Y'all I am crying. Mobile's own Anna McElroy is so talented! This song is so amazing and it is really her true heart. Such great writing for someone so young, but she (and her dad) lived it so it makes sense.
When Anna was our musical guest at Moe's Original BBQ for during Mardi Gras, she and her mom and dad were there, and he was talking to me and Dan about how he was proud to be a soldier, but he was so excited about retiring so he could be home with his family. At one point after he left to go to get food, Anna whispered to me that they were planning this surprise song for his party! I almost started tearing up then! I just can't imagine the feeling. (Sidenote :THANK YOU to all who serve!) Anyway, here's how it ended up, see the video below!. Anna has caught the attention of some pretty big peeps in Nashville. We couldn't be more proud! Here's what she wrote on the Facebook post with the video, see below.
Shelby
P.S. As of this writing, the video has 24K views, and I'm sure...more to come! And she will be my featured artist on Homegrown Country again on Sunday night!
"Sounds a little off but singing while trying to hold back tears, is one heck of a task.
As many of you may know, my daddy has been a soldier in the U.S. Army for 29 years. March 1st, 2019, William McElroy became a VETERAN of the U.S. Army. HUGE congratulations to you & thank you for your 29 years of service!!! We are all so proud of your dedication and ambition, that continues to shine through you daily!
In November 2018, I had the privilege of creating this beautiful song for my dad, “Both Sides Of The Ocean”, with the phenomenal Keith C Follese and Adrienne Follese. This song is a summary of our lives during the 2 years my dad was on active duty, stationed overseas in Kuwait and Dubai. I managed to keep this song a secret until his retirement party, and was able to perform it for my dad along side two of the most special people in my life, Bruce Smelley and Zac Baugh. It‘s a miracle that I made it through without shedding a tear, but it was by far the most difficult thing to hold back. I love you dad. Thank you for everything."