Paper Trails

Gift to dad now Lee's new album

Amy Lee
Amy Lee

Call it the softer, gentler side of Evanescence's Amy Lee. The double Grammy-winning goth-rock powerhouse's new 12-song album, Dream Too Much, which drops Sept. 30 as an Amazon Music exclusive, is for children.

The former Maumelle resident's new work includes a few covers like the Beatles' "Hello Goodbye" and "Rubber Duckie" by Sesame Street's Ernie, but most are original works. The title cut's lyrics -- "It's a very windy day at the bottom of the ocean and the sandwiches you made all flew away but the jellyfish helped you build a watermelon tower" -- are reminiscent of later Lennon and McCartney.

The song's message? There's no way you can dream too much.

The album was a family affair with Amy's dad, John, of Little Rock singing a couple of songs and playing several instruments (banjo, dobro, ukulele) and her uncle Tom Lee of Orlando, Fla.; her husband, Josh Hartzler; sisters Carrie Lee and Lori Bulloch; and brother Robby contributing by performing, writing or singing. Even Amy's 2-year-old son Jack offered some lyrics ("Dream Too Much") and a cameo (saying "Goodbye! Goodbye!" on the Beatles tune).

It began as a 60th-birthday gift from Amy to her dad, who in 2014 was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. John says so far, the disease just makes him lose interest in things and he shakes a little.

"Sometimes with Parkinson's your voice begins to fade and I guess they were thinking, 'We need to do this now,'" he said during a recent visit.

In February, the family gathered at a Fort Worth recording studio. John sang "Goodnight My Love," which he once sang to his children at bedtime. He also recorded Pure Prairie League's "Amie," for which his daughter was named.

Amazon learned of the recording session.

"One thing led to another and the next thing we know, there's a record deal," John says. Just like he dreamed about in the 1970s, when he lived in California.

In 1979, he competed on NBC's The Gong Show singing The Eagles' "Desperado." Others on the show included Paul "Pee-Wee Herman" Reubens on a episode airing in 1980 (https://youtu.be/aGzyXdqi8Tc).

"I was the winner with a perfect 30 points and won slightly over $700," recalls John, who was then invited to appear on the pilot for Star Search. "But I couldn't afford the trip to New York. We were quite poor then."

After Amy was born in 1981, the family left California. John worked as a disc jockey, spokesman and on-air talent.

"We said if nothing ever comes of this, that's perfectly OK," says John.

Amy's original gift to her dad -- a four-day recording to record four songs -- became something much bigger.

"Our going into the studio together was originally never meant to be for anyone else but us," John says. "But this experience has been better than any pill I could ever take."

SundayMonday on 08/21/2016

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