The touching video
"Liberty" with Ronnie Kimball's moving performance
is a Patriotic Tribute
To Our Military, reflecting what our troops have done in the name of liberty
and should... "remind
all Americans of the many freedoms that we enjoy and what a
true privilege it is to live in this great country."
Michael Berardi's own words...
"In 1986 (the 100th anniversary of the Statue
of Liberty) I was asked to write the lyrics to a John Drymon melody
for a theme song that was to be used for a video tracing the history
of the Statue of Liberty. At first I was skeptical that I could do
the project justice. Although I had been a successful songwriter and
had written hundreds of songs, I had never written anything like a
patriotic song before so I didn't know where to start.
I must admit I was one of the millions of complacent Americans who
rarely thought about what it means to live in a free society. After
a month of research, I had a totally different perspective on the
many freedoms that we enjoy in this great country.
I finally
realized what a great privilege it is to live in America. We are
truly blessed.
After I finished the lyrics and the song was complete, Liberty was
selected to be performed by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra at the
100th anniversary of the Statue of Liberty celebration event at
Liberty State Park in NJ. It was performed live with a 68-piece
orchestra. The reaction to the song by the 15,000 people in the
audience was nothing less than remarkable. Knowing that the song had
such a positive affect on so many people made it one of the most
emotional and inspiring days of my life.
When the tragedies of September 11th occurred, I, like millions of
other Americans, asked myself "besides money, what do I have to give
that could help"? Liberty immediately came to mind. I thought if the
song could have such a positive affect on thousands of people 15
years ago during a time of peace, imagine how it could help to
inspire, encourage, heal, and unite Americans after the tragic
events of September 11th.
LIBERTY has been performed by the US Army Band. The song has been
featured at many national Independence Day events, September 11th.
memorial services, school functions, church and candlelight
services, and many other events all around the country. The song has
taken on a life of its own, being circulated through the Internet to
tens of thousands of people around the world.
I hope that Ronnie's wonderful rendition of LIBERTY will remind you
of the many freedoms that we enjoy and what a true privilege it is
to live in this great country."
Liberty
