Monthly Archives: October 2010

Unless you’ve been living in a hole, you’ve more than likely heard about the surprise success of pop band 4Troops. 4TROOPS are United States combat veterans – three young men and one young woman who served on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan. While overseas, music played a crucial and very personal role in all of their lives. They would sing at everything from large military events to more intimate settings, where they would jam in their bunk after a long day in the field and try to recall a slice of home. They also used their voices at somber occasions like memorial services, where they would sing to remember those that had been lost. 4TROOPS now come together for a singular purpose: to sing on behalf of all troops, to honor their sacrifices and to create awareness for their needs.

They’re touring all across the nation spreading their message of strength, hope and support to our nation’s troops out in the field. They’ve already been featured in network shows such as Fox & Friends and Good Morning America and right now they’re promoting the release of their first album, which camout on May 11th
and is available everywhere. iTunes even featured them on their main page when the album was released.

There is now a coffee table-style book out about the band titled 4Troops: The Mission is Music. The book is a good read, giving readers insight to the histories and military life of these combat veterans as seen through their individual eyes. Having left the military, the next mission has been realized in spreading words of confidence and support for our troops and bringing awareness to our troops. The story of how these four singers – Former CPT Meredith Melcher, Former SGT Daniel Jens, SSG (Ret.) Ron Henry and Former SGT David Clemo – came together is both inspirational and timely. The book comes with an exclusive live CD that features two of their best songs.

The album, which the book supports, consists of well-known positive pop and country songs and some new songs. All of the songs take on a special meaning in the context that they are performed by these four combat heroes. The first song is “For Freedom,” an inspirational patriotic tune written by Matt Moran for his grandfather, a WWII vet. Country star Toby Keith gives his blessing for a new version of his popular and controversial post 9/11 hit “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” to be included on the album with lyrics revised to reflect a 2010 outlook. Another country hit on the album is “Galveston,” popularized by Glen Campbell. This song made the CMT list of the ten greatest country-western songs of all time. Other tracks include “Angel” by Sarah McLachlan, Lonestar’s “I’m Already There,” and a new song written by Victor Hurtado titled “Here We’ve Been.” The album is produced by Frank Fillipetti (Barbra Streisand, Carly Simon, George Michael, Pavarotti) who produced James Taylor’s Hourglass album which won Fillipettia Grammy® for Best Pop Album and Best Engineered Album in 1998.

An important element to the 4TROOPS project is giving back to organizations that support our U.S. soldiers and veterans. Sony Music will donate 50 cents from each sale of the 4TROOPS album in the United States to organizations that support veterans and their families. This donation will be split equally among The American Legion, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund (IFHF) and the USO.

Bottom line is that both the CD and the book are must haves for anyone interested in positive, upbeat, and patriotic songs. You can check out the band and find out where they will be touring next by visiting their website, http://www.4troopsmusic.com/.