The Rose

Charlie's cousin, Kathy Castner, has never been an actual member of The Flood, but she has sung with the band frequently.

Now, of course, she's too shy for some reason to get up on stage with us, but we can talk her into singing in small, informal groups, like the one that gathered the Bowen House last night when Kathy came in for a little visit from her home near Cincinnati.

This song -- "The Rose" -- is the first tune that Kathy and Charlie ever sang together. They worked out an arrangement some 30 years ago to perform at a wedding.

Here's video Pamela captured of the moment last night, and as a special treat, we got to dedicate the song to our friend Rose Marie Riter who was among the listeners in the room.

About the Song

Written by Amanda McBroom, “The Rose” is the song that Bette Midler made famous when she recorded it for her 1979 film of the same name in which the song played during the closing credits.

Curiously, the song was not written for the film. As McBroom recalled, "I wrote it in 1977 or 1978, and I sang it occasionally in clubs.” She wrote it in response to her manager's suggestion that she write "some Bob Seger-type tunes" to expedite a record deal: McBroom obliged by writing "The Rose" in 45 minutes.

Midler won the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for “The Rose,” beating out formidable competition from Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer.

"The Rose" did not receive a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Despite not having been recorded prior to the soundtrack of the film The Rose, the song had not been written for the film. According to McBroom, Oscar officials inquired of her if the song had been written for the movie, and McBroom answered honestly (that it had not). McBroom did, however, win the Golden Globe for Best Original Song for the film.