Owen Vyse – Roy Stannard's Blog

Sunshine Follows You

I first heard Terry Carvey performing this track in a back street bar in Worthing, West Sussex. It was a ‘no mic’ night and everything was pared back, unadorned and raw. Terry had written ‘Sunshine Follows You’ for his wife Sally and it was written with love and affection, but lacked an arrangement, and Terry had yet to produce a full instrumental context for the song. However, I could hear a great melody and memorable lyrics through the chatter, banter and room echo.

I suggested immediately to Terry that he get together with a producer friend of mine, Owen Vyse, who is no mean R’nB performer in his own right. Owen added lead, rhythm, bass, drums and keys and magically realised the full soul glory of this song. It exudes Isleys, Bell Records, Stax, Sam Cooke and a touch of Paul Weller.

It could be the song of the Summer. Who is going to get to it first?

http://soundcloud.com/roystannard/terry-carvey-sunshine-follows

The Other Half of my Heart

The Other Half of my Heart

You’re the other half of my heart

The love that burned from the start

You’re the time between the hours

You’re the colour in the flowers

(Chorus)

I loved you from the start

We’re not made to be apart

You’re the other half of my heart

You’re the completion of my soul

The part that makes me whole

You’re the end of the race

You’re the smile on my face

(chorus)

You’re the safe place inside

The difference between loss and pride

You’re the laughter in the rain

You’re why I’m whole again

(chorus)

You’re every bird that sings

All the hopes I have with wings

You’re the promise that came true

You’re the dream that finally flew

(chorus)

You’re the start and the happy ending

You kissed me when I needed mending

You’re the daybreak every time I wake

You’re the love it took a lifetime to make

Christmas is a time the distance that separates people who love one another should magically be made to disappear.

There are songs that deal with this theme, but none that really connected with me, so I wrote some lyrics. My good friend Nigel Black suggested I send them to him – and he and his singing partner Tom Heaton worked the lyrics into a song. Another friend, Owen Vyse, who is a consummate musician in his own right, kindly allowed us to use his home studio equipped with Qbase and then added some instruments and flourishes of his own.

Christmas is no time to be on your own. Thanks to all my friends, new and old, this Christmas I haven’t been.

Listen to the song on Soundcloud here:

http://snd.sc/swo4M4