Sing a song of pain, and hope, about Alzheimer’s
As a son who has taken care of two parents with Alzheimer’s disease, Scott Hays knows the toll that memory loss can have on a family.
As a former host on Laguna Beach’s FM radio station, he knows the uplift that music can bring.
A few months ago, Hays witnessed both themes come together in the documentary “Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me,” which tracks the venerable singer-songwriter as he performs through illness. And that Oscar-nominated film sparked an idea.
This summer, Hays is joining with two community partners — Jim McAleer, chief executive and president of the Alzheimer’s Assn.’s Orange County Chapter, and Wahoo’s Fish Taco co-founder Wing Lam — to organize A Song for Alzheimer’s, a competition in which songwriters and bands submit original songs about the disease.
The contest’s overall intent may best be summarized by a classic Beatles lyric: “Hey, Jude, don’t make it bad / Take a sad song and make it better.”
“The point is, we don’t want people to feel bad,” Hays said. “We don’t want to bring them down. We want to give them hope. So whatever song ultimately gets chosen as the winner is a song that’s going to speak to the issues, but also give people a sense of hope. And not necessarily people who are suffering from Alzheimer’s, but also their caretakers, like myself.”
Contestants must be 18 or older, Orange County residents and amateur musicians. The winner will receive a slew of prizes, including eight hours at Laguna Sound Studio to record the song; promotion on KX 93.5 FM, which formerly hosted Hays’ show, “OC Caravan”; and an opportunity to perform at the Walk to End Alzheimer’s at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on Nov. 14.
McAleer, who credits Hays with the original idea for the contest, said he identifies with the radio host’s family history.
“Both my grandmothers had the disease, and that’s certainly what brought me to the table,” McAleer said. “But after 11 years on this job, I’ve seen hundreds of people go through this process.”
The Alzheimer’s Assn.’s Orange County Chapter, which launched in 1982, provides free programs and services to Alzheimer’s patients and their families and caregivers. Earlier this year, Hays invited McAleer and Lam on “OC Caravan,” and they got to talking about the Campbell documentary.
Lam, who will join McAleer and Hays in selecting the winner, said he’s judged food competitions before but never music. Still, he had a vague idea of what type of song might get his vote.
“Obviously, it has to be a song you can sing along to,” he said. “So the James Taylors of the world, the Cat Stevenses — there are so many greats from the ‘70s and ‘80s. And I think a great song for a charity would probably fit into that space.”
The submission period for A Song for Alzheimer’s closes at 11:59 p.m. Aug. 15. For more information, visit asongforalz.org.
[For the record, July 31, 11:35 a.m.: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that Scott Hay’s “OC Caravan” show runs on KX 93.5 FM. It no longer airs on that station.]