In Memoriam: Your e-mails

This page has not been updated at the same time as the others (December, 2003). I do plan to add all your e-mails as soon as possible, but it is a major task, so please bear with me.

I am very saddened to hear the news of the passing of one of my musical heroes, David Ackles. It was about 20 years ago when I first became aquainted with his work (I was in my late teens). My best friend from high school and I used to always try to turn each other on to rare albums that we had discovered. The challenge was in finding something that was obscure and yet consisting of high quality material. To do this I would comb through old record review magazines and try to track down the ones that received good reviews. This how I ended up buying the "American Gothic" album without ever first hearing anything by David Ackles. The album, to me, was a revelation in that it taught me how to listen to a song from a whole new perspective. I eventually, with a lot of effort, was able to track down all of his other work. To this day his albums stand first and foremost in my vast record collection but I must admit that this is partly because I try to keep my records in alphabetical order.
I was a frustrated David Ackles fan because by the time I discovered his music he was no longer recording or performing. I would regularly try to find out some information on him but I never found much of anything except for the occasional short biography found in various rock encyclopaedias. It amazed that such a talented man could flat out disappear from the music world. Then about a year ago I stumbled upon Brian Mathieson's fantastic web site. The site was a real find because it gave me more information about Mr. Ackles than I was able to gather at anytime before. My disappointment was that I was hoping to find out that he had been secretly writing and recording a wealth of material over the last 2+ decades. One of the things that surprised me most about Brian's wed site was in the "photographs" section. There was a picture that was taken around 1995 of a moustached man with a beaming smile. If there was ever a photograph that showed an aura of happiness in a person, this would be the one. The image that I always had in my mind of David Ackles was that of a thoughtful and intelligent, yet somewhat sombre man. It gave me a real nice feeling when I saw that photo of him from the 90's.
Please accept my most sincere condolences and I will be at the Saturday memorial service in spirit. And thank you, Mr. Lewis, for sharing your heartfelt thoughts at the loss of a dear friend. - Ken Lach

I just heard the news about David's death and I feel like I was kicked in the head.
He was one of the great ones. I have used his line, "They suffer least who suffer what they choose" from American Gothic many times in appropriate circumstances. It has even helped make people realize that they were screwing up their own lives. I saw David once, at the Main Point in Philadelphia, about 8,000 years ago. The thing that surprised me the most was how darn happy he was. Here's a guy who wrote some of the saddest songs this side of Leonard Cohen, and he was smiling up a storm. I interviewed him that day for a newspaper I worked for at the time and he was gracious and open. I'll pull out my David Ackles albums, I have multiple copies of them all, and play them for my wife. She'll love them and be sad that his talent has left us too soon. - Mike Sangiacomo

Wow. I can't believe it. That's awful. For some reason, I just kept thinking he would recover. I got into his music a bit later than most (I suppose), but always thought (still do think) that he was one of the best musicians of that era. So many of his songs have personal meaning for me ... in fact I often feel that he's singing about me! When I get into that certain frame of mind (you other fans know what I mean), I put on one of his records, and just savor his genius.
Well, as you say, at least we have the records (except "Five and Dime" ... perhaps this will prompt Columbia to re-release that one). Thank you for telling me. - Mark Tunnell

I was saddened to receive the news about David Ackles. Please pass along my condolences to his family and let them know that David's songs have given me insight and inspiration since first I heard them over thirty years ago. I
still listen to his recordings frequently and his work continues to make my life richer. Thank you, David, for it all. May you rest in peace. - James R. Dean

I am so sorry to hear that David Ackles has died, but I do thank you for sharing the sad news. I had actually read most of the information from your web page, but reviewed it tonight to try to help the information sink into my memory. Please extend my sympathy to Janice and George and let them know that David was a positive force in the world through his music. As a committed Christian myself, I have always appreciated artists who were not ashamed to write about matters of faith within the context of popular music, and yet didn't feel the need to proselytize. The first and last verses of Montana Song are so simple yet so profound and they touch me deeply to this day.
I went out to Montana
With a Bible on my arm
Looking for my fathers
On a long abandoned farm
And I found what I came looking for.
Those few words speak to the issues of faith, fathers and sons, family and child, finding a sense of community, changes in society, and the importance of hope. The music complements these words absolutely perfectly. There is beauty, truth, and love in that one verse, much more than I ever thought could be stated in such succinct fashion. Thank you Brian, again, for taking your time to be the messenger of such a fine musician who will be truly missed. Please feel free to share this note with David's family and/or the website. - Michael Ofjord

I'm deeply saddened to hear the news of David's death. I bought American Gothic back in 1972 purely on the basis of a rave review that Derek Jewel gave it in the Sunday Times. I was sixteen. At first I couldn't get my head round it, the music and lyrics being so much more sophisticated than anything else I was listening to at the time. But I persisted and soon I was a huge fan. Along with the two previous albums which I quickly purchased it became the most significant music of my late adolescence. And unlike virtually everything else I was listening to at the time, I'm still appreciating it and finding new richness in it all these years later. I think the reason I related to him so strongly was this sense that as well as a huge talent, he also had a big soul. - Chris Reason

Was guided to your web page for David Ackles after receiving a forwarded message about his death. Sad news but glad to see he was involved with music as a teacher. Thanks for the page -let's hope that his later work does indeed see the light of day. - Shaun Belcher

Fred LaParo has passed along the sad news of David Ackles' death. Thank you for letting him know. I am saddened and my sympathy goes out to his family and friends. Do you know if his death was reported anywhere in the press--especially in the American press? I hope there'll be some appropriate tributes in the music papers and magazines. His work will live on. Thanks again for doing the web page. - Brian Leonard

I'm shattered, but it's so kind of you to let me know. I remember first hearing David Ackles music on television in around 67 when I was still at school and looking for something different. For me this was it. The following week he appeared on John Peel Sunday afternoon for a session when he played among other things "Be My Friend" I remember JP referring to it that afternoon as being one of the most played albums "up at Peel Acres". The following week I took a trip in to town to buy the first album. I took a friend to listen to it with me in the booth. Lost on him I'm afraid but that first album was mesmerising - smooth silk sound with a vague hint of menace - he took perfect simple chord structures and found something new in them.
In those days as a teenager when music was such an intense part of life I waited with trepidation for the second album to come along, fearing disappointment - expecting change but wondering if I could deal with it. He "grew" so much in everything he did through all of these three albums not afraid to mix strength and sentiment, power and pathos.
Everybody has some music which gives them inner strength which they can return to again and again sometimes as celebration of life sometimes as solace when everything around you seems to be dissolving. I've written many songs
myself since then but David always had the voice and the courage to say things that I could never quite manage.
Please pass my deepest condolences to his family. I have to go now. I've written all of this within two minutes of reading your e-mail and its just starting to sink in now. Hope to speak to you again one of these days. - Alan Sueve

This is indeed sad news. I have spent the evening listening to his music. He has left a valuable legacy. Not everyone appreciates his music - indeed most people won't even have heard of David Ackles - but in a strange way it is this that makes it all the more special to those who do love the music. It's like a secret code, understood by the few, misunderstood by the rest. He reaches out and touches only those who understand. Thanks for the web site. - Richard Thorpe

Thank you for your email re: David Ackles. I was very sorry to hear of his passing. He was a great songwriter. My condolences go out to his friends and family. I have forwarded your email to Howard, who I am sure will be equally
upset to hear the news. - Alex Rahim

Thanks Brian, for passing this sad news. Let it be a reason to listen to his recordings one more time, with their rich lyrics and their sophisticated music. I feel with his family. I lost my mother from cancer two years ago, and no matter how well prepared one is (and one is with cancer deaths) it comes as a shock. Though it is difficult to feel with the relatives without knowing how David's relations to the family were. His lyrics suggest a complicated nature, a cynic-romantic, which sometimes may not be the easiest person to live with - I know. I hope he got his catharsis through the artistic creational processes, and was a good man to his family and friends. Thanks again for your mail - please pass my warmest sympathies to his family. - Peter Weiss

Great to see some information on David Ackles. I had heard that David had died but I didn't have any details of what had happened. so I came across your page when I logged on to see if I could find out more. Played Road to Cairo last night, as a suitable epitaph to such a great musician and storyteller - songs that are still so powerful and relevant thirty years on. - Paul Ricketts

Thank you. I have been an Ackles fan since the early 70's and had not thought of using the net to find out about him. His recent death, duly noted in our paper this past Sunday, spurred me to search with snap for info. Your site was informative and complete. I'm sitting here with American Gothic on the CD and connecting to someone I've respected for almost thirty years. Again, thank you. I don't know why you started this site or how much time and effort it takes to maintain it, but if the purpose was to share your info and talent with others that might appreciate it, then you have been successful. - David L. Cunix

Thanks for letting me know. I was in India on a short holiday so I've just picked up your e-mail. Would you believe it I still haven't got hold of a copy of 'Road to Cairo', I will now double my efforts. However the finale instrumental on 'What a Lovely Day' still rings in my memory after twenty years!! My heartfelt condolences to David's family friends and fans. As you say, his music lives on, and it is still a lovely day! - John Brettell