A song for Bert Steele and the community

The Left Hand Grange became a recording studio Feb. 17 when local musician-songwriter Kevin Dooley along with a group of fellow musicians performed Dooley's original song titled "Be More Like Bert." The result is a joyful earworm of a tune with a very specific and also completely universal message.

The song was inspired by Bert Steele, owner of the Niwot Market, whose kind heart and great wisdom touched many lives in the community. Steele's passing in August of 2023 has left a big hole in the hearts of those who knew and interacted with him.

Dooley wrote the song to be performed at the dedication ceremony for Steele's memorial bench and flagstone path at the market in December 2023. The lyrics sprang from a combination of Bert's sage sayings engraved on the flagstones and Dooley's many years of friendship with Steele.

The song hit home with the attendees at the ceremony as they sang out the refrain, "Be More Like Bert." The tune speaks to Steele's actions and gives a nudge to the world to lean just a bit more toward doing right by our fellow human beings. It also captures his love of life through dancing, wrestling, and his beautiful red 1963 vintage Chevy truck.

The song was so well-received at the dedication ceremony that Dooley knew he should preserve it for the community. Reaching out to sound engineer James Tuttle, keyboardist Michael Tomich, fiddler Oliver Jacobson, bassist Chris Engelman, mandolin player Steve Mullins, and singer Jeanne McAdara, Dooley assembled this group of professional performers who were all in for the music and for the mission. The afternoon of the recording was the first time they all performed together as a band, although some of the musicians had played together in the past.

Dooley's original rendition of the song was a solo act which allows an artist to take a song wherever they'd like. But with a gathering of inspired artists, there were bound to be some surprises requiring synchronization. So the piece was interpreted, played in pieces, discussed, tweaked, and then played again in totality. Tuttle, chief engineer for Boulder's eTown performances, patiently waited as the performers applied their creativity and made decisions. The group hit the sweet spot a few hours in when the song was deemed ready for prime time.

"I am so pleased with the way this came together," Dooley said. "The musicians and sound engineer are such pros that we got a keeper take on the third live pass that totally captured the spirit."

Later in the afternoon, members of the Steele family and other folks from the community who knew Steele arrived at the Grange to sing their part – the chorus of the song. There were lots of hugs and there was also a fair share of apprehension about how things would go. With the recorded version playing, Dooley and singer McAdara mentored the attendees on exactly when and how to chime in.

The heartfelt vocals and buoyant music filled the room making emotions run high as the impassioned singers felt their adoration for Bert Steele and a hope that the song would inspire others to carry on in the footsteps of his caring and supportive ways.

"Recording live is a challenge, but this session seemed meant to be," Dooley said. "The addition of the town choir of voices was the icing on the cake."

A few days after the live wrap up, Niwot resident Pete Wernick, former force behind the bluegrass group Hot Rize, met up with Tuttle and overdubbed with his banjo and lap steel guitar, helping to fill out the song even more.

There's still some remastering left to do on the song and the final rendition is expected to be available for free soon along with a video of the recording day. Additional information on how to listen, save, and enjoy the recording will be made available in the Courier in the near future.

Dooley summarized the evolution of the song by saying, "This has been a wonderful experience for me, from the writing through the recording, and I always kept Bert's smile in mind. He had a definite hand in the finished product."