I remember a young, wide-eyed songwriter flying into Nashville for his first “real” demo session.  He had never before set foot in a Music City recording studio. He didn’t know any of the musicians, or the singers, or the engineer involved. He had yet to even meet the man responsible for coordinating the entire event. Every face, every name, everything was new.

     The man who took me under his wing when I landed here, who became my close friend and songwriting "guru", was Jim Rushing. Recently, Jim decided to move away from Nashville. All the way up to The Bitterroot Valley of Montana. As he told me of his plans, where he was going and why he was moving, I jotted down bits and pieces of our telephone conversation in my notebook. It's "between the Bitterroot Mountains and the Sapphire Mountains", he said. Before we'd even said good-bye, I began writing this song.

     There was no big idea or plan for the project it became. Just a song. One that had been writing itself over the past seventeen years, give or take a year or two. One I wish had waited a little while longer for a reason to be born. But after the song was written, I was glad for the opportunity to play it for Jim. It seemed the perfect way to let him know how much he had encouraged and inspired me through the years, and to thank him for his impact on my life and my career.

Recorded at
Universal Music Publishing Studio
Randy Best - Recording Engineer

Mastered at
Downstairs Sound
Mark Stacy - Mastering Engineer

Cover Art
From the Painting Bitterroot Valley
by Mark Gutow