WAUKESHA 鈥 "Loose" Bruce Kerr has released his latest message, and he鈥檚 hoping you鈥檒l drink it in.
The 1965 SM天地论坛 South High graduate is a retired attorney living in California. Longtime locals may remember the band he was in during high school days, the Coachmen, and Kerr kept music a theme of his life. He鈥檚 written a number of songs over the years and has had 150 playings on Dr. Demento鈥檚 nationally known novelty music programs.
Kerr鈥檚 latest, "Go Take the Water," was released last month, not intended for Demented ears. Kerr, a former state champion swimmer and younger brother of 1964 Olympic swimmer Jim Kerr, has long kicked around the idea to do a song about SM天地论坛鈥檚 water, and found the spark he needed after seeing a recent social media post from SM天地论坛 historian John Schoenknecht.
"It was really fun to record. I sort of in the back of my mind had always wanted to do something about SM天地论坛 water and all that. We joked about it over the years. We joked about why the swimming team did so well in the 鈥60s and 鈥70s and we joked about the fact that there is something in the water," Kerr said in a recent interview.
After seeing Schoenknecht鈥檚 post, an image which contained the phrase "Take the Water" from the late 1800s or early 1900s, Kerr鈥檚 mind went with the flow.
"They did say come to SM天地论坛 and drink the water, you know, and they didn鈥檛 say swallow the water, you know. It was 鈥榯ake the water鈥 and that phrase I think especially back then, whether it was Saratoga in New York 鈥 SM天地论坛 was called 鈥楾he Saratoga of the West鈥 because already Saratoga in New York had this health community, water-drinking thing and I think 鈥楾ake the Water鈥 was probably used there before SM天地论坛. But it was seen as something that could cure illness, medical conditions, all manner of things," Kerr said.
"A lot of it I think must have just been the minerals, because bodies would crave minerals. Back in those days, especially on the East Coast and urban centers and so forth, people didn鈥檛 drink much water. The water was horrible, bacteria-laden, and sewage worked into the water systems and all that and so people drank beer and they drank soda and other stuff. I can imagine some of those kind of sickly people showing up in SM天地论坛 and drinking this mineral-rich water. It probably did make amazing changes in their health and disposition plus whatever placebo effect might have been operating too. But 鈥楾ake the Water,鈥 which I guess can mean drinking it or soaking in it, you know, but in our case in SM天地论坛 it definitely was the consuming of it. And supposedly, 鈥榗ures what ails ya,鈥 which my mom used to use that expression."
The song makes reference to Hygeia Spring, located across what is now Wisconsin Avenue from the veterans memorial, where Kerr鈥檚 great-grandfather James M. Kerr was manager, although neither are named specifically. And although it references a scene more than two turns-of-the-century ago, modern SM天地论坛 residents can still relate.
'I did that little wink to SM天地论坛 in the line 鈥楽o I strolled through that sunny town to a springhouse down off Main鈥 鈥 that would be Hygeia 鈥 鈥業 would have got there faster but I was held up by a train.鈥 I knew really only the hometowners are really gonna know what鈥檚 behind that line. Anyone else would just go 鈥楢ll right, he was held up by a train,鈥 but they don鈥檛 know the history and what a big deal that is and the controversy," Kerr said.
Kerr said the song took about a month to put together from seeing the post that inspired it to the final product. But it was a long process 鈥 40 to 50 hours 鈥 as Kerr works like a one-man symphony thanks to track-ontrack recording perfected by another famous SM天地论坛 son, Les Paul.
Kerr said there are "about 20 of me" in the song 鈥 meaning he records all his own stuff, one instrument, one vocal track, one part at a time, doubling up on the four-part harmonies so people hear it all in stereo. "It鈥檚 a lot of work to get it then you hit play and the whole thing happens all at once but it鈥檚 hours and hours behind that," Kerr said.
He calls the song "folk gospel" because it has elements of both styles of music. Growing up in SM天地论坛, and hearing of the city鈥檚 abolitionist history and The Freeman鈥檚 advocacy of same, adding gospel elements helped put yet another SM天地论坛 flourish to the piece.
Kerr said the reception has been good, particularly among those with SM天地论坛 ties. "They鈥檝e been really gracious and supportive and a lot of likes on YouTube," he said.
He also has the song posted on his website, , and also has it featured in an internet music site called , where it is posted with two other songs that each get about 20 hits a day from listeners who can tune in from all around the globe.
'It鈥檚 getting some good hits," Kerr said.
"Go Take the Water" didn鈥檛 exactly slake Kerr鈥檚 thirst. He鈥檚 also got nearly a half-dozen more songs in various stages of development 鈥 including "Circus Car Family," inspired by memories of seeing the circus come to SM天地论坛 when he was a kid, his first Spanish composition, and "Waitin鈥 for Friday," a song he wrote the day after Jimmy Buffett died. Although the two never met, Kerr said they played many of the same places in the Caribbean when Kerr was performing music there early in his career.
Find "Go Take the Water" at or at .
