Article: Men make music against meth

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Men make music against meth

'A Father's Prayer' aims to spare other families from grief of abuse

CRYSTAL BOLNER
Statesman Journal


December 15, 2004

Dwayne Gaddie and Pat Robinson write and sing country music. Not surprisingly, they croon the usual country song themes of love, rejection, booze and what it means to be down and out.

The music comes from the stories of their lives.

In recent years, both men had children with drug problems. The drug of choice: methamphetamine.

That has led Gaddie and Robinson to record their latest CD, "A Father's Prayer," which talks about the effects of drugs on an addict's family and the pitfalls of meth.

Gaddie's stepson, Daniel Wayne Kirkland, 36, was convicted in 1999 of killing a Salem taxi driver while he was high on methamphetamine. Kirkland is serving 25 years in prison.

Robinson's daughter, Tricia Robinson, 25, was arrested on theft charges in April for stealing jewelry she had planned to sell to buy methamphetamine.

Both men said they hope that the music they make about their experiences with meth addicts will help others avoid the drug.

"As a parent, you feel responsible for what happened. It's a thought that never goes away," Gaddie said.

The men say that much of today's music glorifies the drug culture, so they hope their blunt lyrics that talk about shooting up and snorting meth will scare people away from trying drugs.

"I just don't want anybody to ever have to go through this," Robinson said.

Robinson's daughter, who now lives in a halfway house and is trying to get her life back in order without drugs, said that hearing the songs has made her think of the pain she has caused her family because of her drug habit.

"When I listen to it, it breaks my heart because I put my dad through so much. It makes me feel really sad," Tricia Robinson said. "I did a lot to him that I regret. ... I'm trying to make it up to him, but I don't know that I ever can."

She used to steal money and music equipment from her dad -- anything she could get her hands on for drugs.

In the title track on "A Father's Prayer," Robinson sings: "She brought me so much joy when she was young. Now she only brings me tears. She runs with those who just don't understand just what you hold in store. She'll lie and steal to buy her drugs. Father, we just can't take no more."

Gaddie and Robinson are not new to the music scene. They've been playing for years.

Gaddie, who lives in Keizer, is a 62-year-old retired electrician. When he was a teenager, he played in his first band, the Oklahoma Ramblers. As the San Francisco native grew up, he played in many other bands from here to California. He has fond memories playing in one with his stepson, who shared his love of music.

Now behind bars, his stepson, Kirkland, was unavailable for an interview.

But Gaddie said he still visits him in jail and thinks everyday about what might have been had his son never gotten into drugs.

Robinson, 60, of Salem, is a former mechanic who was long active in organizing benefit concerts in the Salem area and playing his acoustic guitar. He spent many years touring with the Nashville Rebel Country Roadshow and continues to write music.

The songs are a mix between country and rock, touching on subjects such as loneliness, regret and the frustration that results when drugs have more power than a parent's persuasion.

Robinson and Gaddie have joined forces with the No Meth -- Not in My Neighborhood campaign, an anti-drug task force looking to tackle the Salem-Keizer area methamphetamine epidemic.

Proceeds from their new CD will go toward Oregon Foster Parents Association, a nonprofit, for-youth drug education group.

cbolner@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 589-6967

Copyright 2004 Statesman Journal, Salem, Oregon

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On the CD

Pat Robinson and Dwayne Gaddie compiled a music CD about methamphetamine and its effects on families.

The CD, titled "A Father's Prayer," can be purchased at the Oregon Foster Parents Association. To buy one, call (503) 361-3906 or Gaddie and Robinson at Double Draw Publishing, (503) 871-0599.