Musicians prepare classic songs for Saturday benefit

As the staff of HSJ Online prepares for its annual meeting and benefit concert Benefit at 6 p.m. Saturday at WILLow LeaVes of Hope, local musicians who will perform that evening are taking a gander down memory and putting final touches on their set lists as they pay homage to those who fuel their inspiration and have helped shape their musical journey.

If you ask any creative type they will tell you that inspiration can come from anywhere at any time. For Sally Webster, Dale Sechrest and Avery Tallent, their inspiration comes, in part, from those who came before, they say.

As a young girl, Webster says she was heavily influenced by the storytelling and musical stylings of John Denver. It would seem Webster shares a kinship with the late performer in that she, too, has a tremendous love for nature.

When she first picked up the guitar, it was Denver that Webster learned to play.

Now, many decades later, Webster still regularly performs Denver’s songs and says although the world is changing rapidly, there is still a place for storytelling, music and family.

“It is a whole different ballgame anymore,” Webster says. “I started thinking about that one day, most country songs deal with drinking or breaking up with someone. John Denver had a pleasant way about him and not so much off the wall stuff that goes on anymore.”

Saturday evening, Webster says she plans to perform two or three Denver classics, including “Grandma’s Feather Bed.”

Like Webster, Sechrest says he’s always found great inspiration in the music of Harry Chapin.

Sechrest says it wasn’t just Chapin’s talent as a storyteller, but also his tremendous sense of compassion and desire to help those who were less fortunate that truly spoke to him.

‘He had a great way of connecting with the audience and bringing the audience into what he was doing,” Sechrest says.

Known for his 1974 hit “Cat’s In the Cradle,” some of Chapin’s songs, such as “Taxi,” which ran about seven minutes in length, were shunned from radio due to their length, Sechrest says.

But it was Chapin’s heart for people that truly impressed Sechrest who had the opportunity to meet and chat with the artist before his untimely death in 1981.

As he rehearses ahead of Saturday’s performance, Sechrest says he is looking forward to sharing the stage with Tallent and Webster again after what may possibly be a nearly five year hiatus.

“I think both of them are so talented,” Sechrest says. “Sally has produced and recorded so many CDs it is phenomenal. And Avery, I think every time I listen to him play a new song – to think about when I first heard him and then to think about what he has done – I just think he continues to grow musically.”

Tallent says being asked to perform songs from an artist he considers inspiring is a unique opportunity he couldn’t pass up. And, too, it is for a great cause.

“Tom Petty is someone my parents listened to, so it is what I grew up on,” Tallent says. “I think a lot of my earlier music came from him; He inspired and shaped my sound.”

Even more important than sharing one of the artists who helped define his sound is the opportunity to share the stage with tremendous talent for a great cause, Tallent says.

“I think HSJ is kind of like one of the staples of this town,” he says. “It is something we can all gather around, get the news from and all the latest scoop about what everyone is doing and that keeps us connected and that is something I love. I love being connected to this town and its people and that is really important to me.”

And, of course, there’s the setting, Tallent says.

“WILLow LeaVes is an awesome venue,” he says. “I love those ladies and what they have done with the place. Going to play there is like coming home; it is very relaxing and laid back. I am hoping we can all kind of gather there as a community and support HSJ and bond, have a moment together.”

Sechrest says Hope has always been a part of his life, from the time he first moved to St. Louis Crossing with his parents back when he was a teen to returning in his early 20s after being away for a short time. And, now, since returning again in 2016, Sechrest says Hope is still a very special place.

“Hope, even though all these years have passed since I was 14 and going to school there, one thing has remains solid with Hope and that is the community,” Sechrest says. “The people are good people. They are loving and welcoming people. They are the kind of people who would not hesitate in helping a stranger.”

Looking ahead to their performance Saturday evening, Webster says she is excited about the event and its turnout. If anything, she is hopeful guests will enjoy an evening out in good company.

“I just hope that guests leave at the end of the evening feeling happy that they have listened to some mighty fine music, have had an enjoyable meal and maybe they will remember it,” Webster says. “And that for a little while they step outside of what is going on in their world and can relax and just enjoy some time together and enjoy the music.”