Hayes Carll and Brent Cobb Bring a Child’s Story to Life for Non-Profit

Earlier this month, Hayes Carll and Brent Cobb teamed up with the Sing Me a Story Foundation to help bring a child’s story to life.

Videos by American Songwriter

The child, Daniel, was born with a cleft lip. His parents, Jasmine and Kenny, were able to give Daniel surgery early on in his life to lessen the severity of his cleft and in return started working with the non-profit Smile Train to aid other families in the same situation.

For the collaborative project, Daniel penned an original story—aptly titled “Daniel’s Super Special Story.” Sing Me a Story then tapped Carll and Cobb to craft an accompanying song.

“I loved, in Daniel’s story, just how descriptive he was,” Cobb said of the project. “You know, you always hear about a fire-breathing dragon, but you never hear about a laser-eyed dragon.”

Carll added, “I loved the details in the story and the emphasis on King Daniel being a good king and being fair. The world can be a rough place, but you can bring your positivity to it, and you can bring your creations to it and make it a better place.”

The two singer-songwriters were able to perform the song, titled “King Daniel,” in New York City for Daniel and his family. Check out a video recap of the project, below.

The Sing Me a Story partnership came on the heels of Carll and Cobb’s joint tour. The pair headed out on the Getting’ Together Tour last October, wrapping things up with the aforementioned New York City show at City Winery.

“I’m hittin’ the road with my ol’ buddy Hayes Carll come October,” Cobb announced at the time. “We’ll each play some songs on our own and then we’ll play a set together at the end.”

Carll added, “His songs hit their mark with a laid-back confidence and invite us to celebrate the good and shake hands after we work through the hard. He’s an extraordinary everyman, and that’s the kind of friend I like gettin’ together with.”

(Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for Stagecoach