Singer/Songwriter Judy Paster is excited to announce the release of her highly personal and widely-relatable heartfelt single, “With A Kiss.” The song, a collaboration with Symphonic Distribution, is a touching tribute to Paster’s late father who suffered from dementia. It was co-written with Nashville tunesmith Bill DiLuigi, produced, engineered and mixed by Bill McDermott, and was recorded at OmniSound Studios in Nashville.
“’With A Kiss’ has a universal message that will speak to hearts everywhere. It is a true and tender love story between a man who loses his memory, with the love of his life, whom he continues to communicate with through the puckering of his lips, long after his voice & memory are gone,” reflects Paster. The song was originally released in 2019 as part of Paster’s Like Stardust album, but never received deserved recognition; especially in these times with so many people either living with or having lost loved ones to the debilitating and heartbreaking disease of dementia.
Crafted from real-life experience and raw emotion, “With A Kiss” is simple but poignant, much like a prayer. Every word counts. The song perfectly blends the musical genres of country, Americana, bluegrass, and folk. Production is sweet yet powerful and reflects the undeniable fifty-year love between Paster’s father and mother. Add to this, Paster’s uniquely transparent vocals and angelic harmonies, with the crying of pedal steel and this song touches your inner soul.
Paster’s Dad was a businessman who served in the US Army and a graduate of Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. After moving from Paster’s childhood home into a condominium, her Dad went for a short walk and became confused, unable to find his way home. That is when her mother first noticed something was wrong.
Her father’s situation progressed and health declined. Her dad had a long, drawn-out battle, after being diagnosed with Dementia and later Parkinson’s disease. In the later stages, after his speech and memory disappeared, a unique thing transpired…whenever her mother would come and go, her father would pucker up for a kiss, just as he had always done.
A few years after Paster’s father passed, she was returning home to Nashville from visiting her mother. While on the flight from Philadelphia, she started to pen some of the lyrics to what would become “With A Kiss” recognizing she had a story to share, “This song, ‘With A Kiss,’ is for anyone that’s ever cared for or lost someone to Dementia, Alzheimer’s, or any other condition that affects the brain, the speech/motor skills, etc…. and it is especially for my Mom who kept my Dad at home and took care of him during this journey.”
“Daddy liked key lime pie
And holding Mama’s hand
Met her on the boardwalk
By the Southern Jersey sand
He was faithful to her
And the country that he served
He sure loved Sinatra
Back when he knew all the words
He knew all the words
Time took his memory
Mama watched him fade away
But there’s one thing his heart would not forget
At every hello and goodbye
He puckered up and shut his eyes
And waited for the touch of her lips
He was still in there
He always came back
With a kiss
Cookouts in the backyard
With his one boy and two girls
A Pennsylvania willow tree
In a picture-perfect world
Long before the years were cruel
And stole his strength and voice
They put down roots
He always knew
The love of Grace and Roy
Of Grace and Roy
Time took his memory
Mama watched him fade away
But there’s one thing his heart would not forget
At every hello and goodbye
He puckered up and shut his eyes
And waited for the touch of her lips
He was still in there
He always came back
With a kiss
He showed up for a moment
When he saw her face
She must have looked like home to him
From that faraway place
Time took his memory
Mama watched him fade away
But there’s one thing his heart would not forget
At every hello and goodbye
He puckered up and shut his eyes
And waited for the touch of her lips
He was still in there
He always came back
With a kiss
With a kiss
With a kiss”
Paster is currently in the studio finishing up her new album scheduled to be released in the spring of 2024. To keep up with the latest news on Judy Paster including new music and tour dates, visit her Website, Instagram, Facebook,Spotify, and YouTube.
ABOUT JUDY PASTER:
Nashville-based, Pennsylvania-grown country Americana artist and songwriter Judy Paster breathes life back into the timeless roots music genre. Her music reminds us why the truth-seeking, bohemian lifestyle bred by Americana/folk story-telling continues to thrive. Since making the move to Music City, Paster has garnered several music awards including the 2021 Josie Music Award for “Folk/Americana Artist of the Year,” and a Canadian Covenant Award as a co-writer of the “Jazz Blues Song of the Year.” She has written and shared the stage with some of Nashville’s top award-winning hit songwriters including, Brian White (“Watching You”), Steve Dean (“Round About Way”), and Wil Nance (“She’s Everything”), John Ford Coley of the iconic super-duo, England Dan & John Ford Coley, and performed at Nashville’s most prestigious venues including The Bluebird Cafe, 3rd & Lindsley, and The Listening Room Cafe and songwriters festivals across the US. Most recently, Paster signed a music distribution deal with Symphonic Distribution. Paster is currently nominated for four 2023 Josie Music Awards – Americana/Folk/Roots Artist of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, and Americana/Folk/Roots Song & Video of the Year for her last single, “Chop Wood, Carry Water.” Paster’s song “Christmas Crush” (co-written with Bill DiLuigi and Corey Lee Barker) will be featured in soon-to-be-titled Lifetime TV movie this 2023 holiday season. Paster has performed live on Grand Ole Opry Radio and has been played on Americana and country radio worldwide. Her current music videos, “Chop Wood, Carry Water,” and “The Ride” are currently in rotation on The Country Network and Heartland TV reaching millions of households.
