I met Nick Wagner soon after I moved to Wichita in 1966, thanks to an introduction from John Jenkinson. After my family moved away from Wichita in 1970, to Wallingford, PA, near Philadelphia, Nick met Vicki and they were married in December of 1977. I met Vicki the next time I was in Wichita, in November of 1987.
I'm not sure when I wrote "Chatfield Strut," but I know it was no later than 2013. I had been on an Irish song kick for a few years when I stumbled across "Golden Jubilee," a song about the 50th wedding anniversary of Kate and Pat Magee, credited by some as Traditional Irish, attributed by other sources to Marie Doherty.
I was reminded of my old friend Nick, a bass player / guitarist / fiddle player with a strong interest in Irish music, and heritage more Irish than German, despite his surname.
I finally got around to recording "Chatfield Strut" in 2020. It took me a while to master (more or less) my mandolin arrangement, and learn how to sing it (more or less) at the same time without forgetting the words.
— Dave Butler