Behind the Song

This project follows the success of the Show’s first collaborative release in December 2021, THE LIGHT, by Elaine Lennon, Yvonne Lyon and Adriana Spina for and to mark their performance for THE HOMEBIRD SESSIONS at TEDx.

 

For her second project offering, Creator and Host of The Homebird Sessions, Lennon brings together for the first time in a Transatlantic Special of the Show, songwriter talent from the UK & US: Elaine Lennon, John Stamp & Will Kimbrough offering the debut live performance of A BOY AND HIS GUITAR in a Glasgow meets Nashville On-line Show Special. (27th Apr 2022)

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A BOY AND HIS GUITAR is a captivating story song inspired by elements of co-writer John’s own life blended with his work as a music therapist in Children's care homes and later as Director of a National children's care company.

For the boy in the story, finding music was like finding love, purpose, release & joy…growing into  the wisdom of knowing that no matter how much career success / money / status / position you may hold, the wise never let go of the simple things that make them happy - life’s little gifts that ground us, remind us how far we have come and continue to inspire us to be the best we can be each day.

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A BOY AND HIS GUITAR was created to honour the art of storytelling through music and runs in parallel with UK’s National TELL A STORY DAY.

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Winner of Celtic Music Radio’s Album of the Year for her Creative Scotland supported debut release, Elaine said:

‘I love when great melodies intertwine with stories that hook me in, leaving me wanting to listen over...songs that speak to me, make me laugh and cry, remind me of something dear, carry a powerful message...inspire me...songs that make me FEEL something, that are real and fearlessly from the heart.

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I was captivated by John's journey, the many life stories of children he had met within the care system and how music therapy was a key outlet for them…a way of connecting and finding their place in the wider world. From there A BOY AND HIS GUITAR was born.‘

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John, who has written with Leigh Nash (Sixpence None The Richer), Boo Hewerdine and Stephen Hindalong, said: ‘The kind of children we worked with in the care homes were the most vulnerable kids around. These children didn't arrive on the planet broken - sometimes parenting issues and lack of love and support created in them a sense of trauma, anger, aggression. What we wanted for them most was to help them find the security, love and self-belief that they could go on to fulfil their full potential in the world’

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John shared the song with US Country artist WILL KIMBROUGH, best known for his solo projects and being a member of Willie Sugarcapps, DADDY and Emmylou Harris' Red Dirt Boys. Will loved it and went on to record and produce his own version.

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Elaine, who has just released Scotland wide tour dates for the live in-person version of THE HOMEBIRD SESSIONS SHOW said:

‘Will is the perfect artist to perform this song - his wise & soulful vocal blended with the calming musical landscape and artful simplicity in the instrumentation brings a depth to the song that I feel is pretty special and hope folks will connect with.

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The song is written from the perspective of the guitar, an unusual and (some would say) risky angle to take…but The Homebird Session collaborations are all about taking creative risks and growing artistically, nurturing the song-writing community along the way.

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This perspective also gives the song an element of being ’The Observer’ in this story…the one thing that the boy can count on, depend on, be himself with without judgement.'

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A BOY AND HIS GUITAR gives a glimpse of what may be to come from future collaborations to be released under The Homebird Sessions brand.

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Credits - Lyrics & Melody - Elaine Lennon, John Stamp, Artwork - Elaine Lennon + CJ Hicks,

Performance, recording, mixing - Will Kimbrough