Darrell Spencer & Greg McKenzie met in their apartment building elevator while living in Alexandria, Virginia. Both were college graduates and immersed in their respective corners of the working world. Darrell, an aspiring lyricist, arrived home from work one afternoon wearing a business suit while Greg was dressed in a tuxedo, heading to work performing as a pianist at well-known hotspots in Washington, D.C. They gave each other a look as if to say, “Where have you been, and where are you going?” Not surprisingly, a mutual interest in music quickly developed, bringing them together weekly and writing original songs.

A few years later, they moved to Los Angeles, working to build on their hopes and dreams of becoming songwriters. This unique collaboration went on for a few years until both reached new and separate career achievements.

Darrell accepted a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music Publishing after writing songs for major recording artists like Toni Braxton, All-4-One, Jon B, and Aaron Neville, as well as many others.

Greg started studying film scoring and playing the local jazz scene amid private events for Quincy Jones, Clarence Avant, and Mayor Tom Bradley before relocating to New York City.

Despite going their separate ways for a few decades, they remained close and always in contact, sharing musical ideas for new projects and wondering when they would connect on something.

Greg introduced the title “FingerNail Moon” to Darrell after relocating to Japan. Different ideas started developing quickly, which led them to ponder a picture book for children. Greg was inspired by the story Darrell created from the title, and so began their journey to publish a magical book entitled The FingerNail Moon.