Mae Robertson has gone from owning three children’s stores to recording albums named as “Notable Recordings for Children” by The American Library Association.
The story of how she made that switch is one of my favorite ones, so good I had to check its veracity. She was singing the traditional folk song "The Water Is Wide" as a lullaby to her daughter, Cally, when she was overheard by a childhood friend Don Jackson. Jackson, a musician in his own right, was blown away by her interpretation of the song.
With his urging and help, Robertson put together her first album, All Through the Night. The album, released in 1994 and produced by Jackson, received critical acclaim.
She went on to found, in 1995, Lyric Partners, a music label dedicated to the idea that music for children need not teach, preach, or condescend. She is also the group’s president.
By 1997 she sold her chain of children’s natural fiber clothing stores to devote herself full-time to her music.
In 2000, she recorded her first album aimed at a grownup audience. That album, Stone by Stone, also included some of her own compositions.
What did you set out to do with this album, Dream, and did you accomplish it?
I hadn't done a lullaby recording since 1999 and for a while, I really didn't think I would do another one. But I am always on the lookout for great lullabies and songs that can be interpreted as lullabies. I always keep a running list. When I heard Dar Williams' song, "The One Who Knows," I knew that I had to record it. When I looked at the list of lullabies I had been collecting, I realized that I had more than enough great material for a new album.
I think one of my main goals was to make Dream sound much more like my grown up recordings with a fuller production, and I am so pleased with the way it turned out. I love the idea of having drums on a lullaby record and I think it really works on this one. There is inherently a rocking rhythm that is part of singing a child to sleep. On Dream, I tried to start with a more upbeat rhythm and slow things down until, by the end, the songs have slowed down to a very calm place. I imagine it being an album you put on at bath time and play right through to - pajamas on, rocking chair time and then finally in bed by the last couple of songs.
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