A Little Bit of Country in Somers

Larry Migliore considers himself an emotional man. And when you hear lyrics he's written in songs like "Unit We Meet Again" for his mother who passed away, you wouldn't argue.

"I think I saw you smile at me/sitting, in your favorite chair/and it's obvious to everyone, but me/that you're not really there," the song begins. 

"I like to write emotional lyrics about everyday things," he told Patch over coffee.

The retired Dobbs Ferry police sergeant-turned songwriter finds his voice in country music and this past April was nominated for a 2012 Independent Country Music Association award for best songwriter. Although he didn't win, that same organization recently named Migliore regional director of New York.

Migliore considers himself more George Strait than Keith Urban. Since moving to Somers a year and a half ago, he has been able to focus on his writing, which he attributes to the solitude he finds in the small town.  

Raised in New Rochelle, Migliore is a former rock and roll musician who was known among fellow police officers for his long hair and habit of writing lyrics during slow midnight shifts. Once he even used the captive audience at the back of his police car for feedback on a song called "Prisoner."

"They laughed when the heard the word," he recalled.

Migliore eventually injured both of his hands and developed Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, or RSD, and had to retire from active duty, playing guitar and performing in New York City and area clubs.

He started experimenting with country music about eight years ago just before his longtime friend and collaborator Tom Parisi passed away. Since then, Migliore and his wife Kerry, who have three children in their 20s, launched Brave the Storm, a music publishing company.

Success has been steady, with Migliore's songs getting picked up by independent artists like John Stallings, whose rendition of "The Other Side of the Moon" earned an Independent County Music Association best video nomination. "Down and Dirty" was featured in the Morgan Fairchild film "Moment of Truth: Into the Arms of Danger." 

But major recording artists have been elusive. At least until now. Migliore is writing his third song with Sandy Ramos, whose credits include the Dixie Chicks record "Let 'Er Rip." She's also written for Faith Hill. Migliore is excited about the collaboration.  

"I would like to write a hit that is played to death on the radio. Then I would die a happy man," Migliore said.