David Gerger and Daughter make Music for Fun, Charity

By Patricia Baldwin

I’ll marry you when they finish 45,
although by then, I may not be alive,
I’ll marry you when they finish 45.

Anyone who has driven the highway through Houston or Dallas will laugh out loud at the refrain to the opening song, titled “Interstate 45,” on the new CD by attorney David Gerger and his daughter, Ria.

A little bit country and a little bit easy listening, the “Give Me Mercy” CD started as a hobby, became a lot of fun and is now benefiting two worthy causes, says Gerger, managing partner of the Houston office of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan.

He adds that the refrain is what every protective father would like his daughter to say to her first suitor. After the opening ditty, however, the CD’s lyrics reflect many of Gerger’s thoughts about life and his experiences as chair of the firm’s White Collar and Corporate Investigations Group.

Two of the nine songs tell of men freed from death row (“Conroe 1990” and “Anthony Graves”). Two are about weddings (“Grandma Digs Him” and “Pipeline”). “Psalm of Life” is a tribute to Gerger’s father and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem. “Camden” tells the story of a 2015 Foreign Corrupt Practices Act bribery trial in New Jersey. “Elliot” salutes the third Gerger offspring and Ria’s younger brother.

The CD honors Andy Fastow, the former Enron Corp. chief financial officer and Gerger’s client. Fastow pleaded guilty to two criminal charges and was sentenced in 2006 to six years in prison.

The album is dedicated to Gerger’s wife, Heidi, and their eldest son, Adam, who lives and works in London.

Gerger says, “I’ve always loved music, especially classical.”

At age 11, his music teacher wanted him to quit school to study piano full time. His immigrant mother, however, saw more future in the law. Gerger gave up piano, but took up classical guitar.

At age 13, he bought the rosewood Spanish guitar that he still plays.

“My high school friends started a band, ‘Midstream,’ that hit the bar mitzvah circuit,” Gerger recalls. “I played bass. The leader, Stewart Wallace, went on to compose famous modern operas.”

Already, Gerger is considering a song about his current trial in News Orleans where he is representing the BP engineer on the “Deepwater Horizon” who is charged with negligence related to the 2010 oil spill.

However, the next CD will have more of Ria’s singing, Gerger says with a laugh. And while neither Gerger is a musical professional, both have found unique bonding in the project. And they agree it’s just too much fun to stop.

“Trial lawyers have to be creative,” Gerger says. “It’s a happy coincidence my daughter is super creative.”

Ria, 22, will graduate in May from Middlebury College in Vermont with a degree in economics.

“Give Me Mercy” benefits Texas Special Olympics and the Equal Justice Initiative based in Montgomery, Ala. The CD and downloads are available from www.cdbaby.com.

Do you have a special avocation, hobby or other lifestyle interest to share? Please email patricia.baldwin@texaslawbook.net.