"All I Want"

In 1998 I was with my friend, Russ Hobbs, in Nashville for the Gospel Music Association Conference. We had just produced the Crucible Compilation CD of 19 north Texas area bands and were going to meet with radio personalities and possibly even talk with record companies. Russ was shopping the best songwriter who ever came out of Dallas, Miss Ramsey Schick, and I was hoping to get some traction for my blues-gospel band, Nomadic Farmers.

After the first day of this conference, I was feeling the same ambition I remembered from back when I was a professional musician in the world only a few years earlier. Frankly, it felt like the hustle of trying to be noticed at GMA was a kind of idolatry, so instead going out to the showcases one night, I stayed in my hotel room in prayer and repentance. This song is the result of that. 

The following night Russ and I were at the Dove Awards where we met Steve Taylor of Squint Records, and Ramsie ended up signing a Development deal with them. She went through 3 years of being developed by top songwriters and producers of Nashville before signing the recording contract to nationally release her debut album. However, during that time Word Records was bought by Warner Bros, and only two days after she had signed that deal, the new owners came into the Squint Records office and cut everyone, including Steve Taylor and Squint Records. Three years of work went "poof!" for my friend Ramsie, and I don't think she ever recovered from that. 
 
But I digress; what makes this song really sizzle musically is the Atomic String Quartet of Warsaw Poland.