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McKENZIE (November 3) — Derek Fields of McKenzie said he was honored to have a sold-out gathering at the intimate Cooper’s Café inside the new City Florist and More in downtown McKenzie.
On Saturday evening, Fields, on guitar, and Steve Cunningham on percussion, performed music written by the artist himself. Many of the tracts are on the CD “Without Permission,” while others had never been performed in public, said Fields.
A long journey took a huge turn for singer-songwriter and lifelong McKenzie resident Derek Fields two years ago when he was asked to play at a gathering at the home of the late Dr. Volker Winkler.
The local physician was so impressed with the musician that he offered to help him advance his career. Dr. Winkler would soon fulfill that offer by funding the studio time for Fields to record his debut album of original songs, Without Permission.
In an interview with The Banner, Fields said that it’s hard to put a label on his music, but settles on Americana. Influenced heavily by artists such as The Band and John Prine, his songs are a mix of blues, country, rock and soul, with an emphasis on the latter.
He calls himself “a songwriter first,” but spent many years only performing covers before finally dedicating all of his time to his original songs.
Prior to playing that fateful set at the Winkler gathering, Fields had won a songwriting contest at Bethel University, earning him the right to record one song in the school’s studio. After that, he had begun saving money for more time.
With Winkler’s contribution, Fields hit the studio immediately and began laying down the tracks that would become Without Permission.