Karen Taylor-Good Shines a Light on National Hospice Month

Award winning singer-songwriter and speaker brings a message of compassion during the month of November and year-round

When Patty Loveless took Karen Taylor-Good's co-written song "How Can I Help You Say Goodbye?" all the way to the top of the country charts in 1993, the nation warmed to the song's healing and compassionate message. But for Taylor-Good, the story didn't end there. The Grammy-nominated song elevated her from a tunesmith to an intimate champion and supporter of The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), which gets the national spotlight each November during National Hospice Month.

Because of her association with Hospice, Karen has become one of the most sought after speakers and performers for the care-giver industry throughout the year, helping people accept and appreciate the human condition, providing comfort, insight, inspiration and compassion. Hospice advocates for the terminally ill and their loved ones, improving end-of-life care and profoundly enhancing the quality of life for people dying in America and their families. Hospice, like the theme of Karen’s song, essentially helps those dying in America, and their families, “say goodbye.”

“When ‘How Can I Help You Say Goodbye’ was written, it was a totally made up story," says the CMA and ACM-nominated Taylor-Good. "I came from a family where nobody ever talked about dying…….about loss……. about change. Because of that, dying has always been my greatest fear. I dreamed about having some angel person in my life…someone who would help me face those changes and teach me that they are a natural part of life.

"Imagine my shock when I discovered Hospice, and found real live angels who do just that! I have been honored to be a part of Hospice for the past 3 years, and when my precious Daddy died in July, Hospice played a very important part. I am proud to be what I have termed a “Hospice Groupie!”

In addition to being a singer/songwriter and motivational speaker, Karen is also an author. 2003 marked the publishing of On Angel’s Wings: Messages & Songs of Inspiration & Hope. With an accompanying CD of 14 songs, On Angel’s Wings combines lyrics with inspirational and humorous essays and anecdotes for adults approaching middle age, many in what’s termed “the sandwich generation,“ caring for both their children and their parents. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of the book go to support the National Hospice Foundation campaign to raise awareness of hospice care. “

"I was so touched by (Karen's) music," said Elizabeth Dole, then the spokesperson for Hospice, when both she and Taylor-Good appeared at a fundraiser in 2001. "That just so beautiful and moving...thank you so much! I particularly related to ("On Angel's Wings") because my mother celebrated her 100th birthday on May 25th. I really related to those words. So much of what you were saying just touched my heart deeply."

In addition to performances and presentations for Hospice and caregiver organizations throughout the country, Karen has also been invited to speak for American Business Women of America (ABWA), Federally Employed Women (FEW), Spirit in Business, Team in Focus, US Bank, Baptist Hospital, and various other organizations, churches, and synagogues.

The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) is the oldest and largest nonprofit membership organization representing hospice and palliative care programs and professionals in the United States. With morethan 2,400 provider and nearly 3,200 individual members, NHPCO represents 75% of the hospices in the country, and its members serve approximately 90% of all hospice patients and their families. Founded in 1978, the organization is committed to improving end-of-life care and expanding access to hospice care with the goal of profoundly enhancing the quality of life for people dying in America and their families.

NHPCO advocates for the terminally ill and their loved ones. It also develops public and professional education programs and materials to enhance understanding and availability of hospice and palliative care, convenes frequent meetings and symposia on emerging issues, provides technical informational resources to its membership, conducts research, monitors Congressional and regulatory activities, and works closely with other organizations that share an interest in end-of-life care.

For more information about Karen Taylor-Good, please visit http://www.karentaylorgood.com. Requests for interviews with Karen, or review copies of On Angel's Wings can be made to Cathy Gurley at Gurley & Co., (615) 269-0474 or cathy@gurleybiz.com.

For more information on Hospice, please vsiit: http://www.nhpco.org or call the NHPCO's Helpline at 800.658.8898.

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Cream Soda Blues - Food for the Psyche

Nevin Compton Trammell is onto something in his light-hearted deep existence poetry. It's so easy to enter . . . not so easy to leave behind." -- Minton Sparks, spoken-word artist, author of the CD recordings, Sin Sick and This Dress.

Cream Soda Blues – Food for the Psyche

NASHVILLE - Nevin Compton Trammell may just be the next Dr. Suess – for adults, that is. Infusing wit and rhyme into poignant and provocative life scenarios, each page of Cream Soda Blues: Poems for Adult Children of Life (Cold Tree Press) reads like a miniature one-act play–full of colorful characters; toes that get stepped on; some people we know and some places we’d dare to go.

With a whimsical wisdom reminiscent of Shel Silverstein hobnobbing with the social edginess of Jack Kerouac, Trammell’s simple bluesy style is wholly inviting and disarming at the same time. As one reader says, "he sneaks up on you, then hits you where you live."

Trammell’s uncanny way of capturing the absurdity and grace residing in the human condition comes naturally. Besides having a penchant for writing brief, memorable, rhyming life scenarios, he is also a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) with a doctorate from Vanderbilt University who has held highly appointed government positions and counseled hundreds of people about their careers and work relationships. His work has led him to cross the paths of prisoners and parolees, the elderly and dying, politicians and government officials, soccer moms and students, corporate executives and entrepreneurs, artists and musicians, church folks and non-believers, civil rights and social justice activists, and people in various stages and forms of recovery.

"I’ve been through a lot of personal and professional changes myself," says the author. "My experience is that we all seem to be recovering from something–be it a bad boss, a deep loss, or a world view that’s changing. I guess one thing I’ve learned is that humor and brevity can go a long way."

No wonder people from all walks of life and ages get hooked once they read just a couple of his poetic vignettes. The sighs and giggles and groans of recognition are audible. There’s something oddly healing about summing up so much life in so few words.

The only
thing
that kept me
from falling
down the
well
was I tripped
sideways
when I
fell

If, indeed, we are all recovering from something, Cream Soda Blues is just what the doctor ordered. Dr. Nevin, that is.

For more information about Cream Soda Blues, please visit creamsodablues.com or coldtreepress.com. For review copies, requests for interviews and all other information, please contact Cathy Gurley at Gurley & Co. at 615-269-0474 or cathy@gurleybiz.com.

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The Music City Reader 2005 Gathers Great Writing on Country & Bluegrass Music

NASHVILLE - If the best country music has always been about great stories, what could be better than a collection of great stories about country music?

That is the premise behind the Music City Reader 2005, available this October from Music City Books. In the tradition of the Best American series -- gathering the best writing in a specific style or format -- the inaugural Music City Reader compiles some of the finest recent writing on country and bluegrass music by the genre’s foremost journalists, culled from the magazines, newspapers and journals that know it best.

“I love country and bluegrass music and am always curious what others are writing about it,” says editor and publisher Randy Rudder. “I often find myself sharing articles I’ve read, or telling friends and fans about something I’ve read that they might have missed. So I figured compiling some of the best of that writing in one place was the easiest way to get the word out and share my passion.”

With an understanding of the range of styles and artists that make up country and bluegrass music, Rudder paired pieces on new and contemporary performers with ones on classic artists and traditionalists, and crafted a compilation for every taste. There are pieces on Keith Urban and Tim McGraw alongside writings about Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson. Ricky Skaggs and Bill Anderson get equal ink next to Rhonda Vincent and Brad Paisley, while Loretta Lynn and Gretchen Wilson share space between the book’s covers and an affinity for their roots.

“This is an essential for any country music reader,” adds country music superstar Marty Stuart. “There aren't very many sources today for in-depth country music knowledge, but now Randy Rudder has come through for us.”

With a foreword by the Ragin’ Cajun, fiddler Doug Kershaw, highlights from the Reader include Phil Sweetland’s profile of Kristofferson from American Songwriter, Bill DeMain’s interview with Dwight Yoakam from Performing Songwriter, Michael McCall’s in-depth look at John Prine from The Nashville Scene and Peter Cooper’s detailing in The Tennessean of Keith Urban’s fight with substance abuse and an anything-but-overnight rise up the country-music ranks.

Sure to be the talk of all who read it is Martha Hume’s piece on Lynn from The Journal of Country Music, complete with a hilarious interchange between the writer and Lynn on the supposed effects of a certain cash crop on the female anatomy.

The book also reaches beyond Nashville’s publishing scope. Reprinted here is an extensive expose on Gillian Welch and David Rawlings from The New Yorker that finds Rawlings doing most of the talking on Welch’s behalf. Regardless of Welch’s desire to reveal little, by the end of the article we at least know one thing: even she can’t resist homemade ice cream from Bobbie’s Dairy Dip.

From The Strad in London, writer Nick Shave reveals the “Voice of America” that is fiddle player and composer Mark O’Connor. And from The Atlantic Monthly, Francis Davis does his best to absorb the news of Johnny Cash’s death while shining a light on the massive depth and range of the artist’s talent, Christian values, and American patriotism. The piece, “God’s Lonely Man,” kicks off the Music City Reader, and is the perfect introduction to the depth and range of the book itself.

Edward Morris, former Billboard editor and author of Garth Brooks: Platinum Cowboy, says that “Rudder vaporizes the notion that country music is a simple or primitive art,” while Steven Womack, Edgar Award-winning mystery writer, calls the Reader “enlightening, comprehensive, and complete.” “This book belongs in every country music fan’s home,” he adds.

Randy Rudder has an MFA in creative writing from the University of Memphis and is an assistant professor of English at Nashville State Community College. He lives near Nashville with his wife Clare and daughter Abigail. For more information about the Music City Reader 2005, please visit www.musiccityreader.com. For advance review copies, please contact us at 615-269-0474 or by writing cathy@gurleybiz.com

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