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"The Missing Song" was written on a 1950 Martin Guitar that belonged to a dear friend's brother, who perished a few years ago in the Oregon backroads after being a Missing Person for 10 days. The epic experience of his family responding to his disappearance and the difficulties they faced getting attention and help was the inspiration for the song and this project. R.J. was an outgoing, "great guy" who had been paralyzed at age 13 during an off-road vehicle accident. His doctors told him at the time he'd be lucky to live until he was 30, so when he turned 29, he got out of the bed he'd been living in for most of his life, bought a Jeep, had it modified to drive with two hands, and set out on his first and, sadly, last solo road trip. At one point he'd discovered he'd travelled the wrong direction for several hours and got directions for a mountainous shortcut. About 30 miles in, a landslide had washed the road away and he had to turn around and go back. As he backed up, his Jeep got stuck. His wheelchair would not make the journey back, so he waited in his Jeep for help to arrive. A few days after he'd failed to show up at an agreed-upon checkpoint, the family mobilized into a relentless multi-state search, spending every possible minute frantically searching for their beloved son and brother. Attempts to get media and government attention met with very limited success - his story wasn't "newsworthy" and his age made police speculate his disappearance may have been intentional. He was found by hunters hours after he'd expired of dehydration and exposure, having left a journal on scraps of paper in his vehicle. I was moved by the experience of my friend's family, and the difference that could have been made had someone seen his picture. This is the plight of hundreds of thousands of families every year. When I first discovered the Net in 1993, I knew it was going to change everything. I've been doing web projects ever since, and only recently discovered that my life's truest purpose is to make a difference in the world through making music. I believe that music can powerfully move people and call them to taking action. And the Internet gives us entirely new ways of doing things. Like, hopefully, finding a lost loved one and reuniting families. - Ian Rhett January 2008 - The Missing Song(mp3, 4.34 Mb) |
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