Man of Honor - Mormon Times Interview with Craig Clifford



Gordon B. Hinckley CD - beloved prophet, inspired leader, man of honor

By Carma Wadley

"President Hinckley served for such a long time that for many members of the church, he was the only prophet they knew," says Craig Clifford. "He was amazing with the youth; he was so loved and revered he had 'rock-star status.' But he was amazing with every generation. We wanted to honor his memory."

Clifford and his partner, Jeff Goldman, own inVoice Records, which has recently released a CD called "Man of Honor: Remembering Gordon B. Hinckley." It contains 19 tracks, each celebrating the life, the teachings, the actions, the interests and the legacy of the 15th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Plus, says Clifford, "100 percent of the net proceeds from the CD will be donated to the Perpetual Education Fund. No one is making any money, not the songwriters, the singers, the studio musicians, the studio owners, the engineers, the masteres. They've all donated their time, talent and resources. We all felt that it should go toward something that President Hinckley loved and encouraged. We can't think of a better place that the Perpetual Education Fund. It's such an inspired program and has done so much good all over the world."

Clifford and Goldman started inVoice Records in 1999 to help "independent artists find a voice. This is our 12th CD." The others have been similar in that they feature a variety of artists and are built around a central theme. But because they both hold other, full-time jobs, "it's been about four years since we produced an album."

This one came about, he says, when he got an e-mail from one of the artists they'd worked with in the past. "Ashley Harris' stake president in Georgia had asked her to set President Hinckley's 'Prayer for Youth' to music, and she had completed it the day after he passed."

Clifford and Goldman also knew that Aaron Edson had written a song about President Hinckley's "6 B's." "We began thinking we should produce a tribute album. We sent a call for submissions out through the Faith Centered Music Association, and we got more than 50."

The CD includes 12 songs that have never been published before, as well as new versions of other songs associated with President Hinckley. "We have both the hymns he wrote: 'What Is This Thing Called Death,' that was set to music by Janice Kapp Perry and sung at his funeral, and 'My Redeemer Lives,' which is in the hymn book."

Many of the artists appearing on the CD will be well-known to local audiences, he says, including Jenny Phillips, Tyler Castleton, April Meservy, Nancy Hanson, Sam Payne, Jenny Jordan Frogley, Barry Hanson, Michael Dowdle, Kevin Peay, Jessie Clark Funk and Colette Call.

Goldman sings a song called "The High Road." "American Idol" finalist Brooke White sings with Edson on "Show Him (The 6 B's Song);" a capella group Eclipse does a version of "Danny Boy," which was one of President Hinckley's favorites.

There's also a song called "Either Way I Turn" written by Leigh Eagleston and Jennie B. Larsen. "President Hinckley's daughter, Virginia Pearce, shared at the funeral how much he enjoyed being in the middle of seven generations," says Clifford. "That seemed so profound to me, so when a songwriter I'd never met before called and wanted to write a song and wondered if we had a particular theme to cover, I suggested that. I'm so pleased with the way it turned out."

The final track is an a capella version of "God Be With You." "We have the sound of rain falling in the background. It has a feeling of both mourning and remembrance. Rachel Wunderli flew out from New York to record it."

The CD went together must faster and better than it ever should have, says Clifford. "But we wanted to have it out by his birthday, which is June 23. We thought that would be an appropriate time for remembrance."

They took copies of the CD to President Hinckley's son, Richard G., a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. "He told us that his mother used to joke about the fact that no one was forgotten as quickly as a dead prophet. We have a new prophet, a new head of the church that we all love and revere. But we wanted to do this before too much time has gone by."

It has been a whirlwind project. Not only is Clifford working full-time, he just finished graduate school for a master's degree and his third child, a daughter, was born last October. "I hate to say we were led to do this, because that sounds corny sometimes. But it felt right from the start. We knew we had the talents and connections in place to pull it off in a short time. But we also knew it had to be top quality."

The CD is accompanied by a 24-page booklet that sets each song into the context of President Hinckley's life and teachings. It features artwork by Robert T. Barrett as well as photographs. "President Hinckley's long-time secretary Don Stahli helped us with compiling quotes for every song," says Clifford. "We really wanted it to be a visual remembrance in addition to the music."

Remember, he says, back when the mainstream pop industry produced "We Are The World?" "It was a unifying project that crossed the lines of all genres and all record companies. That's kind of what we feel about this. It was a very unifying project. Everyone we asked for help said, 'oh yes, we'd love to,' and when they found out the proceeds were going to the Perpetual Education Fund, they were even more eager."

It has been an amazing experience, he says. It has shown how powerful the legacy of one man can be. "We want to honor that continuing legacy."

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