THE FAB FOUR

---

Inspiration - It’s defined as: the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative. 

Flashback: I started piano lessons at age six and by the time I was 14, had written my first song. In my senior year of high school, I found the inspiration to write our class song and perform it at my graduation. Early on, I remember idolizing Michael Jackson and Prince, but first and foremost, it was the Beatles. I thank my parents for that. As kids, my younger brother and I learned how to sing harmonies by listening to Beatles songs, wearing out the rewind and fast-forward buttons on our tape deck. Looking back, the Beatles were my Michael Jordan of music.

Fast forward - I’m a career musician and in 2020, the COVID pandemic halted my work. To pivot to another occupation, a college degree was imperative. I was inspired to return to academia in 2022, as part passion play, part wake-up call. I didn’t finish college my first go-round and by fortune, I got accepted to KSU as a transfer student after a 30-year break. The MEBUS program had piqued my interest and little did I know a trip to London was part of the academic journey.

In 2023, my MEBUS class took a two-week trip to London, with visits to record companies Universal Music Group and Sony UK, a layover in Liverpool, and a tour of Abbey Road Studios. While Abbey Road was home to the Beatles, bands such as Pink Floyd, Oasis, Radiohead, and countless artists have recorded there.

On the way, several classmates and I reproduced the iconic crosswalk photo from the Abbey Road album cover. When I entered the studios, I immediately felt overwhelmed with emotion and a sense of creative energy, unlike any place I’d ever been. Each studio had a story about recording sessions with the Beatles that gave me chills. I sat at the piano where Paul McCartney recorded ‘Hey Jude.’ For a few brief moments, I cried tears of joy, melancholy, and veneration - I never dreamed in my lifetime that I would see the inside of such a historic landmark and feel revered in its presence. 

On the bus back to the hotel, a creative moment hit me. Inspired by the day’s events and 20 minutes later, my guitar in hand, I had penned a new song. ‘London is Calling’ is my love letter to Abbey Road and the Beatles. The lyrics are an alchemy of my London trip and the tribulation of my highs and lows from the past several years. I recorded the song in the summer of 2023 and performed it live for the MEBUS program later that fall. My hope is the song inspires future students to take a chance and experience London the way I did. I found my inspiration through the Fab Four, a journey back to KSU, a trip to London, and an original song that will forever be part of my legacy. .