friends John and Kathy Hlavka and David and Hanna and got stuck in a hurricane. We were having fun with our friends but couldn’t go out and it was little frustrating.
While there we were there John had hooked up the cable to watch the news on a feed from Cleveland . Headlines were “Violence In Twinsburg Tonight” a double homicide . This caught our attention because we live in Twinsburg. Then they named our street and to are shock they show our house with police cars and guns and a swat team on our lawn .The homicide happened across the street.
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When we got home our neighbors said they were under lockdown for over three hours because the police didn’t know what would happen. I guess it wasn’t so bad being in a hurricane
We have kept doing all our activities including Every Sunday the Twinsburg prayer group. I inherited leadership of the group when Gerry Wroebel the founder and leader became ill and eventually passed.
Father Stalla our parish priest was raised in North East Ohio but before becoming our Pastor was a missionary in El Salvador . Father attended the prayer group once a month and helped form us .
Father Stalla asked me to organize a retreat I used a skit based on to tell the truth or what’s my line. In the skit I had three contestants all claiming to be the official spokesman for Jesus and the church . I person said all the right things another said close to the right things, and one said really crazy things for comic relief
A couple of Examples Of The skit on the Retreat Why parables?
Answer 1. Jesus used simple stories to the people at that time in symbols they knew to communicate the truth about the Kingdom
Answer 2 Parables are a “secret knowledge”. Only the people who are “good” can figure them out.
Answer 3 Parables are simple stories . You would have to a dumbbell not to get it.
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When Covid hit our prayer group decided that we had to go on line which resulted in many more
watching and listening. While testing how to do a Facebook stream for the church group I went on line strummed a few chords and immediately folks starting to comment and thanking me for streaming So, for the next few years every Wednesday I would do a stream of me doing originals of many styles telling stories and trying to encouraging others through song
Wednesday I would stream as a singer songwriter entertainer :Sunday evening our prayer group and Sunday MORNING The Presbyterian Church in Willoughby where I lead praise with a band . FPC was much more complicated , when we stream because we have a band a pastor, cameras, and sound men
Father Stalla has since moved on to Borromeo Seminary to help form the new young priests in the diocese. Fr Matt Cortnick a 33-year-old priest who has great teachings has replaced Father Michael Stalla. I
I wrote a Mass Setting. One Christmas I observed how the entire congregation sang the Gloria with enthusiasm (the one that is an adaptation of Angels We have Heard On High) I then made it my goal to write music for mass that any Catholic Church could enjoy. And sing easily
Marge Syroney was working with me on notating it at the Fine Arts Association in Willoughby , when one of her students asked what we were doing. Marge told her and She said You should contact my parish they are looking for a signature mass they can call their own to celebrate their 50th anniversary.
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To my surprise Kevin from St Gabriel’s in Mentor Ohio listened to my mass -and said they wanted to used it .. I was going to name the piece Mass of the Guardian Angel and they asked if they could name it instead The Mass of St Gabriel .The Mass of St Gabriel became their 50th anniversary mass .They still use my mass setting and I have used it at a few other parishes .
With Bob Soeder’s help notating and showing me how to submit this to the American Catholic Bishops it is an authorized Mass in The Church . I recorded it with .Bob Soeder played keyboard Mary Rich vocals and I on Vocals guitar and bass,and Carol Linsenmeier on violin.
Father Daniel Bowen of member of the Catholic Mercedarian Community asked me to write songs and music videos to create attention for their religious order .So I wrote 7 different songs and 7 videos in2021 and tried to tell their story Just about Every story of these Noble people are extremely hair-raising tales .
One that got my attention which I turned into a song .522 is a very brief history of The Spanish Civil War where 522 Catholics were martyred in the 1930’s when Spain erupted into a civil war between the fascists and communists
Al Globekar and I as of this writing have put out two CDS together. Shadowland a solo Cd of my songs with ALS arrangements and a second CD Troubadour and the Cowboy Al and I tried to explain the concept of this CD on the liner notes.
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I am Al Globekar and have always loved the American western and Spaghetti Western's WITH music composed by Ennio Morricone. The Cowboy portion of this CD is my attempt to honor the Western Movie Music genre, with my own flavor and guitar work. We should remember our history
I am Denny Carleton Al Globekar has taken my acoustic songs to another place. Sort of like Hendrix and the Byrd’s with Bob Dylan Songs I am a Troubadour. I play solo with my guitar I play for everyone.
During Covid quite a few people and groups started posting Cleveland music history including Drew Losch Ken Dixon,Andy Leach,and Thomas Anonymous.
, Thomas Anonymous from Vanity Crash and Cool Cleveland did a 5-minute interview with me with the basic topic of what in the world is this 60 s guys have to do with Art Rock, Moses, Avante Garde, Milk to the Punk Pagans ..
Off the air was even a better interview. We talked about a lot of issues and asked me as a Christian how do I feel about being known as being in the Pagans and having written Boy Can I Dance Good. I answered Pagans at the time to me was just a name of a band , like the Lost Souls, and there weren’t a lot of professing Pagans that I knew of.
He asked me about my song Boy Can I Dance Good which was written originally for AJ Robey of Bluestone Union who was a David Bowie Glam Rock Sort of Singer and Entertainer. I saw it as theatre, and I was writing a piece for him and his personality on stage. The opening lines are
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Nylons drive me crazy blue jeans drive me mad some girls don’t know what their missing-
some don’t know what they have
I hope I’m not too frightening
don’t want to rattle your fragile brains
I’ve got psychological problems my parents are too blame
I answered For one my parents were great, and I don’t really think that you can blame your parents the rest of your life
When I wrote the line this Nylons drive me crazy line it was written as a 24-year-old in the 1970s thinking that women can look great to me when there all dressed up in a nice dress
In the 1960s when I grew up as a teenager, miniskirts were popular and even when I watched old Fred Astaire type movies they had glamorous women looking beautiful and were attractive at the time and in that age. But as the years have gone on with some music
and videos have become almost pornographic
I don’t want to be on that side of things. So, when I wrote boy can I dance good it I thought nothing of it, but as I professed my Christian Faith more and more openly and society went farther and farther down the tubes ,it became awkward because I didn’t want to be seen as part of a problem of looking at women as an object and just as bad yet supporting a culture that has gotten more and more base and gross. . Bruce Cockburn singer songwriter has a line in one of his songs the problem with normal its always getting worse
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The other thing about having written this song is Spotify and a lot of on-line music streaming services bunch songs together by artist. So, a song list of my more popular songs may start off with songs about the Lord or soft sensitive or funny insights into Nylons Drive Me Crazy Etc....
So, for one I fixed it by having the song listed as being done by the Window on which is more fitting because it was in the past and it’s a band and a rock song
I am hard enough to categorize being a 60s musician folk singing ,contemporary worship leader and writer Pentecostal, and Catholic but with that song thrown in there it makes it even more difficult
I try my best to never let political differences ever get in the way of being the Good Samaritan who is able to help his fellow man. When I am singing a song for entertainment or enjoyment for the audience in a restaurant or of praise and worship to God in a church I never think , “I hope they do to get anything of it because there liberal or conservative “
The gospel says we have fallen short of the glory of God. All have sinned . Sinning means missing the mark. We all need healing ; we all need forgiveness . None of us are perfect . We are made by God. As St Augustine said he “restless is the heart til it finds its place in you. “
As mentioned earlier Brenda and I continue to travel . Before we met we hadn’t traveled much but now that we’re together we are. Including in our travels are visits to Florida to see her dad Charles Parisi and his wife Mary Ann.
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We went to Nashville a couple of times in 2021- 2022 I was reminded that how I share my faith and witness for Christ and play Christian and regular music would be a normal occurrence there.
The Johnny Cash museum was amazing to see how Johnny was able to play his real music and still reach out to ALL with the Good News of the Gospel. that’s what I would like to be A musician songwriter who tries to be real as a songwriter who doesn’t push His beliefs, but it is at the core of everything he is and just let it naturally overflow.
In our Parish there is a movement called Hopes Garden that feel there emphasis should be on the marriage feast that will take place when the Bridegroom comes back and marries the Bride his church
. A marriage feast is a joyous celebration The emphasis is not on the end of the world but on being close to Christ as a bride would be with their Groom. God’s love is not fickle it is covenant , a marriage a lifelong commitment.
This movement has started from a few to now over a thousand people mostly woman ,from all over the world praying on line and learning about the Christ the Bridegroom .Fr Stalla our former pastor is their spiritual director
I have the privilege to play music for them on their Retreats and even put one of my songs ( If I Had A Bride) on a video with Laura Ercolina paintings .
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As I’m playing for them I feel how fortunate and blessed. I am that after all of these years and of all things I could be doing I am playing music for a part of the church that is so passionate about getting ready for the marriage feast of Christ and The Church. it’s more than, but similar to when I was asked by Bob Santelli to be on the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fames original consulting board .I believed because of God’s sovereignty I was right where I was supossed to be and that gave me a peace that passes understanding
I do have to watch my time though because after playing for Hopes Garden I usually have to pack up and to get ready play at a pub , nursing home, or coffeehouse, to do some John Prine, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison , Hank Williams ,and Tom Petty, Beatles and some of my originals throw in
Then I have to plan with Brenda our personal schedule , prepare and teach my guitar lessons , coordinate some concerts record by myself and with Al , Then set time aside to write , pick music for church services, make some new videos and keep in touch with friends I family and travel . I have sure make sure to make a priority to pray to help keep me on track and to keep in mind it’s not all about projects but relationships
Sonny and Cher had a song called and the Beat Goes On. And I guess you could say by the Grace of God and the Cleveland Clinics fine work life and the music and writing and heartbeat goes on.
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Selective Discography
All Denny Carleton Music will be on Spotify, Amazon, I Tunes, and You Tube and wherever music is streamed or sold.
Some of the Music will be available for direct download from www.dennycarleton.com under store for a lower price and some vinyl and physical CDS ALL Christian Material at https://arkandoasis.net
There are also numerous song lists on You Tube and many other songs that not listed in this discography
More Info and stories and lyrics and all physical CDS AND VYNAL ONLY AT www.dennycarleton.com
Join the Mailing List www.dennycarleton.com free stuff and news and updates and obscure releases.
Denny ‘s Podcast is The Cleveland Music Conncetion The Story Behind The Song Denny Carleton and friends. It featuring stories behind t songs Cleveland Music History and is available on Amazon. Apple Spotify and many other places . Check out Denny;s website for xtra features.
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1960's 1970;s 80’s
The Lost Souls Choir And Moses all appear on Retro and Hello Cleveland with other songs mixed in. But the new releases on Lion Heart and Omnivore are a much better quality
Lost Souls Cd Lion Heart Productions Bomp
Records
Lost Souls Vinyl Lion Heart Productions
The Lost Souls has a CD released from Lion Productions a record company based in Chicago. It has 26 songs and a 32 page booklet. There are also a few double LPS left IhaveafewifYouare interested
Choir Artifact and Last
Call Omnivore
Also the Choir that I was in has two CDS on Omnivore Records Artifact and Last CALL. You can hear or download on Spotify, You Tube I Tunes Etc or purchase directly through Omnivare.
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Vinyl
Cleveland Cuties Denny Carleton Al Globekar EP Just A Little Pregnant Molly And If I Only Had The Bomb
Window Fill In The Blank Sometimes I Wonder Both EP and 45 email Denny at dennycarleton@sbcglobal.net
The Window Open Window Remastered
Fill in The Blank Cleveland Indians Blues Boy Can I Dance Good I’ve Got My Eyes On You Mark Luthardt’s Song Sometimes I Wonder Hold On Baby Moonlight Rebellion Bring Music Back To The
Jukebox. download
You Tube Videos Lost Souls Teen Fair 1967... I wrote A song For You picture collage of Lost Souls Choir Reunion at Beachland Music Box
The Window Videos Boy Can I Dance Good Bring Music Back To The Jukebox Sometimes I Wonder Can’t Keep My Eyes Of Of You
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Christian Music
Beautiful Spring. I Can see a Rainbow Get Back to the Garden
Seekers Where Angels Sing Thank You For The Day
Christian Video On You Tube
Matt Maher Hold Us Together Cover
Great Is Your Faithfulness with Erin Bolyard
He Wants To Talk With You I Can See A Rainbow Still Small Voice Meditation Bible Verse Nature
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Catholic
Mass Of St Gabriel Denny Carleton's Mass Of St Gabriel with Bob Soeder on piano Mary Rich Vocals And Carol Linnsemeir on Violin Sheet Music Available at www.dennycarleton.com
Living Saints. Denny Carleton wrote music for a play called the Living Saints in the year 1999. Each Saint appeared on the stage. told their story and was accompanied by an original song. This is
the collection of those songs. St Joseph single rerecorded
Psalms --- The Psalms in the form of responsorial songs that Denny Carleton wrote when leading the music at life teen for 7 years.
Mercedarians Have Mercy download CD And Mercedarian Videos
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Denny Carleton Solo
Between A Rock and A Hard Place
Whiskey Island,
This Is Your Life
Hindsight 2020 Vision
Sketches from 2020 and
Denny Carleton and Al Globekar and 1970;s EP
Shadowlands and Troubadour
PayPal www.dennycarleton.com
Video
Al Globekar Al with Denny The Gunfighter 12 Notches Light at the end of the tunnel Elana
Denny with Al I can see A Rainbow featuring Al Globekar Here Comes the rain
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Denny Carleton and Randy Klawon
The Elements
Cd Where Angels Sing including Really No Difference a song done by Moses
Videos My Rust Belt He Wants To Talk With You
Remember Me Live (With the Elements at the Beachland Ballroom
Video We like our instruments Denny Carleton and friends and Easy Access
College Radio 1980''s Option Magazine Home Taping
I released nine solo cassettes and established myself as a known home taper in the alternative underground music scene. This started me off on a series of experimental college radio lo fi home tapes.
Color with crayons won 1985 tape of the tear Option Magazine Think Tank sort of a best of
I Want To Eat Food With You Denny Carleton
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Other Sources
Denny Carleton on Facebook Facebook Concerts
Cleveland Live with Ken Dixon
Videos
Have I told You Lately That I Love You Van Morrison Cover
With My Camera I Take Pictures Birthday
Still Small Voice.
Matt Maher Song Hold Us Together Cover Fill In The Blank
Be Thankful For What You’ve Got
Dream Deffered
If We Seek Your Face Will You Heal This Land
I Wrote a song for you. Collage of Lost Soul Photos Lost Souls Teen Fair
Open Window
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Lyric Video
My Rust Belt. Twilight Zone Journey to the Manger I Never Knew Love Everything I Want Money Cant Buy
Dover Fair Don’t Bow Down
Start Of The End End Of The Start Comic Book Version Heal This Land. I Wrote A Song For You
He Wants To Talk With You. Whiskey Island
Great Is Your Faithfulness Coming Back To You
Poetry On Cleveland Streets
I Really Love You Lord
Light At The End Of The Tunnel Dream Deffered
Remember Me
Shadowlands
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Live
Acid Rain
Today
Dover Fair
We look like our instruments Here Come The Rain
Over The Hill To The Poor House
Only Takes A Spark
Times Such As These
6 in The Morning Denny Fred Grupe Ric Harrison Swords Into Plowshare Denny and Al
Get Back To The Garden Alone In The Universe Easy Access
Sidter Juanita Sheily
If These Are Men The Choir
I Can See A Rainbow
AND MANY MORE AS DENNY CONTINUES TO CREATE
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