NewSouth Books author Frye Gaillard and Nashville singer/songwriter Davis Raines have co-written a new song, “Mockingbird,” which recently premiered at an Alabama Humanities Foundation-sponsored teacher conference in Harper Lee’s hometown of Monroeville, Alabama. Lee’s classic novel inspired the song.
Download a recording of “Mockingbird” in MP3 format.
Gaillard was in Monroeville to present on the subject of To Kill a Mockingbird, a work that influenced his development as a writer and which figures prominently in his new memoir, The Books That Mattered. Nancy Anderson, professor of English at Auburn University at Montgomery and champion of all things literary in Alabama, moderated the discussion.
The talented Davis Raines is the co-writer with Walt Wilkins of the recent mega-hit, “Someone, Somewhere Tonight,” recorded by country singer Kellie Pickler.
“To Kill a Mockingbird,” Gaillard explained, “is one of those books — The Grapes of Wrath is another — that became so iconic it reentered and became an integral part of the culture out of which it emerged. Three of the greatest songwriters of our times — Woody Guthrie, Kris Kristofferson, and Bruce Springsteen — have all written songs about The Grapes of Wrath. Davis and I set out to do the same with To Kill a Mockingbird.”
Frye’s memoir The Books That Mattered is available from NewSouth Books, Amazon.com or your favorite local bookseller.