The album's concept is a musical journey down legendary Route 66 with the fictional couple Bud & Irma Akendorf. This concept was partially conceived after discovering an LP hanging on the wall of their rehearsal hall. The LP, which was released in the early 1960s and entitled Songs of the Heart, was by a singing gospel duo by the name of Bob and Elsa Beckendorf. The cover featured the couple pictured in Oak Creek Canyon. The band, inspired by the cover, decided to explore the lives of a fictional couple, which they named Bud and Irma Akendorf. The released cover of D.A.'s Songs of the Heart is an exact copy of the original LP by the Beckendorfs, with the artist name replaced. It turned out that the Beckendorfs were from Sedona, Arizona, which happened to be the home of Daniel Amos' founder Terry Scott Taylor's paternal grandparents.
Songs was later re-envisioned in the form of a three-CD book set, When Everyone Wore Hats. "Hats" included the entire original release plus the entire album rerecorded as an acoustic coffeehouse band, three bonus tracks, an interview about the album, new photos, liner notes and a short story by Taylor.
Track listing
All lyrics by Taylor and music by Daniel Amos, except where noted.
