A father and son from the North East have turned poems written up to 50 years ago into a complete album of songs, using WhatsApp to collaborate across the distance.
Sunderland-born Ivor Bennett, 74, was encouraged by his son Tom Bennett to revisit a poem he had written as far back as 1969, after the pair discussed the latest song by Roger Taylor, the drummer from Queen.
From casual messages to a full album
Tom, 44 and now living in London, said: "It actually started quite casually. We were sending each other music and talking about songs and I sent Dad something like 'Get writing a song then!' I told him 'You be Bernie Taupin and I'll sort the rest.' That was basically the beginning."
Tom, who spent most of his childhood in East Bolton, South Tyneside, began turning his father's long-forgotten words into songs. Instead of heading into a traditional song writing studio, the pair used WhatsApp and Adobe Audio Enhancer to create the 10 songs that make up the album named Generations.
Tom said: "Dad started sending me photos of lyrics he'd written years ago, some dating right back to the late 60s and we just started turning them into songs. It all happened through WhatsApp, one message, one lyric, one idea at a time. Before we knew it, we'd written an album together."
Inspiration from family and hometown
The pair share a deep love for The Beatles and the extraordinary song writing that emerged from the 1960s and 70s, so that influence naturally found its way into the project, but the songs themselves are rooted in Tom and Ivor's own lives, memories and experiences. From their memories as a family, the songs took inspiration from holidays together and places they have travelled.
Some of these important places of inspiration include the Lake District, Peak District, Yorkshire Dales and the Scottish Highlands, where the family have taken walking breaks together over the last few years. Those long hours walking were an important part of their relationship as well as their creative process.
Their hometown, Sunderland, was another important thread that came into the songs, as it is part of their shared identity, particularly from their love of the Sunderland Black Cats. But it was the older lyrics that struck a chord with both of them.
Connecting generations through music
Tom said: "The amazing thing for me is that Dad wrote some of these words when he was so young, much younger than me, and now, more than 50 years later, we're sitting there talking about them, creating a great bond and turning them into songs together. It feels like we've somehow connected two completely different periods of our lives."
The music was brought to life using modern day equipment, but the lyrics were mainly written by Ivor from his poetry, with Tom helping with his own amendments and contributions as well. For both father and son it was a new way of connecting and talking that has brought together a beautiful album which connects listeners, as well as Tom and Ivor, together across generations.
Readers can listen to the Bennetts album on Spotify.
