![\"Uptown](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/01\/Chris-Hassett-1.jpg\" "\\"Chris")
<\/a> Singer-songwriter Chris Hassett, a North Park resident, is dedicating his future to what he says is his true path \u2013 the path of music he has followed for 30 years. Only now, that path is clearer and he has a tangible product. Last month on the eve of his 60th birthday, the openly gay baby boomer released his first CD, \u201cBring Love Home.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cBring Love Home\u201d is a 15-song collection recorded during a live performance in May 2009 at the First Unitarian Universalist church of San Diego.<\/p>\n
The CD includes many of Hassett\u2019s original compositions, such as \u201cInto the Light,\u201d which captures his bedside goodbye to his partner, Dan, who died of AIDS in 1991, as well as a humorous piece called \u201cEl Centro\u201d that is set to the tune of Marty Robbins\u2019 \u201cEl Paso.\u201d<\/p>\n
A handful of pop classics are on the CD as well, including Leonard Cohen\u2019s \u201cHallelujah.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hassett\u2019s own lyrics reveal his worldview, politics and personal life.<\/p>\n
From 1987 through the mid-90\u2019s he performed a series of \u201cFriends and Lovers\u201d concerts that included other San Diego musicians \u2013 Mary Barranger, pianist for the San Diego Symphony, and pianist Kay Etheridge and singer Peggy Watson.<\/p>\n
\u201cWorking with other musicians is an unrivaled joy in my life,\u201d Hassett said.<\/p>\n
Another example of his quite-personal lyrics is found on \u201cA Woman Is My Friend.\u201d In the song he acknowledges that women, starting with his mother followed by girlfriends in his childhood, have always been his best friends.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeriously,\u201d he said, \u201cI think gay men have a lot to teach all men about friendship and respect for women.\u201d<\/p>\n
One of his current women friends and fans, Nancy Bamberger, who met Chris when both were employed at the Center for Communications at San Diego State University in the mid-80\u2019s, said, \u201cChris knew back in the 80\u2019s that his real passion was music. Wherever he was he was always singing. \u2026 He is the real deal and his concerts bring the house down. He touches my heart each time I see him perform. I\u2019m thrilled with the new energy Chris is pouring into his music.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hassett\u2019s musical muses and heroes have included the Beatles, Leonard Cohen, James Taylor, Paul Simon and songwriter John Prine.<\/p>\n
These musicians, he said, are \u201cthose not afraid to reach inside and pull out veins and heartstrings.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hassett grew up with music. His dad, a career military man, was also a disc jockey between World War II and rejoining the Air Force in 1950. The family home was filled with the music of Bobby Darin, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra and Sarah Vaughan.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy earliest memories of music are hearing Dad sing,\u201d Hassett said, \u201cand listening constantly to other great singers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hassett wrote poetry as a child. But it was not until he was around 30 that he started writing words with his music. Today, he said, words and music come to him at the same time.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen I\u2019ll reach for a guitar or the piano. Music and melody bring the words alive,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Hassett studied for a master\u2019s degree in radio and TV at SDSU, and has worked recently in freelance marketing, public relations and writing for the web \u2013 skills that are useful to him now as he promotes his own creative endeavors.<\/p>\n
He said he sees himself as a modern-day troubadour. In addition to the Unitarian Universalist church, Hassett has performed his own and others\u2019 songs at various San Diego churches. He has done benefits for the Hillcrest Youth Center, a women\u2019s shelter and the AIDS Assistance Fund.<\/p>\n
Hassett will perform March 7 at the Universal Spirit Center in Hillcrest and on March 14 at the Orange Coast Unitarian Universalist Church in Costa Mesa.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a time in my life when I\u2019m putting music front and center,\u201d he said, referring to his recent birthday.<\/p>\n
Hassett plans to release one CD a year, with a holiday theme and a CD of standards at the top of his list.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want my songs to communicate heart to heart,\u201d he said. \u201cA community of hearts can turn the world around. The CD is a tangible product, but a product of the heart \u2013 a physical expression of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis path is going to take me all the way out \u2013 with surprises along the way,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
For more information about Hassett and his recordings, go to www.chrishassett.com.<\/p>\n
Karen Kenyon is a freelance writer and author. She teaches at UCSD-X and MiraCosta College.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Singer brings love home to San Diego with new recording by Karen Kenyon Freelance writer Singer-songwriter Chris Hassett, a North Park resident, is dedicating his future to what he says is his true path \u2013 the path of music he has followed for 30 years. Only now, that path is clearer and he has a […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":243158,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11555","_seopress_titles_title":"Uptown Singer Songwriter Chris Hassett","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11549,11551,11555],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-243157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-entertainment","category-news","category-uptown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=243157"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243157\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/243158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=243157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=243157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=243157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}