FIGHTING FOR FREEDOM: I was watching CNN Headline news on Christmas Eve (1990) after we had sent thousands of our family and friends to The Middle East to free Kuwait from the Iraqi invasion. The top story was about a small group of people standing in the snow outside of a skyscraper with signs chanting "Don't Fight For Oil". I felt it was in poor taste and quite disrespectful that a major network would run this footage as the top story on CHRISTMAS EVE with so many of my friends from Moody Air Force Base (Valdosta GA) and our family members away from home getting ready to go to war. I thought to myself "We're not fighting for oil. we're fighting for freedom", then I wrote the song.
I recorded "Fighting For Freedom" them made four copies on cassette tapes and addressed them to any Army, any Air Force, any Navy, and any Marine then mailed them to the troops. I gave a copy of the song to every radio station in Valdosta and it aired for three months.
WALB out of Albany GA sent Jerry Gunn to do a news story. He taped me singing the complete song then interviewed me. I watched the news every night to see the story when it ran. One night I heard the news anchor say "Next we have a musician in Valdosta who expressed his feelings on the war in a song". As I watched a commercial getting ready to see the story run I heard "We interupt this broadcast for a special report", I WAS PREEMPTED BY THE WAR! The story finally ran on Martin Luther King's birthday. One month later I was talking to one of my customers about the song and asked if he'd like to hear it. He told me he saw the video on WALB's Gill Patrick Show. I had no idea what he was talking about and he explaind the video to me (to this day I haven't seen it). Somebody from the TV staion took footage of the Albany National Guard leaving for Saudi Arabia and edited it over the recording that Jerry made. Gill received so many requests for the video that he closed his show with it every day for a week.
Many months after we forced Husain's troops out of Kuwait I recieved a letter from an armed forces member who heard the song. He was from Waycross GA and told me how much he appreciated hearing it. He said "It sounded like home to me". This meant more to me than the radio airplay, the newspaer article, and the TV news story combined.
THE WHIP: This recording is the result of me, a $.50 horror sound effects record, a four track recorder, and way too much time. Nobody was hurt during this recording. It's the funniest thing I've recorded to date. PLEASE DON'T HOLD IT AGAINST ME.
Recently heard of your passing Jim...you will be missed. Thank you for all your help, and for your friendship. Thanks for the love and support. My condolences to all of your friends and family.
You will be missed Mad Jim Hall. If only there were more people in the world like you it would be a better place! I have never met any one person so full of joy & love. You truly had a heart of gold & did an awesome job of sharing it with the world. I will always remember you & your beautiful smile. May God bless your family today & always.
To the Family of Friends of Mad Jim, I have never met Mad Jim in person, He helped me out many times on questions I had on my MTU Program. You have lost a funny, kind, awesome man. I am sorry gloria from wisconsin
as I've told you so many times in our conversations, you are one of the most inspiring & spiritual people I have ever met. You will always be with me, with every note I play... I know where you are tonight, playing & singing, feeling better than you have in a long time. You will be missed...... but never forgotten!!
MJ- had an awesome time Saturday night with you guys.... I thought we had a great turnout. Hope to see you again real soon. Until then, "ROCKON" my brother!!!
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