Getting to Meet Diane Zeigler

If there is one thing that I know it’s that memory is fickle. My memory changes, it isn’t accurate. I have a memory of this song, “Jack’s Belted Galloways” that extends back to before it was written. 

I had the memory of “Jack’s Belted Galloways” stuck in my head since before there was the ability to search for anything on the internet. I forgot the name of the woman who wrote it but I remembered a lot of the words. When I was finally able to put the correct name to the song it was Diane Zeigler. I listened to it over and over until I knew all the words and could sing it to myself. The images of looking out the window to see Jack and to see Jack’s beautiful cows, and to see the flies in the kitchen stuck with me. To this day the song amazes me, there is just enough description to let me know the scene and enough space between the words for me to add my own images.

In the space of time since I first heard the song and then discovered Diane Zeigler again I had started working with Tom Rush producing his series of shows on Patreon called “ROCKPORT SUNDAYS”. We started in December of 2020 and have produced a new episode every week since then. I thought it would be a good idea to invite Diane to be a guest on the show, so I got her email address from the web and wrote her. She got back to me thanking me for reaching out but declined the invitation because she had moved away from writing and performing music to raise her family and she had a full time job but it was nice to hear that her music was still resonating with me. So that was that. If my memory serves me correctly, I waited approximately two years and decided that Diane was too good and I’d like to convince her to reconsider and drive from Vermont to Maine and be Tom’s guest on his show. Again she declined and I was forced to move on. Well, move ahead two more years and I saw something on the internet that Diane was taking part in a songwriters roundtable so I said AHA to myself and decided to contact her again. Now a new memory is mixed with reality and wishful thinking, I don’t know if I was able to text Diane or if I used the old email address but one way or the other I contacted her again and I got a phone call back.

I must have sent a text because Diane said that said she couldn’t believe my timing because she was sitting in her car outside a guitar store where she had just picked up her new guitar. It was the start of her coming back to songwriting and performing. And yes she would be a guest on Rockport Sundays. I was pretty happy about this, in fact I think I was glowing.

When I finally met Diane and she was there in Kittery and talking with Tom Rush and performing her three songs it was a great day for me. The songs she performed were, “Leap of Faith”, “Empty Nest” and “Jack’s Belted Galloways”. She talked about her precious family that was now grown enough for her to reenter the music business and her past years of performing around Boston and her songwriting. She had opened for Tom years ago so he was aware of her, but seeing her again and sitting near her when she sang made him realize how good she is. When I got the footage home and was able to edit the show and mix the audio I got to relive the moment again.

Since then I’ve seen Diane perform with her husband Geoff Sather and her accompanist Adam Frehm on guitar and dobro at a house concert. Her songs are strong. They hit you in the heart. There are a lot of new ones and hearing the old ones for the first time is an awakening. “Forget Me Not” is a very special song. We’ve stayed in touch I’m looking forward to seeing her again as soon as I can.

Watch the Video of JACK’S BELTED GALLOWAYS