‘Campfire Songs’ raises money for mental health alliance

Two talented local musicians have created a new CD with 20 traditional songs for kids and adults as a labor of love and a way to raise money for their favorite cause.

“Campfire Songs for Children and Families” features Sarah Baker, Sonoma County’s renowned blues singer and jazz performer, and Denny Bozman-Moss, a longtime teacher at Sonoma State University.

Bozman-Moss selected the songs, sings all the lyrics and gently strums the guitar. Baker recorded and produced the CD - a fundraiser for the National Alliance on Mental Illness - at her own state-of-the-art studio in Santa Rosa. Both artists, along with their respective spouses, appear in the color photo on the cover of the CD.

“Campfire Songs for Children and Families” is the second fundraising CD the pair have produced and distributed in the past year. The first, “Sarah and Denny Sing Songs for Children and Families,” brought in nearly $7,000 for the Alliance.

They hope the second will do as well. It features more songs for adults than the first CD, including John Prine’s potent protest song “Paradise.” Both emphasize the alliance’s vital role in battling mental illness.

“There’s still a lot of stigma in our society about mental illness,” Bozman-Moss said. “I know because a family member suffers from it. We can break the stigma by coming out of the closet on the issue and by advocating for parity.”

He explained that if you have a heart attack you’ll likely receive help, but if you have a psychotic breakdown you might fall through the cracks of the medical system, become homeless and even land in prison.

Baker added, “I came on board because I want to bring attention to mental health. When people sing, especially out in nature, it’s definitely good for one’s own mental health anytime of the year.”

Growing up in rural Tennessee, she attended church summer camp.

“My favorite time occurred every evening at sunset when we gathered around a campfire and sang,” she said. The songs and the music on “Campfire Songs” are meant to recreate that warm, fuzzy feeling and to introduce it to those who never knew it first hand.

Baker and Bozman-Moss sing together on “Shortnin’ Bread,” “Michael Row the Boat Ashore,” “Guantanamera” and more than a dozen other traditional ballads, spirituals and folk songs that add up to nearly 50 minutes of lyrical music. Veterans of summer camp might feel inspired to sing along on the first track, “Inch by Inch” and the last, “Swing Low Sweet Chariot.”

To receive a copy of the CD that includes a printout of the lyrics, mail a donation to P.O. Box 15269, Santa Rosa, CA 95402 (minimum donation, $1). Include snail mail address along with check or money order.

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