Shannon Winkelman of Bayfield joined the grassroots “Countin’ on Joe” virtual chorus for the fun of it and found a sense of countrywide unity along the way.
Winkelman joined 68 other singers from 39 states to create the campaign song video, organized by Carol Dunitz of Michigan. The song, while not an official song for Biden’s campaign, follows a string of political videos made by Dunitz.
“It was really good to sing with people together when we’re so far apart,” Winkelman said. “I hope that the country can come together as well.”
In July, Dunitz set out to assemble a virtual chorus of singers to produce the video. Each person would listen to an audio recording of the song, then film themselves singing over it. Winkelman, who sings in the Durango barbershop group, A Woman’s Prerogative, thought it was a fun way to show support for Biden’s campaign.
“I thought it was a really fun thing to do, especially with COVID and everything,” Winkelman said. “It was nice that I got to sing with 60 people I didn’t even know.”
The melody for “Countin’ On Joe” comes from an old Irish folk tune, which was also used for a campaign song for Abraham Lincoln, Dunitz said.
“I generally write my own music, but the appeal of a melody that had previously been used with success in the political arena was too much to resist,” she said in a news release.
The song hits on political topics, like a “cracking” democracy and Biden’s experience, and lines like, “A president needs to have morals to harvest the seeds that he’ll sew.”
Dunitz has also created political parodies, such as “Things Now Have Gone to Hades,” which criticizes the Trump administration to the tune of “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” by singer Billy Joel.
smullane@durangoherald.com