Nathan Shaffer - Come Back America (Hey Dep)
Born into a musical family in Indiana, music has always run through Nathan Shaffer’s veins. But, after a couple of dream-come-true record deals, he tried, for a couple of decades, to silence the urge to write and perform. That was, until now. At an early age, Nathan learned that like his parents who performed in church groups, he possessed a rich, appealing vocal range. Then, receiving a classic Gibson acoustic guitar from an aunt, Nathan taught himself to play, starting with, much to his parents’ chagrin, the Muddy Waters’ classic “I’m a Man”. It was the night the Beatles appeared on Ed Sullivan Show however, that the rock and roll light switched on. The Beatles wrote, sang and performed songs that resonated in every cell in his body. Says Shaffer, “I went crazy, at that very moment I knew what it was I wanted to do with my life.” By high school, the shy kid from Terra Haute had moved to the suburbs of Chicago and was fronting cover bands. Soon he joined a group that afforded him the opportunity to focus on playing originals and precisely a year later, they secured a record deal with Capitol/EMI Records, the same label the Beatles had originally been on. From the time he was a child, Shaffer had set his sights on California and after touring the West Coast, in 1981 decided to leave the band and make the move. Settled in Los Angeles, Shaffer formed Rock Royale, a harder hitting ensemble, and based on a $2000 live demo, inked a deal with Atlantic Records before playing a single show. But after things fell apart over creative differences with the label, Nathan at 30 retired from the music industry, got a job, worked hard, did well, and as a single dad, raised his son Jeff. Then something happened. Twenty-five years later, Shaffer leaned back in his seat at a Paul McCartney concert and suddenly, the light switched back on. The urge to sing and write was back and encouraged by his son, Shaffer knew it was time. Then tragedy struck. Shaffer’s son Jeff, who had long battled drug addiction, died of an overdose. The devastation was paralyzing, but in the months that followed, music and the vow to finish the album became Nathan’s lifeline. He would continue on in his son’s name. “Come Back America represents who I am,” says Shaffer. “I’ve got songs on there that are about me looking back on my life and, growing up. I’ve got songs about my son. I got a couple of love songs and I got some political songs on there – it’s kind of who I am, just a normal American, y’know.”
Tracks: 6,7&1
Nathan Shaffer—video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg-baBpN0rY