Toledo musician Scott Fish of Distant Cousinz said he remembers the first time he met the Gold Star kid who inspired hundreds of people to donate thousands of dollars to charity.
Myles Eckert, 9, of Waterville was sitting on Fish’s lap at a Cracker Barrel when he found out that Fish wrote “Lucky Day,” which appears on “Red, White & You, Too!”
“You were the one who wrote ‘Lucky Day’? You know, you changed some of the words to my note,” Myles said with an incredulous look.
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Myles later told Toledo Free Press, “‘Lucky Day’ is the best.”
Earlier this year, Myles found a $20 bill in the parking lot of a Cracker Barrel. Instead of purchasing a video game, Myles decided to attach the money to a handwritten note thanking Lt. Col. Frank Dailey, who happened to be eating at the Maumee restaurant, for his military service.
Dailey and Myles had never met. However, the then-8-year-old wanted to “pay it forward” because Dailey reminded Myles of his father, Army Sgt. Gary “Andy” Eckert, who was killed in Iraq when Myles was 5 weeks old.
“When I first heard the Eckerts’ story on a CBS News clip, I wiped away a few tears and got super inspired to write the whole lyrics out. It took me probably five minutes,” Fish said. “After the first verse, I got to the bridge and thought ‘What am I going to do with the chorus?’ The chorus is Myles’ note … edited a little bit.”
“Dear Soldier / My dad was a soldier, too / He’s in heaven now / Well, I’m right here with you / I found this 20 in the parking lot / when we got here / We pay it forward in my family / And it’s your lucky day …”
Myles’ mother, Tiffany Eckert heard “Lucky Day” via social media and contacted Fish.
“We really forged a relationship in the last few months,” she said. “He’s just a really good guy all around and very talented. I’m blessed to know him and I look forward to our future endeavors.”
Fish decided to share the song’s copyright with the Eckert family. Tiffany and Fish plan to do “some altruistic things together” with future proceeds, from the tune, which will be donated to Tiffany’s new nonprofit organization Lucky Day.
“I want to translate the feeling that I had when I first wrote the song to others so it might inspire them to look at their life and ask ‘What can I do for someone?’” Fish said. “I want people to hear the song and say ‘Wow, I’m going to do a random act of kindness.’ ‘Lucky Day’ is all about following Myles’ example and paying it forward.”
