It was during the Summer of 2000 that the seed for "Hold Me Close America" was planted, long before the September 11th disaster and the War Against Terrorism had officially begun.
Michael Parrish had been referred to Gene White to have musical arrangements written for his show. Gene White and his wife Lori were so impressed with Michael Parrish's talent, his love of music, devotion to his family, faith, and country. Instantly, they all became great friends.
Michael asked Gene about writing a musical arrangement of patriotic tunes to close his show. He wanted to pay special tribute to our U.S. Troops, Veterans, and Service Personnel. That's when Lori chimed in and said "I'll write an original song for you!" So, her lifelong dream of writing a song for the country she adored began to come into fruition.
The first draft of "Hold Me Close America" was almost finished when that tragic day in September occured and the United States was so violently attacked at the World Trade Center and the U.S. Pentagon. As we all know, America stood brave and united, "Old Glory" was flown heart to heart across the nation, and America was ready to fight to protect her freedom.
That same week, Lori White finished "Hold Me Close America". She presented the lyrics of the song and sang all the melodies to her husband Gene White. They immediately started working on the chord changes and the form of the arrangement.Then it was time to call Michael Parrish. He loved it, and said he felt so honored to have been chosen to sing such an incredible song.
So, while the America was healing, the long process of recording "Hold Me Close America" started. Gene White created the original musical score as well as the choir vocal score. Michael Parrish produced the basic recording of the rhythm tracks. The next process to record was the "choir" vocals. Lori White went into the studio and sang the three
part harmonies - three times each (a total of nine separate vocal tracks).
But shortly thereafter, tragedy struck both the Parrish and the White families. Michael lost his beloved Grandmother and Lori lost her Mother whom she had taken care of for eight years. "Hold Me Close America" was put on hold for awhile.
When American Troops began to be sent to the the Persian Gulf in preparation of Operation Iraqi Freedom the momentum to finish the song was re-established. It was now time for Michael Parrish to record the lead vocal! This was an exciting time watching the final tracks of the song being created and mixed. Michael Parrish and Lori White worked tediously along with One Vibe Studio's engineer Mike Brand. Lori's fiddle lines were added as an after thought to the first verse the day of the final mixdown.
So, while the U.S. Troops were fighting to liberate Iraq and protecting our freedom they didn't know they were also the main inspiration for this anthem to be completed. We want to welcome them home and say THANK YOU!!!
