“Trek” CD to Benefit Martin’s Cove
LDS musicians and recording artists donated time and talents to create “Bring Them In: Celebrating the Spirit of Trek.” All proceeds from sales go to keep Martin’s Cove operating.
by Laurie Williams Sowby
During the pioneer sesquicentennial celebrated by the LDS Church and reenacted in a historic trek in 1997, the tragic story of a handcart company stranded at Martin’s Cove, Wyo., was brought to the awareness of many Latter-day Saints.
Since that time, numerous church youth groups have made their way to the Sun Ranch to participate in their own reenactment, catching just a glimpse of what the experience was like for those who braved the wind-swept plains more than 150 years ago.
They don pioneer-era clothing and load their tents, water, food and limited personal gear into wooden handcarts as they begin an unforgettable experience. Invariably, they come home not only eager for hot showers but with a sense of connection to and a deeper appreciation for the sacrifices of their pioneer forebears.
Several LDS musicians and recording artists have joined forces to make sure those experiences remain available to youth. They’ve created a CD and accompanying songbook with the potential to enhance memories of the handcart trek experience while at the same time providing funds to keep Martin’s Cove going. All proceeds from the sale of “Bring Them In: Celebrating the Spirit of Trek” go to support the operation of Martin’s Cove.
All of the people involved with the new CD, from composers to performers to technicians, donated their time and talent for the project, overseen and distributed by Sounds of Zion.
The CD, which retails at just $4, features a new song, “Bring Them In,” inspired by Brigham Young’s words to men in an October 1856 conference as he urged them to rescue their fellow Saints stranded in an early Wyoming winter.
Lyricist Don Stirling, who participated as a leader with his youth group’s trek in 2001, collaborated with songwriter Nancy Hanson, whose great-great grandfather was William Clayton, author of “Come, Come, Ye Saints.” Sam Cardon arranged the piece, and Kurt Bestor arranged and conducted the choir.
The moving “Bring Them In” is performed on the CD by more than 30 LDS recording artists who call themselves simply “The Friends of Martin’s Cove.”
The CD also includes a new piano arrangement of “Come, Come,Ye Saints” by Emmy Award-winning composer Sam Cardon; “Prayer of the Walking Child,” performed by Pearl ward winner David Tinney, who turned his feelings into a tender song after visiting the Winter Quarters statue of a pioneer couple burying their infant child; a light-hearted rendition of “The Handcart Song” by guitarist Michael Dowdle; and a haunting reprise of “Come, Come, Ye Saints” by Envoy, depicting the rescued Saints’ arrival in the Salt Lake Valley.
And as a helpful nod to allowing listeners to perform the songs themselves, the CD has “minus tracks” (minus vocal solos) for “Bring Them In” and “Prayer of the Walking Child;” printed music for those appears in a separate songbook ($5.95).
Clips of the songs, along with info on ordering “Bring Them In,” can be found at www.inspirationalLDSmusic.com.
2003 Meridian Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
