Biography
The songs on "Full Circle" are creations from the events of forty years past. The album is about the music that awakened and animated the lives of my brothers during this unique era and inspired their lives with its rich multicolored hues, as my brothers Don and Jim, and their buddy Nic immersed themselves in the vibrant soundtrack of their tender youth. They were three lads who shared a fervor for the sounds of the sixties and formed a unique friendship that would outlive their musical confederation and remain fixed for all time.
There was a time forty years ago that was more than magical; when youth and yearning went hand in hand and desire begot such clever collaboration the likes of which were unknown to the untested years of the Baker/Potter troika and the results of which occupied and delighted them endlessly. This is a story about the friendship shared between my brothers Don (we all called him Codge) and Jim, and their old friend Nic Baker. This story has its own soundtrack, thanks to the creative spirit of Codge and Nic that was inspired by the pop gods of the unparalleled two year period between 1964 and 1966.
Forty years ago there was a place nestled in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains of Utah that sheltered us from the slings and arrows of this world, where youthful exploits could flower; a place that could inspire passion, foster enterprise and forge a brotherhood. It was a place where the magical combination of consummate creativity and stark determination could bring to fruition the fledgling attempts of this unlikely trio to master the music, pen the verses, and promote the "band."
The original songs in the soundtrack penned by Nic and Codge were sincere attempts to emulate their musical heroes and took on a life of their own. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, if there is merit in mimicry and adaptation, then they were engaged in an honorable pursuit. They performed many of these songs for neighborhood friends during the summer and Christmas "concerts" of 1965 in Nic's basement. For one brief shining moment they were the troubadours of their neighborhood, the Blues Brothers of the East Bench, and not unlike the Blues Brothers, they were embarked on their own "mission." They were three teenagers caught up in their own musical odyssey. It was a journey of discovery, a blending of youth and melody, and sadly, an eventual parting of the ways. Interspersed along the way were episodes of mayhem, madcap adventure, and the misdeeds of their youth.
This is a story about coming full circle. It had its inception in the heady years between 1964-1966 when the British rock invasion influenced their music and informed their youth. There is an underlying theme of discovery, friendship, of going separate ways and of eventual rediscovery. It is a reconnecting with their youth, their memories, their talents, and most of all with one another. Despite the differences and disparities in their lives, on one thing they can agree: for those of us who walked the familiar paths and frequented the old neighborhood haunts of Salt Lake City circa mid 1960's, indeed "they were the best of times."