Incredible Friday night with the Koinonia MVP team. It was one of the few times I think you can bring together a bunch of volunteers for a meeting, be there for over three hours, and nobody gets cranky to leave after a short while. Kudos to Wendell & Todd for making it an evening well spent.

Among the highlights was watching Wendell lead a mini praise & worship of three songs, including two of his. One of the songs was those we had in the WendellTunes released back in October. "Greatly Rejoice" has a catchy background chorus that, I'm proud to say, we volunteers (and amateur singers) managed to execute pretty faithfully to the original. And just for a comparison, here's another listen for the old version. Wendell's acoustic treatment of it was a nice touch, making it sound a bit more timeless. Maybe after a review of the original, folks will understand Wendell calling this song something akin to Yiddish Disco.

And lest I forget ... the photo is courtesy of Dale, whom I'm glad to report now knows how to email photos from his phone.

Every last one of 'em ...

I promised extra treats ... I don't disappoint. As a logical extension of Wendell having a decent career as a recording artist, it only makes sense that there would be an album cover or two. Here's three of the covers. eBay didn't have a listing for Shinin' Through the Rain and the only image located for Heart of Eternity is a tiny one.

If I live past the next Koinonia gathering, be sure to ask me about starting a collection of original Wendell Burton albums.

In any event, Wendell's latest work is up over at his current music site. Be sure to check it out, complete with a more authentic photo of the modern-day Wendell that we all know and love.

Well, here we are on a very special day ... the last and final Wendell Burton twofer. Oh, there's more tunes in the vault, but quite frankly, twenty of them is more than enough to savor for now. What makes this duo of tunes so special is that it represents the first tune off of Wendell's first album in 1978 and the final tune from his last album in 1985. In short, these are the bookends of but one of Wendell's many talented careers. Fortunately for us, his current career as a Lakewood pastor has a longer shelflife. Enjoy these tunes for now. I'll have a little extra surprise later in the day. Tomorrow, you can look for the little jukebox toy to appear on the sidebar of this fair blog with the full assortment of WendellTunes.

MP3s, again, are here and here. Collect them all.

Double Wow ... here's another excellent reason to take in Celebrate Recovery on a Friday night. Wendell Burton will be joining the praise & worship section for a solo tune.

The comeback begins!!!

Wow ... one more day left of WendellTunes. Can you feel the excitement for tomorrow's wrap-up? Well you should. One standalone tune for the day ... "Little Blue Eyes" from the 1985 release, Heart of Eternity. Tomorrow has a few extra special surprises in addition to the last two songs to release. If you've got a favorite and want to share your endorsment of a WendellTune of choice, feel free to email me or just drop a comment.

As always, MP3s are freely available. Hoard them all and listen to them repeatedly.

It's Tuesday and we have tunes left on the Wendell Burton Greatest Hits package. A little soft balladry and a little bit of ... well, something interesting for ya, too. Rock on:

MP3s are here and here. Savor them.

Continuing our little two week adventure through the musical career of Lakewood's own Wendell Burton, here's the latest entry - "Arise, Shine" from the 1985 release, Heart of Eternity.

As always, MP3s are free.

Since I may just as well be slammed with work on Sunday, why leave anything to chance? Here's the twofor promised yesterday, plus the twofer planned for Sunday. Rock on ... softly, that is. Wendell Burton, ladies and gentlemen:

Want some MP3s? come and get 'em!

Six tunes left. We wrap up Thursday, and I'll release the uber-playlist of Wendell's entire Greatest Hits package Friday. It'll remain up until someone at Rhino Records realizes there's a fortune to be made on a commercial re-release ;-)

Yeah, so the day job is hectic. How bout we spin a twofer of WendellTunes tomorrow?

Two more for the musically-inclined:

"It's Your Love" is off of Wendell's second album, Shinin' Through the Rain. "Just Like You" is from the third album, Closer. We're now halfway through our collection of WendellTunes. Still loads of good stuff to come over the next week.

Be sure to save the MP3s (here and here) if you need something to play while away from the PC. And again, be sure to check Wendell's more recent work here.

And now for something entirely different ...

Who knew Wendell could lead off with some acappella? Again, MP3s aplenty. This one's from Wendell's 1983 album, Closer. Whatever one (I) might be inclined to say about this song being a little "dated" in style, the background chorus is kinda catchy. Anyways ... enjoy!

Why not another two-pack of WendellTunes for a Tuesday?

MP3s are here and here. They're from Wendell's 3rd and 4th release, respectively. Enjoy.

Chugging right along with the whole WendellTunes series, here's Monday's tunage: "Only Be Strong" from the 1983 release, Closer. Some of the Randy Newman influence is definitely on display here. At least Wendell doesn't make fun of short people in this one ...

As always, MP3s freely abound.

It's Sunday ... so let's play two. One I love and one I'm not so sure of. You listen and decide where you stand on each, though.

MP3s here and here.

"Shinin' Through the Rain" is the title track of Wendell's second album, released in 1979. "The Battle Is Already Won" is from his 1983 release, Closer. I have to admit a lot of these songs are growing on me. But then again, I got into a lot of weird music back in this era ... most of it to avoid listening to disco.

Yesterday, we introduced the concept of WendellTunes by rolling out a personal favorite from the recording career of Lakewood's own, Wendell Burton. Today, we reach back to the first album, Wendell, for the closing track - "Wonderful." So ease back, get into your Poco, America, Loggins & Messina type of mood, and crank up the good news ...

Here's the MP3 in case you want to load up the iPod. And, as always, if you want to listen in on some of Wendell's latest tunes, you can do that too.

After posting a picture of a then-shaggy maned Pastor Wendell, I figured it'd be a long long time before I had enough leeway to take a cheap shot like that again. Among the best kept secrets is that Wendell Burton not only had a nice run in the theatrical arts, but also cutting records on Pat Boone's label back in the early days of "Jesus Music." Straddling the early 80s, the style can take a little getting used to. Fortunately for me, my first albums were from 1978 and I'm still fond of them. So it was an easy task for me.

I'll get through all of the tunes Wendell blessed me with, but I thought I'd start off with a solo shot - one really good song that stuck with me after spinning them all. I'll be releasing these tunes roughly one or two per day, so check back often for a musical fix. There's twenty in all and Wendell was kind enough to suggest I make them available for download. So I'll do that as well ... at least until he realizes the millions that could be made from repackaging these into a mass market Greatest Hits collection.

"Your Love Flows On" is the first song that sticks with me. Great guitar hook running throughout it, so I'm sold. This one was from Wendell's last album, Heart of Eternity, released in 1985. The album also marks another shot of coolness in my book due to the fact that one of the guitar-players credited on the album is Dann Huff. Bit of music trivia here ... that's a HUGE name. Most music trivia buffs might agree to that based on Huff's credits as a hit producer, cranking out great albums by rock and country artists alike. For my taste, I think it's pretty cool because I remember Dann's days in Whiteheart and in the more commercial band, Giant. Back then, he was just a superb studio guitarist who showed up on scores of other albums.

Oh yeah, and Wendell ain't so bad himself. Check it out ...



Want the MP3? Here ya go! And if you want to listen in on some of Wendell's latest tunes, you can do that too.