A Letter From Fred

You might need a handkerchief for this. When Illinois based Green Shoe Studio ran a song competition they expected entrants to upload their finished tunes to YouTube.  So when one person sent them a letter containing the lyrics of his song they were a little surprised.

Then they discovered that the writer was a 96 year old Peoria resident Fred Stobaugh. That no doubt made their jaws hit the floor but what really moved them was Fred’s story. He had recently lost his wife and partner of 75 years, Lorraine.

When he heard of the competition Fred felt compelled to write down his feelings about Lorraine, even though he wasn’t musical in the slightest, and send his song to Green Shoe Studio.

The lovely people at the studio decided that they would record Fred’s song with professional musicians – and this is the story of how it happened.  A Letter from Fred, directed by Oceanna Colgan, is not only a really heart-warming story of true community participation; it’s also a wonderful paean to enduring love.  And yes, you can buy the song on iTunes!