A Daughter’s Prayer – The Story
Mary-Lynn Neil is a 13 year-old singer/songwriter. On January 12th, 2009 she wrote a poem about her dad, a Canadian soldier, who was serving his 3rd tour of duty in Afghanistan. At that time Mary-Lynn was 11years-old. While talking to her dad on the phone one night their line was cut. Mary-Lynn was worried about her him and couldn’t sleep so she decided to write her thoughts in her journal. She had been thinking about what her dad was doing over in Afghanistan and all the children he was helping there. Mary-Lynn says, “The first thought that came to me was that he’s really someone to be proud of and that I wasn’t going to be scared because other children needed him.” Those thoughts came out in the form of a poem.
Mary-Lynn further explains, “At first, I didn’t think that anyone else, except my mom, would hear my poem. When I brought it out for Mom to read, it was because I felt sad and wanted to talk about my dad. I didn’t expect her to like it as much as she did. When she said it could be a song and started to work with me on it using a guitar, it helped to take my mind off my dad.”
Mary-Lynn continues, “Still, I was scared because I had to think about what would happen if he died and what I would do. I did cry a little bit. It took me about an hour to write how I felt.”
“A lot of people don't seem to understand how hard it is on us when our parents go away with the military,” says Mary-Lynn.
After Mary-Lynn had finished the song her mother contacted musical friend Brian Dolph who fine-tuned the music and lyrics. The music was then recorded in Nashville. The song was released across Canada and around the world in 26 different countries. It has also been performed by choirs in schools from Ontario and used in a number of special radio broadcasts for Remembrance Day.
The music for A Daughter’s Prayer was recorded in Nashville, July 2009 and the vocals on August 14, 2009 in Kingston Ontario.
A Daughter's Prayer was part of the WE SALUTE OUR HEROES national campaign in support of our troops. It is also included on a special CD for our troops along with Randy Bachman and Natalie MacMaster. That CD is currently being distributed to Canadian Military personnel across Canada
This song truly lends a voice to the children of military families the world over...
Mary-Lynn Neil - Biography
Mary-Lynn Elizabeth Neil is 13 years old and was born on June 18th, 1997 in Kingston, Ontario.
Growing up, Mary-Lynn showed a deep love for music, including new and classic artists alike. At the age of 10, she sang on a local talent show and took first place. A love for performing was born and she began to perform in and around Kingston. The stage was a natural place for Mary-Lynn to practice her love of singing and dancing.
At 11, Mary-Lynn got her first guitar, which she nicknamed "Little Blue". It quickly became her constant companion and she soon began playing it on stage. It was a natural progression for Mary-Lynn to move into songwriting, and she began to write her own songs. Her first song, "A Daughter's Prayer" was written for her dad who was serving overseas in Afghanistan at the time. This song is very important to her because she feels that it gives a voice to military children everywhere.
People are the most important thing to Mary-Lynn. Her favorite times in life are spent with her family and friends. She knows the value of a good friend, and holds on tightly to her "Besties".
In addition to singing, playing guitar, and songwriting, Mary-Lynn has branched out into acting and modeling. In 2007, she was fortunate enough to act in a Canadian movie called Milo. When people are asked what the one thing is that they notice about Mary-Lynn on stage, they say they are floored to see such incredible stage presence in one so young.
The past 2 years have been exciting for Mary-Lynn and many things have happened in her young career. In August of 2010 Mary-Lynn became the youngest professional member of the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA). Her song A Daughter's Prayer is part of the WE SALUTE OUR HEROES national campaign in support of our troops. It is also included on a special CD for the troops along with Randy Bachman and Natalie MacMaster. This year Mary-Lynn was invited
to be part of Wayne Rostad's highly acclaimed and successful Christmas In The Valley Tour.
I Want A Boy For Christmas is Mary-Lynn's second international radio release. It has been released to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and parts of the United States.
Mary-Lynn is looking forward to an exciting 2011 with concerts and personal appearances planned along with the release of her first EP
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