Janice Kapp Perry and her son and daughter, Steven Kapp Perry, and Lynne Perry Christofferson, shared their temple and family history music at BYU Education Week on Wednesday. It was a spirit-filled hour with experiences about temple work and uplifting lyrics sung by the talented Dallyn Vail Bayles and Tammy Simister Robinson. Many of the songs performed can be found on the Perry family's album entitled "As Temples fill the Earth." One of my favorite parts of the session was when Janice Kapp Perry led us all in singing "There is Love in My Family Tree," which was published in the...
Two years ago, my Dad's family gathered for an epic reunion. His parents, their 10 children and spouses, and over 50 of their grandchildren convened for several days of activities and evening programs. One evening included a songwriting activity that turned out to be entertaining and storytelling-inducing. Each family was given a piece of butcher paper and an assignment to re-write the lyrics to a familiar song to be about my dad's family growing up. We chose "Popcorn Popping." Each family separately came up with their verse and then the butcher paper was taped up to the wall. Next,...
"I Wonder Who Is Santa Claus" is a traditional children's Christmas song that has been sung in my grandfather's family since he was a boy. His mother, Irma Henrie Elder, sang it every year to her grandchildren at her annual Christmas gathering. Irma's mother taught her this rare song when she was a girl. When she was older, Irma wrote down the lyrics to the song (right). I haven't been able to find the author of the song but I do know it was in circulation during the 1870s (see the end of the post). Singing this song with my grandpa...
I'm happy to introduce a guest blogger today. Mike Gibson is a singer/songwriter who grew up in East Tennessee. As a young boy he discovered an old guitar tucked away in the back of a closet. Influenced by such artists as James Taylor, Dan Fogelberg and Jim Croce, he has been playing, singing and writing for over four decades. He will be sharing his experience writing a song about his grandparents in conjunction with a family reunion he attended and the feelings of love, family, and belonging that accompanied the experience. Thank you for sharing, Mike! -Nicole By Mike Gibson...
