Andrez, it was nothing like that. The CD was less a planned project than it was a happening. It started out as a discussion between Dan Schatz and Kendall Morse and Jacqui Morse at a gathering in Maine. Gordon Bok was there and he said he would donate a track. Someone suggested they ask me for a track, which I, of course, said yes to. Kendall, Jacquie and Dan started asking around among friends and soon folks like Paxton jumped in. One thing led to another and folks like Seeger and Jean Ritchie hopped in, as well as Emmy Lou and Mary Black, and all the other great artists. Next thing Dan knows, his little producing project with 12 or 14 tracks among friends is now 39 tracks and a major project. And he did a phenomenal job.

There are any number of folks, in retrospect, that "should" have been on it (Anne Feeney, for example) but that isn't how this came about. It sort of took on a life of it's own.

I happened to be doing a couple of benefit concerts for Utah (one just before he died at The Ark and one after he passed in Grand Rapids, MI) when Dan mentioned he was looking for a label to handle distribution. I was working with Jim Fleming who represented Utah. Jim also represents Ani Difranco and got her involved which is how Righteous Babe    became involved. Dan would tell you that those folks have been invaluable.

So the answer to your question is that, no, there were no intrigues or purposeful exclusions. Dan, Kendall, and Jacqui just went to work and this is where it ended.

All the best,

Mick