What's In a Song
01/07/12 NPRs Weekend Edition Saturday
Length: 2:46
A story about an extraordinary human, Utah folklorist Barre Toelken, who, with the help of dear friends, has been working to regain the words to songs after suffering a stroke a decade ago.
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In 2002, the preeminent Utah State University folklorist Barre Toelken had a massive stroke that not only debilitated him physically, but changed the wiring in his brain. One of the most treasured aspects of his life had been upwards of one-thousand songs memorized over the years. After the stroke, he could only remember bits and pieces of those songs. As he lay in a hospital bed just after the stroke, a group of friends came to visit and they all started to sing. Each week, for the last 10 years, the group has come to Barre and Miko Toelken's home to sing songs, unaccompanied. It turns out that singing together has been therapeutic for all parties involved.
Read more about Barre Toelken's story in the Western Folklife Center blog posting by Hal Cannon.
