Much has been covered in the news media about the rapid rise of The C.R. Ecker Band since it officially launched in mid-Summer, 2011, "like a rocket" in the words of country host Buck McCoy of the Independent Music Network. But Charles Ecker's journey along the dusty, musty music trail really began in the mid-80s after he joined The Los Angeles Songwriters Showcase. He came close, four years into his adventure, with a potential deal with Alan Jackson's group on "When God Created You" for Jackson's second album but mistakenly balked at only being offered 25% of the full take on a song he wrote and recorded. In his words, "big error in judgment on my part not to accept the offer." It has been played in full form, by the way, in that original version for over two years now in over 100 countries, including a 12 month run on Internet Giant Renegade Radio Nashville. (What you will hear on this playlist is a complete redo of the song in acoustic casting.) So all but one of the songs you hear in this "unplugged" compilation were picked up by a suburban country publisher outside the Music City core, and after five years, with nothing happening and even less on the horizon by this so-called music industry insider for his songs, Ecker went to fetch them and brought them back to Los Angeles. His "kids" - "No Turnin' Back," I Believe in You," Heartless," Your Smile Says it All," "One More Night with You" "Our Fence Needs Mendin" and "When God Created You" returned home to rise another time, in this case during the age of digital music. And here they are in their basic forms for you to enjoy, featuring the voices of Michael Stanton, Gigi Worth and Buck Young, the latter the band's first lead singer. All, by the way, except "Heartless"and "I'm Thinkin of an Old Friend Today," are featured in full mastered form in the album released in mid-January, 2015 -- "Down the Back 40: Risin' Sun." Last word on "Friend." It has been the band's fourth best seller on iTunes for well over a year. But it laments the loss of Charlie's only dog, Chubbie, a black Labrador/German Shepard mix who was his best friend while they walked this earth together between 1977 and 1987. "Heart hurts but I smile" is the key phrase in this song, and listen closely and you will hear his little "daughter" at the end for posterity. He says he wants people to listen to it. "Just think they should know a little bit about it before they do."