Rock of Ages

Rock of Ages was written by Reverend Augustus Montague Toplady in 1763. The song was first published in The Gospel Magazine in 1775. Rev. Toplady father died when he was a child. He was sixteen when he accepted Christ while on a trip to Ireland, however he’d already been preaching for four years and writing Read More

Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin

George Gershwin’s biggest hit almost didn’t happen.  Imagine if the work that established Gershwin as a serious composer never happened. In 1924, George Gershwin was an American composer and pianist, with compositions spanning both the classical and popular sectors.  Together with his brother, Ira, he composed for the Broadway stage.  He penned his first hit, Read More

Let Me Call You Sweetheart

  Let Me Call You Sweetheart is a longtime favorite.  Every time I go to the nursing homes to perform, the residents LOVE this song.   One time we sang this song through about a dozen times in a row.  As we sing through the song, we would dance {usually with them sitting in their chair} with Read More

The Untold Story: Kokomo by the Beach Boys

The hit Beach Boys song was written for the Tom Cruise money, Cocktail. In the 1960s, the Beach Boys topped the charts and was one of the most popular bands of that decade. They were well known for their songs about recreation and fun. By the 1980s their glory days were far behind them. The Read More

God Bless America

Irving Berlin’s patriotic love song to his adopted homeland was hidden away for over twenty years before being publicly made known. Irving Berlin was a Russian immigrant living in New York City.  Growing up, Berlin often heard his mother say “God Bless America.” Berlin later said about his mother, “without America, her family would have Read More

The Untold Story: The Star Spangeled Banner

    We all know our National Anthem, but do you know how it originated? The author, Francis Scott Key, was at Fort McHenry when the British Royal Navy bombed the fort in 1814. Francis Scott Key, a lawyer, and amateur poet, and John Stuart Skinner were on a mission for President James Madison on Read More