Patriotic Song: The Stars and Stripes Forever

“The Stars and Stripes Forever” is a patriotic American march widely considered to be the magnum opus of composer John Philip Sousa.  Sousa is considered America’s “March King”. “In his autobiography, Marching Along, Sousa wrote that he composed the march on [Christmas Day], 1896. He was on an ocean liner on his way home from a vacation with his wife […]

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Happy 4th of July

May we never forget the price paid for our freedom. “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we lose our freedoms it will be because we have destroyed ourselves from within” – Abraham Lincoln.

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Behind the Patriotic Song: Some Gave All

The fourth of July is in just a few days, so I thought we would enjoy a Patriotic favorite. Some Gave All was written by Billy Ray Cyrus and debuted on his 1992 album of the same name. Billy Ray and his first wife, Cindy Smith, wrote the song together after talking with a Vietnam Vet. This occurred sometime during […]

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I Am Not Ashamed

Yesterday, we celebrated the 4th of July and our freedom as Americans. These are freedoms that we often take for granted in this great country of ours, but that many people living in other countries have to fight for on a daily basis. Part of our freedoms is our freedom of speech and freedom of religion.  These are two of […]

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Happy Birthday, America

Happy Fourth of July!!!  Today we celebrate the birthday of American Independence.  Hall of Faith will return next Tuesday.  Today, as we celebrate America’s birth, enjoy these beautiful pictures that represent the United States.    Images are all the courtesy of Pixabay.com

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The Untold Story: The Star Spangled Banner

Francis Scott Key We all know our National Anthem, but do you know how it originated? The author, Francis Scott Key, was at Fort McHenry when the British Royal Navy bombed the fort in 1814. Francis Scott Key, a lawyer and amateur poet, and John Stuart Skinner were on a mission for President James Madison on September 3, 1814. The […]

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Song Story: God Bless America

Irving Berlin’s patriotic love song to his adopted homeland was hidden away for over twenty years before being publicly made known. Irving Berlin was a Russian immigrant living in New York City.  Growing up, Berlin often heard his mother say “God Bless America.” Berlin later said about his mother, “without America, her family would have had no place to go. […]

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Behind the Hymn: America the Beautiful

In honor of Veteran’s Day this week, I wanted to look at a beloved Patriotic hymn. Katharine Lee Bates and a group of colleagues ascended up Pike’s Peak by prairie wagon in the summer of 1893 while on a working vacation.  She was so inspired by the view that beheld her that she began to write the poem to America […]

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Behind the Hymn: My Country Tis of Thee

  In honor of the 4th of July yesterday, I wanted to share the story behind one of our beloved Patriotic hymns. My Country Tis of Thee is a popular Patriotic hymn, after our national anthem and God Bless America. Samuel Francis Smith wanted to write a song to bring the nation of the United States to God.  In 1831, […]

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