At 22 years old, Scott McGorty is one of the youngest contributors to “Holiday Wishes 3,” but what he lacks in experience, he makes up for with musical sense and enthusiasm.
“I’m not really a huge musician, but I’ve always been intrigued by the story you can tell with a song,” McGorty said.
McGorty’s contribution to the Make-A-Wish benefit CD is an Oak Ridge Boys cover, “Thank God For Kids.” He is a lifelong fan of the band’s Christmas offerings, and has seen them in concert numerous times.
“It’s the first song I listen to every Christmas season. I have heard the song pretty much every year of my life,” McGorty said. “What [the song] is talking about is, without kids in the world, what would the world really be like? You know, there would be no Mickey Mouse, no Santa Claus. All that happiness wouldn’t be there.”
McGorty recorded the song with Chuck Mauk in Perrysburg. It was recorded using a backing track, with Mauk’s wife, Mandy, providing backup vocals.
McGorty was first turned on to music when he watched Disney’s “Mary Poppins” at age 3.
He later was involved in theater and choir at Bowsher High School, and now does a lot of production work in theater, including Bowsher’s musicals.
McGorty said “Holiday Wishes 3” means a lot to him, and that he actually knew someone who took part in Make-A-Wish when he was younger.
“He had leukemia,” McGorty said. “He’s 24 or 25 now, but he went into remission when he was around 5, so I got to see a little bit of that, because we went to the same church.”
However, McGorty said he really got to see the profound effect Make-A-Wish has on kids while he was an entertainment intern at Walt Disney World, a common destination for Make-A-Wish children.
“To see the excitement on those kids’ faces, to be a part of something and to get to experience something they never thought they’d get the chance to in their entire lives — to see that is indescribable,” McGorty said.
“Being in the park, you see all kinds of families who are well-off or typical American families, but there are others you can tell have been through a lot. You can just see the joy in the kids’ eyes and in the parents’ hearts.
“That’s the reason it was just a no-brainer to be a part of this project. I will never forget those experiences.”
McGorty said he hopes listeners will take note of the lyrics, and really appreciate that there are some kids who need some happiness in their lives.
“There are children, even here in Toledo and Northwest Ohio, who may not be living in the most ideal conditions or situations, and I hope that people listen to these lyrics and just love a child, and thank God they are there,” he said.
“It is the perfect fit for this album. It is a song thanking God for kids.”
