About This Album

Melody Rain is an informal musical recording act. We turn songs into recordings. The "songs"/recordings of Melody Rain are hopefully timeless. The musicians and singers have mentored themselves on historically-great singers and musicians i.e., "the masters", rather than trying to imitate the latest trends. Some Melody Rain musicians have played on recordings by many of the most celebrated, iconic and legendary singers and performers in popular music history such as Marvin Gaye, Ike and Tina Turner, Prince, Diana Ross, Natalie Cole, Chaka Khan, The Jonas Brothers, Babyface, et al. Others have performed live with legendary and iconic pop / R&B / country singers e.g., Lenny Kravitz, Vince Gill, The Temptations, Trisha Yearwood, Burt Bacharach, Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis et al. Meanwhile, other Melody Rain musicians with comparable talent, play side by side with them though not celebrated, recognized, nor heard by the vast majority of people. Not yet!

All songs are written by Dave Stanowski. All Melody Rain recordings are produced by Dave Stanowski and Dik Shopteau, seasoned creators in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul.

Melody Rain recordings perhaps best fit into the very broad "Traditional Pop Vocal" Grammy category. Perhaps some recordings fit into the category of Indie Pop, Alternative Pop, Traditional R & B / Soul. They are inspired by many people including Carole King, Burt Bacharach, Thom Bell, Gamble and Huff (Philadelphia International Records), Holland, Dozier, Holland (Motown).

Most of the Melody Rain musicians were schooled in secular music or pop/ R&B, soul, adult contemporary, etc. Several of the singers were schooled in gospel or other "church" music in which melodies are an important component. All of the musicians and singers were tapped because fellow producer Dik Shopteau and I believe that they were / are a good fit for the songs that became the recordings of Melody Rain.

Why the name Melody Rain? Many years ago, I was reading from a publication called Songtalk, published by The National Academy of Songwriters. An ongoing topic of discussion was the lack of melodies, or at least great melodies, in popular music at the time (about 1990). The great Paul Simon said that popular music was long past the era of melodies. He went on to say that people would forget about melodies and not hunger for them. He added that that they won't even know what a melody is.

I rhetorically ask, why diminish one of the basic components of music? Melodies. So, I hope that we have done a good or great job with melodies as well as lyrics, chord progressions, and rhythm too. Let the melodies rain or "reign."

Much selfless teamwork and synergy is necessary to accomplish the success and majesty of TV, film and music. Our motto: No ego! That was clearly the case here. Singers felt free to offer a change of lyric or melody. Musicians and singers had some great ideas that exceeded what were "scripted." Violins, woodwinds, horn parts were collaborative and exceeded what was scripted.

To reiterate and expand on previous comments, Melody Rain singers have a background in either pop, R & B / soul, or gospel music. Melody Rain musicians have a background playing in bands, orchestras, and as session players.

For instance, guitarist John McGhee was a member of LTD. He was also a session musician who played on Marvin Gaye's #1 Billboard hit "Got to Give it Up." He also recorded with Ike and Tina Turner, Gladys Knight, Diana Ross, Natalie Cole, et al.

Trumpeter Steve Strand recorded and performed with Prince for decades. He also recorded with The Jonas Brothers, Babyface, and Larry Graham (Sly and the Family Stone), and performed with Lenny Kravitz, Trisha Yearwood, Burt Bacharach, Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, the Minnesota Pops Orchestra and many others.

Pipa player Gao Hong is widely known across several continents, recording and performing with too many people to mention. She was honored with a French postage stamp in about 2024.

Violinist Carolyn Boulay has played with the San Antonio Symphony as well as Aaron Copland, Rock Star Supernova, Dave Brubeck, the Moody Blues, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Vince Gill and many others. She played on the #1 Billboard Mega hit "Funkytown" and recorded with Prince.

Dik Shopteau mixed Disney on Ice (50th anniversary) and The Allman Brothers 40th Anniversary CD, and does ongoing mixing work with Shaun LaBelle who has topped the UK contemporary jazz charts several times recently. In addition to engineering the Melody Rain recordings, he is a superb bass guitarist and played on all of the recordings.

Scottie Miller is a critically acclaimed musician, named Bluebird Reviews' Artist of the Year for his poetry collection and album Carnival Cocoon. He is also the keyboardist for 2025 Grammy Award winner Ruthie Foster. He has recently released his 13th solo album.

Dave Stanowski