A Lil Birthday Story for Deanna Bogart

Happy birthday, Miss Ellaneous B! It’s a silly private joke, that Miss Ellaneous B name. When Tower Records was forced to close its doors in 2006, owing largely to the Internet and big-box stores, I made a few pilgrimages to the original location in Sacramento before its sad and final day. There in the Blues bin were a lot more artist divider cards than CDs. One of them: Deanna Bogart’s. So I took it up to the register along with a stack of music and asked the tatted, spiked and Gothy clerk if I could have it. She looked at me as though I were an oddity. I felt it necessary to explain. “She’s a friend of mine. And I know she’d appreciate this being from Tower and all.” “WHAT? She is a friend of yours? You mean…you know her? You know her? Really?” “Uhhh, yes. We met in a mudslide a few years back in Montego Bay. And we’ve been friends ever since.” The next time I saw Deanna, I gave her the divider card and told her the story and we had a good laugh. The greatest part of all this is the fact that Deanna had her own Tower divider card. “You know,” she said, “they usually put me in Miscellaneous B. My own card with my name on it. Wow!” Humble and grateful. Warm and genuine. Exceedingly talented. That’s our Deanna! HAPPY BIRTHDAY from us all, Miss B! And many happy returns!