If you’d like to rid yourself of the stench of Miley Cyrus’ VMA “performance” Sunday night, we have the perfect solution:
Green Shoe Studios in East Peoria, Ill. recently sponsored a local songwriting contest, and the most memorable entry wasn’t a song, but rather a lyric sheet and a letter — packaged neatly in a manila envelope. It was from 96-year-old Fred Stobaugh, a recent widower who’d been married to his wife, Lorraine, for more than 70 years. Fred wasn’t eligible to win the contest, as his entry, aptly titled “Oh Sweet Lorraine”, didn’t fit the criteria — the contest sought to discover up-and-coming singer-songwriter talent on YouTube. But he came away with something much greater.
Green Shoe’s Jacob Golgan Colgan was so moved by Fred’s story that he visited him in Bartonville, where he then proceeded to assist in putting music to the lyrics. After hashing out some things with Fred, Golan Colgan gathered his troops in the studio and churned out a professional-grade recording. The entire story is captured in the short film “A Letter From Fred”, the highlight of which is Fred’s reaction to hearing his ode to his life-long love. It’s one of the most heartwarming things we’ve seen in a long time.
Warning: you may want to have a box — a full box — of Kleenex next to you while watching the film.
[DailyDot]
About John Ferensen