Well, trying to understand the mechanics of blogging has been a little frustrating to say the least, but I am determined to do regular entries here. Today is a bit of a milestone. I have completed my six hundredth song. That's Six hundred songs in twenty six years or two songs every month for that same period of time. I actually did very little writing between 1991- 1994, so I guess this is a milestone. I am currently writing a new musical with my writing partner, Timothy Doran. The name of the musical is called "The Traveling Companion" and is based on the classic fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. It was one of the very first stories written by the great Danish writer in 1835. Actually 2006 marks the 200th anniversary of the great author's birth. The musical has been a pure joy to write. I have learned so many wonderful new things about songwriting craft from Tim. He and I have been together since the summer of 1990 when I was introduced to him by a singing teacher by the name of Steve Hunt. He's been my arranger all of these many years. But the most amazing thing is just how incredibly talented Tim Doran really is. Many years ago-- way back in 1976-- Tim was the last person to accompany on the piano the late great legend of song, Kate Smith in her last rendition of "God Bless America" before she became very ill and retired. She had been asked to christen with a bottle of champagne a huge yacht in Dana Point. Kate only made one other public appearance before her death and that was when she appeared on the Oscars telecast. She was wheeled in and received a standing ovation! I only wish I could have written a few songs for this incredible artist. An interesting fact: only she and the late great Richard Kiley could hit the last note of "The Impossible Dream" from "Man of La Mancha" exactly as it had been composed by composer Mitch Leigh. Well, at any rate Tim has been a pure joy to work with and "The Traveling Companion" is a piece we are sure will be playing on Broadway. This is a timeless story about the forces of good doing a fierce battle with the forces of evil. A young Danish teen is our hero. After his father dies, he must make his own way in the world. A single act of kindness changes his fate and destiny and he finds a kingdom to rule and a beautiful princess to love and marry. By the way, I am a member of ASCAP and I can not say enough great things about this superior performance organization. They have provided me and Tim with some pretty incredible opportunities-- but more of that later. You can find my songs and the songs that I have co-written with Tim Doran on the ASCAP "Ace Data Base" by looking under my name, Mike Ricciardi. Until next time!