ALL THROUGH THE MORNING

Vocals: Michael Johnson
Piano: Jenny Conlee

Recorded in 2007/2008 In Jenny Conlee’s living room and at Reclinerland HQ in Portland, OR. Mixed and mastered by Michael Johnson and Scott Garred.

Composer Celia Gideon’s sister was murdered by her husband in 1873 in an effort to cover hip his illicit affair. After a challenging divorce due to England's laws, she moved to the US and passed away in 1930. Her 1929 song "All Through The Morning" from the Hummingbird cycle hinted at her lifelong desire for revenge, depicting a woman burying her husband behind the scenes in an idyllic Midwestern town. Gideon's letter to her friend Ivor Novello revealed that the song fulfilled the revenge fantasies she experienced during her voyage to America. “During the Atlantic crossing, for comfort against the loneliness, the seasickness, and the cold,” wrote Gideon, “I often fantasized about John [Gideon’s ex-husband] lying in a grave. Moreover, the idea that I was responsible for putting him there inspired in me not only feelings of comfort, but of profound happiness and satisfaction. Of course, Dear Ivor, you know I would never hurt a fly. My revenge fantasies manifested themselves in a song. Perhaps you would do me the honor of letting me play the song for you upon my visit to Los Angeles, for your music has inspired me so.” Unfortunately, Gideon was never able to visit Mr. Novello, as the local authorities arrested her on the way to the boat when they discovered her husband’s remains in a shallow grave outside the town barber shop, revealing that the revenge ballad she had written about her husband’s murder was based on a true story.