LEE CAGLE has been playing mountain dulcimer since 1988. In addition to performing in various venues throughout the Southeast, Lee teaches dulcimer, bowed psaltery and beginning autoharp, is the author of a book for beginning players, and produces instructional CDs and arrangements for the mountain dulcimer. Lee is the co-founder and president of The Memphis Dulcimer Gathering, Inc., a non-profit corporation dedicated to educating the public about dulcimer and folk music through workshops, lectures, performances and an annual festival. 

Water is one of the most powerful forces on earth. It surrounds us in the womb and sustains us in life. It is pure, clear, simple. In its unending patience, water can dissolve rock into dirt and erode jagged mountains into smooth mounds, crowned with trees. In its fury, water can flood cities in minutes and destroy what took man generations to assemble.

We, as human beings, cannot separate ourselves from water. Approximately seventy (70) percent of the human body is composed of water. Fruits and vegetables contain up to ninety (90) percent water, and meats and cheeses contain at least fifty (50) percent water. Water spans all three states of matter – liquid, solid, gas. Seventy (70) to seventy-five (75) percent of the earth’s surface is covered by water. Glaciers cover ten (10) percent of the earth. And water vapor continually surrounds us in the air and clouds.

In changing to wine and being walked upon, water has sparked debates that have lasted over 2000 years and spawned countless wars. The water of baptism changes lives; it cleanses sins and souls, clearing the path for the Holy Spirit.

Water's coolness refreshes when we are hot, and its warmth soothes when we are cold.  In the heat of the desert, the smallest droplets of water can make the difference between life and death. On the cheeks of a child, the smallest droplets of water can break a heart.

When Betty and I met and began making music together, we started by trying to find common ground in songs that we both knew. It struck us at some point the number of songs we knew that contained the theme of water. Thus began our journey in compiling "The Water is Wide."

And what a tremendous journey it has been! Through the music and this project, we have joined talents and hearts, forged friendships and been blessed in more ways that we can name.

Living in Memphis, along the banks of one of the most prominent bodies of water on earth (that water is surely wide!), it was only natural that our compilation should emphasize water. The Church Health Center and its outreach mission to provide healthcare and health education for the working uninsured in the Memphis community are like living waters coursing throughout the City of Memphis.

When Betty and I approached Butch Odom of CHC with the project idea, his response was overwhelming. The support and encouragement of Butch and Ann Langston have been invaluable. News of the project quickly flowed, like water, throughout CHC, and the response of others within the organization was energizing.

When I mentioned the project to Steve Newman and asked if he would be willing to play guitar on the album, he immediately picked up a guitar and said, "Let’s practice one of the songs you want to do."  What a wonderful person!

And, like a cool, refreshing mountain stream pouring down from the hills, the project flowed on.....

The next step was a call to John Albertson to ask his help with the recording. He not only quickly agreed to donate his time and his studio, but he also volunteered to play on some of the tracks. His multi-faceted talent on many different instruments has added depth and richness to several of the tracks.

Jennifer D. Robison has dedicated her artful eye to providing the photography and graphics for the cover of "The Water is Wide."

Indeed, the water is wide. But the wide embrace of music and friendship from those who have supported Betty and me through this project is wider still.