HOORAY
HOORAY is the name of the album. There are 15 new Donnie Purnell songs, that’s me. I want you to hear them. I’m so proud of these songs. The album is produced by Bob Halligan Jr. Bob and I have been friends and writing partners since 1984. Bob is a super talent. I knew it the first time we met at Screen Gems publishing in New York. Bob was a staff writer at Screen Gems with songs recorded by Cher, Judas Priest, Kiss, Joan Jett, Blue Oyster Cult and more. We wrote together for the first time at Screen Gems. We clicked! We went on to write some of the most popular KIX songs, including DON’T CLOSE YOUR EYES, #11 on Billboard Top 40, COLD CHILLS, used in the motion picture WAYNE’S WORLD, and MIDNITE DYNAMITE for LETHAL WEAPON, FOX TV, and DON’T CLOSE YOUR EYES in the motion picture DEAD ANT. I’m glad Richard Steinburg at ATLANTIC convinced me to try cowriting with Bob Halligan. We share the love of rock n roll music. We understand each other and admire each other. We are a proven success. We’ve been friends ever since.
For years I had a plan to contact Bob and ask him to produce my songs. If he couldn’t do it for any reason, I would understand, but it would be disappointing. Bob was recording his new CEILI RAIN album, but he found a way to do both DONNIE PURNELL and CEILI RAIN during Covid. What a guy. I was thrilled. I never had a plan B. So that’s what we did, 21st century style remote recording. My friend John Moore engineered all of my tracks at my studio. We started by John and I recording 20 new songs. I played acoustic and electric guitars. John lent me all of his electric guitars from his collection. I recorded bass tracks, keyboards, harmonica and all of my vocals with John engineering in my studio. We had fun just like recording music is supposed to be. Bob added his tracks in NY at his studio with his engineer Jeremy Johnston. We worked together just like old times. It sounds great and it’s a great feeling.
Bob can play anything and sing anything. We share guitar and bass credits throughout the album. Wait until you hear his piano chops and his organ riffs. Luckily Bob said he would produce my songs. I wasn’t going for any big production. I said to Bob, “Just you and me and a drum machine”. Bob insisted on Robbie Spagnoletti playing drums and percussion. Wow, what a talent. Robbie is a studio drummer who really plays to the song. My favorite drummers are Ringo Star, Charlie Watts, and Mick Fleetwood. I wanted that same creative style and realistic drum sounds that I love hearing on my favorite songs from those drummers. Robbie sounds great. I smile when I listen to HOORAY on my earbuds and in my car. The sound is clear and natural. We went for the clean, natural, honest studio sounds of the past, not processed power tracks. I told Bob that when some people listen to some of the different styles and rhythms on HOORAY they’re going to say, “wow, he really went off the deep end this time”. Bob replied, “Yeah, but you can swim out there”. So we did and we all had a great time. You can hear it.
COME SUMMER GIRL was released on JUNE 1st, 2023! “Hope you remember to meet me at the pier”. A second single, Where I Fly, was released on June 15th, 2023. The entire 15 song album, HOORAY, was released on July 1st, 2023. HOORAY!