Man wins singer-songwriter contest after penning song for late wife of 73 years

When Green Shoe Studio out of East Peoria, Illinois hosted a singer-songwriting contest they never could have imagined the mailed-in contribution by 96-year-old Fred Stobaugh. A song he penned for his late wife of 73 years entitled “Oh Sweet Lorraine” won their hearts and the contest and has since gone on to become a viral hit that has touched the millions who’ve come across his story.

Studio owner Jacob Colgen explains in, “A Letter From Fred,” a brief documentary put together about the song, how he received it and why he chose to have it produced and performed by professional musicians:

What made Fred’s entry so special to us was, well for one, it’s an online singer-songwriter contest. People are supposed to upload their videos but instead of a video we received a very large manila envelope entitled “Green Shoe Studio Singer-Songwriter Contest.” I was excited to see what it was and opened it up and lo and behold it was a letter from a 96-year-old man who said that I’ve written a song for my wife.

A Letter From Fred

As I’m reading through the letter I begin to realize that his wife had passed away just a month earlier. And so having knowing that, I started reading through the song and he titled it “Oh Sweet Lorraine” and listening to the lyrics and the passion behind the lyrics and the letter he sent us… It was just so heartwarming.

Fred met Lorraine in Peoria in 1938, she was a car hop at a local root beer stand. They dated for two years, got married and had three children and four grandchildren. “She was just the prettiest girl I ever saw. Real timid, like. I just fell in love with her right there,” Stobaugh said.

When Fred ruminated on the inspiration for the song he said, “After she passed away, I was just sitting in the front room one evening by myself, and it just came right to me. I just kept humming it and singing it … It just fit her.” He added, “I really, really miss her. It just don’t seem right [that she’s gone]. Like a dream.”

Here is a trimmed clip of the nearly finished song, including Mr. Stobaugh getting pretty emotional after hearing it for the first time, followed by the lyrics:

Oh Sweet Lorraine
I wish we could do
The good times
All over again

Oh Sweet Lorraine                                
Life only goes around Once
But never again

Oh Sweet Lorraine
I wish we could do
The good times
All over again

The good times, the good times, the good times
All over again
The good times, the good times, the good times
All over again

But the memories will always 
linger on
Oh sweet Lorraine no I don’t wanna move on
Oh, the memories will Always linger on
Oh sweet Lorraine that’s why I wrote you this song

Oh Sweet Lorraine
Life only goes around Once
But never again

Oh Sweet Lorraine
I wish we could do
The good times
All over again
The good times, the good times, the good times
All over again

Via WMDB Fred said, “The song really helps me. It really helps me. It just seemed like she’s just sort of with me. Which I know she’s smiling, she’s smiling down and she likes that song, I know.”

To find out how to buy a copy of the song we encourage you to visit the official website of Green Shoe Studio here.