Aerosmith - Sedona Sunrise

To the best of my recollection, "Sedona Sunrise" was started during the writing sessions for "Pump". It was an idea that Joe Perry had, and he showed it to me and Steven one day.

Joe and his wife Billie had recently spent time in Arizona, visiting Joe's mother. They were impressed with the serenity and beauty of the desert near Sedona, and Joe was inspired to write about it.

We did a bit of work on the song, but it wasn't completed at that time. Steven and Joe finished it later, possibly back home in Massachusetts. The track was never released, and I completely forgot about it.

Seventeen years later (September 2006) I got a call from the receptionist at Aerosmith's management office:

"Do you remember any un-released songs you wrote with Aerosmith?', she asked. I thought it was an odd question -- possibly even a "loaded" question -- but I answered to the best of my ability.

"Yes", I replied, "Legendary Child and Anybody Out There". Those were unreleased tracks from the "Get A Grip" sessions that immediately came to mind. But that wasn't the title she was looking for.

"Do you recall a song called Sedona something?", she prompted.

"Yeah! ... Sedona Sunrise!", I said, suddenly remembering the long-forgotten song.

This is how I learned that Sedona Sunrise had been resurrected and would be included on Aerosmith's "Devil's Got A New Disguise" album. In fact, the CD's were being manufactured the following week, and there was a panic to sort out the songwriting credits. Hence the cryptic phone call.

Considering how many years had passed, it was thoughtful and generous of Steven and Joe to remember my involvement in the song, and to share credit.

A few years later I received a similar but less diplomatic phone-call regarding Legendary Child.