About 'Humble Hero'

 

Artist: Bonnie Kellett

Producer: Govinda Doyle

Writers: Bonnie Kellett

Release Date: June 13, 2023

I had this idea for a long time…

 

I wanted to write a song about how my father found the violin that inspired me to play. The instrument was in a second hand store in Aldinga, South Australia, it was over 100 years old, it was broken at the bottom and had only one string. A tiny moment, that at the time didn’t seem like much to anyone, would set me on a path that I would follow for the rest of my life. I remember I used to open that violin case and run my fingers along the body of the instrument. I begged my parents to let me take lessons and they finally gave in.

 

As I grew up, so did my violins, until I was old enough to have a full size violin. Dad still had the one that inspired me to learn how to play. I make a little joke in the song “with very little information he made a shining start”, because that’s what I love about Dad was his enthusiasm. He wasn’t a violin luthier, but he wanted to do something special for his little girl and it’s something I’ve never forgotten and that’s what makes him a Humble Hero.

 

I had the idea for a long time to write this song… but I didn’t know where to start… The inspiration didn’t come until 2018 on my way home from a trip to Nashville. I had the best time immersing myself in music and country music culture! I was on the Red Eye flight from Nashville to San Francisco when inspiration hit and I heard the song in my head. Squished in the middle seat of a very full plane, between two sleeping passengers, I pulled out my note pad and began to write. I whispered a rough melody into my phones voice memos, trying not to wake anyone!

 

The song was recorded by ARIA award winning producer, Govinda Doyle, who was very excited to bring this tribute to life. We recorded the vocals in one take because we wanted to stay authentic to the emotions I felt in the moment.

 

I still have the fiddle and I play it throughout the song. It’s a very raw sounding violin, it has a very country sound and that’s what adds to the beauty of it. The song also features my late fathers 1978 Gibson Banjo, which feels like a warm hug from my Dad.

 

We lost Dad in 2010 to cancer and he never heard this song… but I feel like he’s always with me and he’s a big part of my inspiration with country music. I feel so incredibly blessed to have had an upbringing where I was surrounded by country music. 

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Lyrics

 

Verse 1

In a tiny little shop, in a tiny little town

Sat a broken violin, broken strings and broken down

It was a century old, a storybook of tales

In the worst shape it had been

It had forgotten how to sing

 

Verse 2

Till a man in his thirties walked in through the door

He saw beyond the broken strings

The cracked wood to its core

This was a little violin that needed to sing

And for just thirty dollars he took it home with him

 

Chorus

With the gifts my Father gave me

With the strings and with my voice

And the strength my Mamma gave me

To yell loud and make some noise

A broken violin can collect a lot of dust

But can bring joy when it sings with a little bit of love

 

Verse 3

When the man arrived home 

He placed the violin on the ground

He called his little girl to see what he had found

She stared in awe and wonder at the gift that he had bought

And the little girl she asked if violin she could be taught

 

Verse 4

Well several years later that girl had learned to play

Her parents were so proud, but they knew there’d come a day

That little would need a grown up violin

And her Daddy knew just where to look and where to begin

 

Chorus

With the gifts my Father gave me

With the strings and with my voice

And the strength my Mamma gave me

To yell loud and make some noise

A broken violin can collect a lot of dust

But can bring joy when it sings with a little bit of love

 

Verse 5

Well he knew it wasn’t easy, but he showed a lot of heart

And with very little information he made a shining start

On the thing that gave her inspiration all those years ago

He fixed that broken violin, so it remembered how to sing

A Humble Hero

 

Verse 6

Now the little girl is older and the man well, he is gone

But through that violin his spirit still lives on

In every note and every chord I play with all my heart

And with my Daddy’s inspiration us three will never part

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