I recently picked up a large stack of flexi-disc record greeting cards. As I was going through the stack, I noted two of them showed "performed and sung by a group of Aspen musicians, directed by Chris Cox and Richard Hathaway."
You never know where a Colorado record connection is going to show up.
These record greeting cards were produced by the Musicard Corporation / Vann Tone, out of California. There are no dates shown, but a few of the "non-Colorado connection" ones shows 1973 and 1977. Both have the same version of "The Happy Birthday Song."
Listen to "The Birthday Song"(4:00)
The song does not show any writer credits, nor does it give any credit to the female vocalist (if anyone can solve that mystery, please contact me).
Chris Cox was a longtime Aspen-area musician, who moved to the area in 1970. He died in 2005, at the age of 58. According to his obituary, he played with Bobby Mason, Dan Forde, Richard Hathaway, Brian DeWolf, Dave Johnson, Khristie Krantz, Jason Perrin, Tai Vare, Bobby Yang, Buddy Miles, Suzanne Paris and others.
Richard Hathaway was best known for his work as bassist and composer with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (1977–1982), and with Steve Martin (he appears as backing vocalist on Martin's 1978 hit "King Tut").
These are the only two Musicards I have found, so far, with the Cox/Hathaway connection.
Did you ever contact Richard Hathaway? I used to record with him in the '70s up to when he joined the Dirt Band around 1978-79. The last address I had for him was in Carbondale, CO.
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