Earth Song is artist Rick Sharp's early master work of art and music. The album cover itself culminates Sharp's fantasy-art style of the late 70's - early 80's. Produced in 1980 at the coastal mountain studio "Condor Ridge" by the late musically-gifted Conrad Von Dehn, son of 40's singer Ginny Sims and Hyatt Von Dehn (the Hyatt hotel mogul). Folk rock icon Jim Messina lent his hand in mixing down final tracks. Recalls Rick, "Jimmy and I became close friends back then and did a lot of running around together. That was a windfall for Earth Song because some nights we'd end up at the studio and he'd work his mastery at the mixing board". Aside from famous guest producers, the best session musicians this side of San Francisco all sat in to help create Earth Song.

Originally created as a series of paintings with accompanying soundtracks -odes to the beauty of nature - only the soundtrack survives today which has been remastered on CD. The idea had been done before, Rick says, by the great 60's troubadour Donovan, who "has been a good friend and a big influence for me since my youth. I used to meet up with him on his concert tours to give him new art and show him my latest work. He would teach me his songs and guitar picking style - a balladeer technique which I used on Earth Song. But that's not the most important thing I learned from him; I learned great humility from him because he is so gifted and had achieved so much yet was so humble".

Long before New Age music was popular -Earth Song, complete with it's nature sounds, harps and flutes, found its' way into homes and health food stores of nature lovers in California.

"A Master Work"
Santa Barbara News Press

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