"Thirteen is a Baker's Dozen
Fifteen is a Quaker's Cousin"

In July of 1974, I went over to the apartment of my law school classmate Fred Grittner to buy some records. Fred played a tape of himself singing, "All I Have to Do is Dream" by the Everly Brothers - harmony by Fred Grittner. I didn't even know what "overdubbing" was, but I fell in love with that voice and that singer.*

Fred, just out of both Vietnam and the Army, had begun his journey as a singer-songwriter after meeting the lovely and talented Bob Moore in Saigon. Up until that point Fred played guitar, but was too shy to vocalize. Bob and his Army buddy Paul O'Keefe told Fred he couldn't be in their trio unless he sang. So sing he did to the point that after he got out of the Army, he eagerly accepted Bob's invitation to join Bob's country rock band stateside.

By the time Fred mailed his reply, Bob had left the Army with no forwarding address. Figuring it was futile in the pre-Internet days to find someone named Bob Moore who was traveling somewhere in the United States, Fred returned to Minnesota, started law school and began taping records on his TEAC cassette recorder, then selling the discs.

Fred wrote songs throughout his law school years and thereafter. During this time, he briefly practiced law, obtained a masters and PhD, and became a court administrator (as well as a law professor). He also married me and fathered three sons. Although his singing was confined to gatherings of family and friends as well as solo concerts for his Number One Fan (me), his song writing continued apace.

In 1993, my brother, Patrick Lippert, died from AIDS. A few days later, I told Fred, "Patrick headed Rock the Vote which registered 300,000 young people in 1992. He started the Elton John Oscar Night Party and he did this at the age of 35. Over all these years, you have talked about recording an album. Do it!".

He did it. Fred's first album, Transfer Point, was recorded in 1994. Over the years, he released four solo albums and two collaborations. And the songs kept coming. There is no pattern to Fred's song writing. Sometimes he hears a melody, sometimes lyrics, sometimes an entire song pours out, other times he labors long and hard to pull a song together.

In 2016, he created a blog called 52 Tracks: More Than Passable; Less Than Perfect. The goal was to release an original song each week. Some weeks were more difficult than others, but he accomplished his goal.

This album consists of 15 songs that I chose out of the 52 recorded in 2016. The hallmark of Fred's songs is their virtuosity. Some are deeply personal ("Morning Song", "There's a River"), while others spring whole from an alarmingly creative imagination ("Monterrey Sun", "Not Going Down There No More", "Topsoil Blues").

Fred's songs are evocative and compelling; his lyrics filled with intricate imagery and unexpected word play. Questions abound: who is that man who "Almost Made It Home Last Night"? What is the back story to "The Tell" or "Sometimes Love"?
What is the next big thing that's "Coming Out of Memphis in the Spring"?

There's politics ("Something's Got to Give"), gossip and suspicion ("Triple Talk"), sweet romance that remains unrequited ("Red River Night") and a tempestuous relationship akin to a ride on a runaway roller coaster ("Shifts of a Curious Heart").

A collaboration with music by Tom Ryan makes "Cottonwood Dreams" one of the catchiest nature lessons you'll ever hear. And "West of Baghdad (Remixing History)" covers enough ground to keep you finding historical allusions for years to come - all wrapped up in a vivid song with music by Jan Hauenstein (who also did the melody for "Topsoil Blues").

Fred's music - his lyrics, his melodies, his arrangements are first rate and his voice is damn good, too. OK, I'm besotted - I admit it. But I'm also repeating what other people have told him (and me) for years. It wasn’t until AFTER I had selected the songs that we realized that four of them feature Fred harmonizing with himself - serendipity! So, please enjoy this album. And if you want to pat me on the back for encouraging a musical genius who is also one of the nicest men you will ever meet, I won't object.

*NOTE to READERS: Vanilla wafers and an overdubbed tape recording of an Everly Brothers song has a far better result than looking at etchings.

Theresa Lippert