RRSMS and Frank Turner Story

I  initially wrote a shortened version of this story for my bookstagram account. rrsmsbookstagram if you'd like to follow me. Anyway, I thought I would write it out for the blog. 

Let me start by talking about how Frank Turner ties into RRSMS. Before Rock and Roll Saved My Soul even existed, I was a fan of Frank Turner. I heard him on a local radio station around the time his album Tape Deck Heart came out. In the coming months I spent a great deal of time listening to that album and all the previous albums. Countless listen later, the song "I Still Believe" hit me hard. And I started thinking about what the song meant to me and what it would mean to others. And that's where RRSMS was born. The song talks about the power of music and how it can change and save lives. 

"And I still believe (I still believe) in the saints.

Yeah, in Jerry Lee and in Johnny and all the greats.

And I still believe (I still believe) in the sound,

That has the power to raise a temple and tear it down.

And I still believe (I still believe) in the need,

For guitars and drums and desperate poetry.

And I still believe (I still believe) that everyone,

Can find a song for every time they've lost and every time they've won.

So just remember folks we not just saving lives, we're saving souls,

And we're having fun.

And I still believe.

Now who'd have thought that after all,

Something as simple as rock 'n' roll would save us all."

I started talking to some of my closest friends and the first anthology was born. Then it was only one book, that's it. I never would have dreamed back then what it would become. So armed with that anthology idea, I started a Facebook page and dived in. By the time the book was ready for release in March of 2014, it included 25 authors. That was more than I could have ever hoped for. 

We continued to put out anthologies because of the interest in the first one. And now have 13 published anthologies/books. 

In October of 2015 I got my first chance to meet Frank at an intimate record store show. He knew about RRSMS at that point because I had reached out to him via e-mail to see if he would do an interview for one of our anthologies called A Musician's Tale. He did it! So when my sister and I showed up with a stack of the first anthology, he knew who I was. That alone was enough to make what I was doing worth it. The picture at the top of this blog post is immediately after I gave him his copy of the anthology to keep. 

He signed copies for myself and my sister, and two other copies. One has been given to one of the RRSMS volunteers, but I still have one that I have not given to anyone yet. If you want it, make an offer. All proceeds will be donated to Rock the Cause. 

I still want to give him copies of the rest of our music related anthologies, but that hasn't happened yet. One day though! And of course, there will be pictures and a story to go with them. I'm so lucky to have been able to do what I've been doing with RRSMS for such a long time. All thanks to one man and one song.