ST. LOUIS – No matter the year. No matter the place. There’s always that one song when you hear it that takes you back in time. No one knows this more than Brian Owens and Adam Maness.
“I think that’s the one thing that music is really, really good at," said Maness. "At taking us back to these memories!”
A composer for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Maness had the pleasure of developing a song that will keep Cardinal pitcher Bob Gibson’s legacy alive forever.
“As soon as we started talking about something for Bob Gibson I knew I wanted it to be epic, and big, and bullying off the mound with music you know?"
For the older generation, they can reminisce on Gibson's finest moments.
While the younger generation will learn about just how dominant of a pitcher he was.
What also makes this song even more unique, is that it was written and performed by urban youth here in St. Louis, who are a part of a program called Compositions for L.I.F.E (Leadership. Innovation. Faith. Excellence). All of the lyrics are based upon Gibson’s 1968 autobiography “From Ghetto to Glory.”
“The students read that and honestly they didn’t even know who Bob Gibson was when they were given this assignment," said Maness. "They immediately felt a connection with him because of his story.”
"You know I remember us watching the footage together and there are a couple of scenes in there where they were like 'Yeah, what?!" added Owens who is a soul singer that oversees the program. "I was like yeah, he was the GOAT of his era.”
Releasing this song, Complete Gamer, is also a part of a season-long social media campaign to celebrate the Hall of Famer while also raising money to benefit musically-gifted urban youth.
“The reality in sports is that if you call somebody a ‘gamer’ that means they’re the ultimate competitor," said Ron Watermon, Vice-President of Communications for the Cardinals. "They can overcome obstacles and they achieve at the highest level, and that is Bob Gibson. Not only on the playing field, but also in his life.”
It gives Cardinal fans and St. Louisans the opportunity to show their love for Gibson, appreciate his talents, as well as educate the entire fanbase.
“I hope we can connect St. Louis kids to this great ST. Louis icon," said Maness. "He pitched before they were born so they might not have heard of him."