"So beautiful and uplifting." - Music in Celebration of Meher Baba
By Margaret Magnus
A group of talented and creative artists have come together to offer two heartfelt and inspiring music videos — “Open Up the Door” and “Dhun” — in celebration of the 2020 anniversary of Avatar Meher Baba’s 1956 visit to Meher Mount.
If the early, rave reviews are any indication, you might just feel like singing along or grabbing a box of tissues.
When the novel coronavirus caused the cancellation of the August 2, 2020, celebration of the anniversary of Meher Baba’s visit, there needed to be another way to honor this occasion.
That is when the idea emerged for combining virtual recordings of musicians performing from their own homes and joining them together in a single performance on video.
“Open Up the Door”
In describing the origin of “Open Up the Door,” Buz Connor said, “When Wendy and I were in India in the 1990s, Mani approached me and asked if I would like to write a melody to go with something she had written. I took the words back to the U.S. to work on the music and wrote a big, thunderous score.”
The next time Wendy was in India, she played a recording of Buz’s music for Mani. It was not exactly what Mani had imagined, and she wrote back to Buz, who had remained in the U.S., asking, “Would you mind trying again?” Mani also sent along a recording of her singing the chorus as she wanted it to sound. Buz then put the music to the remainder of the song.
“Dhun” - Singing Meher Baba’s Name
Every day at Meher Baba’s Tomb Shrine in Meherabad, India, there is a 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. aarti. It always includes three prayers – The Universal Prayer, The Prayer of Repentance, and A Prayer for Baba Lovers – followed by a standard Western and standard Indian song, also known as aartis. Then anyone who wishes can sing, play a musical instrument, read a poem, or read a passage in love or lament to God.
In the 1990s, the local villager Hirilal would come every day for evening aarti. As soon the prayers and aartis were finished, Hirilal would stand to the side of the Tomb and sing this dhun repeating Avatar Meher Baba’s name. A dhun, literally tune, can be a call-and-response form of music. Billy Goodrum has taken the rhythm of this call-and-response, changed the tune slightly, and included it as one of the songs in this celebration of the anniversary of Meher Baba’s visit to Meher Mount.
My Way of Expressing Gratitude
“I really enjoyed working on this project,” said producer, composer and performer Billy Goodrum. “It was my way of expressing gratitude to Meher Mount.”
Billy and his wife Pamela Goodrum are former volunteer Manager/Caretakers for Meher Mount. They lived at Meher Mount, with their daughter Rose, from 2000-2002 caring for this universal spiritual center dedicated to Meher Baba.
Billy’s long connection to Meher Mount and his musical experience made him the first choice in creating something special for the 2020 anniversary celebration. He readily agreed to virtually produce and record a short video — which became two videos — of musical performances in celebration of the Avatar of the Age.
Before proceeding, Billy said he needed a film editor to make it all happen. That’s when filmmaker Mitchell Rose volunteered to be part of the music project.
Billy selected the song “Open Up the Door” from words written by Mani S. Irani, Meher Baba’s sister and close disciple, with music by Buz Connor and Mani S. Irani. The second recording, “Dhun,” is a call-and-response song repeating Avatar Meher Baba’s name.
Once Buz gave permission to use “Open Up the Door,” Billy contacted musicians from around the world who agreed to participate.
Billy laid down the soundtrack and sent it to each performer. Each artist individually recorded his or her performance. Then Mitchell Rose compiled and edited the individual performances to create one, unified presentation for all to enjoy.
These virtual performances are due to the creativity, professionalism, and talent of those involved and to the wonders of modern technology. Thank you.
Credits
Billy Goodrum (Asheville, NC), Producer, Vocals, Guitar: Billy is a composer, performer and recording artist. He scores and produces film soundtracks, including The Seeds of Vandana Shiva, a documentary, Voce Umana, his fourth project with director Edoardo Ponti, Movie-43, a comedy, and The Silent Thief, a physiological thriller. He has written songs for such comedies as Dumb & Dumber, Kingpin, The Three Stooges, and The Heartbreak Kid. His two CDs of Meher Baba music are Weightless and Jai Baba.
Mitchell Rose (Worthington, OH), Film Editor: Mitchell, formerly a choreographer and performance artist, is a director, filmmaker, and an associate professor of dance and filmmaking at The Ohio State University. Mitchell’s films have been screened around the world, and he has won more than 95 festival awards. He has been awarded five fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. He tours a program called The Mitch Show which features his films, comedic sketches and audience participation pieces.
Mani S. Irani (1918-1996), Lyricist, Composer: Mani was the sister of Meher Baba and one of His mandali (close disciples). After Meher Baba dropped His body, she became chairman of the Avatar Meher Baba Perpetual Public Charitable Trust. In addition, to her Trust duties, she spent countless hours sharing stories of Meher Baba’s life and her days in the ashram. There are a number of books by and about Mani, including God Brother, Dreaming of the Beloved, and the two-volume biography, The Joyous Path by Heather Nadel.
Buz Connor (Myrtle Beach, SC), Vocals, Guitar, Composer: Buz is currently the Executive Director of the Meher Spiritual Center in Myrtle Beach, SC. When he is not working, he writes and performs Meher Baba music at gatherings around the world. He and his wife, Wendy Haynes Connor, who met Meher Baba as a young girl, are frequent guests at special events. He has released the following CDs of Meher Baba music, The Glory of Love, Open Up the Door, and You’re All There Is.
Meher Mistry (Mumbai, India), Vocals: Meher is an actress and singer. She got her start at four-years-old playing Cupid in her lower kindergarten talent show. More recently, she had the lead as Belle in Disney India’s production of the Beauty and the Beast musical. Her first professional show in Mumbai was The Sound of Music. As an actress, she is known for the films, Silvat, Bansuri: The Flute, Man of the House, Good Luck, and Do Cup Chai.
Billy Nicholls (London, U.K.), Vocals: Billy is a British singer, songwriter, producer and musical director. His 1977 song I Can’t Stop Loving You (Though I Try) is still being covered by singing artists (including Leo Sayer, Phil Collins, Keith Urban, and Taylor Swift) and received a 2003 ASCAP award. Billy is a longtime associate of Peter Townshend and toured with The Who serving as backup singer and music director. In 2011, he recorded and compiled a Meher Baba Album to raise money to preserve Meher Baba’s artifacts belonging to the Meher Baba centre in London.
Ron Holsey (Los Angeles, CA), Vocals: Ron is a 2018 Emmy-winning screen writer for Sesame Street and has been nominated for four additional Daytime Emmys for writing on Sesame Street, Odd Squad and Martha Speaks. He is currently developing his own animated children’s series. In his spare time he sings and records Balkan folk songs, and recently appeared on Croatia’s Got Talent. He just released “Nemoguce”, a Balkan love song. Periodically, Ron performs in musical theater in Southern California. He is also on the Meher Mount Board of Directors serving as Vice President.
Beverly Dale Smith (Marshall, NC), Vocals, Fiddle: Beverly is a singer, songwriter, fiddler and dance caller, as well as a banjo, mandolin and guitar player. She is a founding member of The Heartbeats Rhythm Quartet and formerly in the groups Big Hoedown and The Rockinghams. She often appears and teaches at folk and music festivals and has played concert halls all over Europe, Canada and the US. Beverly has been a featured guest on A Prairie Home Companion, ETown, Mountain Stage and Voice of America. Most recently, she is part of Smith Allen Peterson, players of old-time music.
Cliff Hackford (Myrtle Beach, SC), Tabla: Cliff is a drummer and tabla player working with a wide variety of artists ranging from hip hop, disco, reggae and blues to Indian classical music. He has played in the U.S. – including for three U.S. Presidents – and Europe and Asia. He appeared in the film The Devil’s Advocate playing the song he co-wrote with Cadillac Moon, “Show Me Your Tattoo.” Cliff has worked with Grammy and Platinum selling artists, and he owns and runs a recording studio, Park Hill Recording.
Amy Nicholls (London, U.K.), Vocals: Amy is a singer, songwriter, and producer working with members of Senseless Things, Big Boss Man and Gorillaz. Amy has been a session singer for Pete Townshend and her father Billy Nicholls. Her own group is Ladybear. Her passion is health and wellness. Using her vocal coaching skills, she supports and teaches people how singing can help reduce stress, increase confidence and boost happiness.
Jacob Keller (Asheville, NC), Bass, Vocals: Jacob has worked with Billy Goodrum playing on the movie Dumb and Dumber To and singing and playing in the CD Weightless. Jacob has music from his album, I’m Never Coming Back Down, available for download and streaming on iTunes and Spotify.
Meher Baba in the USA, 1956: Film clips of Meher Baba at Meher Mount in 1956 are from Meher Baba in the USA, 1956, filmed by Charmian Duce Corrinet Knowles with editing assistance by Henry Mindlin. Duncan Knowles provided the soundtrack. Used with permission, Sufism Reoriented, Walnut Creek, CA.
The six-plus minutes of Meher Baba at Meher Mount — the reason for this anniversary celebration — start at 50:21 minutes.
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