Melanie Safka and Peter Schekeryk...Forever

Mike and Melanie

Dedicated to Peter Schekeryk

Husband, Father, Producer Ad Infinitum

   In the early summer of 1970 my grandparents, with whom I lived, were driving me to Detroit Michigan to stay a few weeks with my mother. As we approached Detroit on Interstate 94, I heard a rumble. My grandfather heard the same rumble. He pulled the car over to the shoulder and investigated. Flat tire, passenger, rear.

Add capClkw photo credit: http://rockradioscrapbook.ca/bigeight.html

So we opened the trunk and he proceeded to change the tire. Having my transistor radio with me, I tuned into CKLW, a Windsor Ontario station, to listen to the Rock tunes. It was at that time, along interstate 94, right alongside where the giant Uniroyal Tire stood, that I first heard “Lay Down” by Melanie.

Add capUniroyal tire credit: http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2015/05/20/uniroyal-tire-detroit/27677369/

   I was instantly a fan of Melanie. I loved the sentiment of the song. Yes, I had peace and love and brotherhood values. I was a wanna be hippy living a conventional life. But I could live that hippy life through Melanie!

    Upon reaching Detroit, I looked for the nearest rock record store. I found the perfect one. It was lighted by blue light. It was fragranced by incense. It had a one- page newsletter that dated itself according to “the revolution”. This date read “June, 2^nd year of the Revolution”. I assumed they counted from the 1968 Chicago march at the Democratic Convention (the whole world’s watching). Yes, the perfect place to ask about the new Melanie single “Lay Down”. Of course they had it. They specialized in hippy, peace and love culture.

   I continued being a Melanie fan. “Peace Will Come”, “The Good Book”, “Gather Me”, “Stoneground Words” and more. I always wanted to attend a Melanie concert but they were always out of reach.

   Until, Friday, September 16 at the Green Wood Coffee House in Ann Arbor Michigan. I find it interesting that the location of the Melanie concert I got to attend was so close to the Allen Park Michigan location where I first heard her on the radio.

    With her accomplished son, Beau, to her right, and a vase of flowers to her left, Melanie greeted the assembled multitude with “Wow, it feels like I was just here.” And she was just there about this time last year. The crowd, obvious regulars, clapped in affirmation.

    As if an homage to her fans and her place in their hearts and history, Melanie opened with “Beautiful People”, delivering a performance undiminished by time or age. Melanie made the song as crisply present as ever it originally was.

   There were about two and a half hours of amusing as well as informative story, song and interaction with the crowd. We enjoyed a career’s breadth of material.

“Jamming Alone”, “I tried to Die Young”, “Rock and Roll Heart”,”Do You Believe”, of course “Lay Down”, and many others including my favorite, the amusing, “Alexander Beetle”.

   As this post is dedicated to Peter Schekeryk, I would be negligent in my attempt to show proper respect if I not mention Beau, his son…

Folks, from what I heard last night, Beau, who accompanied Melanie, and performed a few instrumental numbers by himself, is as good as any legendary rock guitarist we have ever heard, Hendrix, Santana, Jimmy Page, and others not coming to mind. He plays flamenco style guitar with an entertaining skill worthy of much more attention than he receives. If you ever have a chance to attend a Melanie concert, expect much from Beau as well. Melanie referred to him as “my second mind”.

   And of course Beau’s sisters, Jeordie and Leilah, also have musical skills and careers worthy of checking out.

    Melanie presented much more than just an exercise in nostalgia. Melanie has managed to gently bring along whatever, and whoever she was in 1968, 1969, and all years to this very present. She reminds us that our past is truly not a static thing set in the irretrievable distance. Our past lives within us at this present moment and as we approach the future, we bring along with us more and more of who we are. Melanie invites the future to cooperate, participate in our celebrations of the moment.

   It was indeed a great performance. But also, for me, it satisfied a forty-six year old wish to hear Melanie perform live.

   After the concert I waited in line to have Melanie autograph the 45 RPM which I purchased at the record store in 1970. And also to have my photo taken with her, evidence I suppose that “I was really there.”

my copy of "Lay Down", purchased in Detroit 1970, autographed by Melanie

   As I approached the table, I extended my hand to shake her hand, I made deliberate eye contact, and I confess that for a moment I thought “wow, I am shaking the hand of someone who performed at Woodstock!”. That moment was brief. As I stood at the table, having my photo taken, I asked Melanie…”when and where did you and Peter meet?” I am a romantic, and I was hoping to hear some romantic story about how she spilled tea on him at some coffee shop, or how she tripped and fell into his arms. But the answer I received was “we were in New York, he was a producer and I was his client”. Now, I am sure that there is a romantic version that the children know. But this account was meaningful enough to me, a fan. This account firmly focused on the music.  This account presented to me what was intended by Peter and Melanie all those years of making records, that they were a team, musically, ethically, respecting their fans. I was pleased to accept, as a gift, that which I was intended to enjoy and appreciate... the music which they created together.

    True, it wasn’t only Melanie that captured my musical interest along interstate 94 as the tire was being changed. I am a fan of production. I find as much satisfaction in paying attention to the mixing of stereo effect, vocals, instruments, background, and so I became a fan of producer Peter Schekeryk also. It turns out that they, Melanie and Peter, were a very well-matched couple, in music, and in life. I celebrate their lives together and I continue to remember Peter each time I hear a Melanie record played. Peter continues to live in the musical influence and effect which he brought to Melanie.

It’s a long time from being fifteen years of age in 1970 to a sixty-one-year-old in 2016. But, never did I forget. There is this quip about the 1960s that goes “if you can remember the 60s, you weren’t really there.” I always thought that to be much uninformed rhetoric. Melanie has a lyric that better brings the true point…

“To be there is to remember 
Lay it down again 
Lay down 
Lay down 
Lay it down again 
Men can live as brothers 
Candles in the rain..”

Melanie's guitar, post performance

Additional information regarding 1970: Melanie reaches number 10 on CKLW survey: Paul McCartney, Jackson 5, Carpenters, Elvis, Beatles…she’s in pretty lofty company!

CKLW, Detroit/Windsor,

Survey previewed Monday June 22, 1970

TW  TITLE                          ARTIST                  LW

 1. Ball of Confusion              Temptations              2

 2. Hitchin a Ride                 Vanity Fare              3

 3. Why Cant I Touch You           Ronnie Dyson            10

 4. Ooh Child                      5 Stairsteps             1

 5. Mama Told Me                   Three Dog Night          6

 6. The Love You Save              Jackson 5                5

 7. The Wonder of You              Elvis Presley            9

 8. That Same Old Feeling          Pickettywitch            4

 9. How Bout a Little Hand         Boys in the Band         8

10. Lay Down (Candles in the Rain) Melanie                 20

11. Vibrations                     Eric & The Vikings      19

12. Ride Captian Ride              Blues Image             17

13. Drop by my Place               Carl Carlton            16

14. You've Been My Inspiration     Main Ingredient         21

15. Save the Country               Fifth Dimension         18

16. Maybe I'm Amazed               Paul McCartney          15

17. Gimme Dat Ding                 Pipkins                 28

18. Love on a TWo Way Street       Moments                 12

19. Long & Winding Road            Beatles                  7

20. Signed Sealed Delivered        Stevie Wonder           --

21. Tighter Tighter                Alive & Kicking         26

22. Mississippi Queen              Mountain                13

23. Steal Away                     Johnny Taylor           --

24. The End of the Road            Marvin Gaye             27

25. Pearl                          Tommy Roe               29

26. Are You Ready                  Pacific Gas & Eletric   --

27. Cinnamon Girl                  Neil Young              30

28. Come on Down                   Savage Grace            --

29. Close to You                   Carpenters              --

30. Lay a Little Love on Me        Robin McNamara          --

HITBOUND:

   Spill the Wine - Eric Burdon & War

 ( info found at http://www.ct30.com/big30/1970/700622c.txt)