The most powerful story to ever cross my Tiny Desk

Watch the Bernie and the Believers Tiny Desk Concert [Tiny Desk Contest]( The story of Bernie and the Believers is the most powerful story that has ever crossed my Tiny Desk. It's one that stayed with our team since we received the entry in March of 2018. We knew we had to bring them in for their own Tiny Desk concert. Today, I’m proud to [share it with you](. Bernie and the Believers at the Tiny Desk Bob Boilen/NPR Bernie Dalton has a powerful story—you’ll hear Essence Goldman, once his voice teacher, now his voice, tell that story from the Desk. I cry every time I hear it. A few years ago, Bernie, a father, a musician in his mid-forties, an avid surfer with a day job as a pool cleaner, reached out to Essence, a singer and songwriter, eager to start voice lessons. He drove 90 minutes from Santa Cruz to San Francisco for lessons with her. He showed up early. But not long after they began working together, Bernie noticed a change in his body. It started with the disappearance of his voice, and got more serious from there. Soon he had trouble swallowing water and eating, and after almost a year of problems, Bernie was diagnosed with bulbar-onset ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease. A dedicated songwriter, he refused to let this stop him from making a record, so he shifted gears and asked Essence to be not just his voice teacher, but his voice. From there, they got to business—Essence pulled together a team of producers, engineers and musicians, while Bernie guided the creative direction through gestures and a dry erase board. They wrote and recorded a song a day. Their first single, “Unusual Boy,” [found its way to us via our 2018 Contest](. Last month, Essence and her band of Believers came to Washington, D.C. to perform Bernie’s songs. All the while, Bernie watched and listened from his hospital bed on the West coast, communicating with us in a live video feed through the eye-gaze device he uses to speak. Watching the performance itself was intense. I felt profoundly moved by Bernie and Essence’s stories and songs, and I think it’s safe to say everyone else in that room felt the same. When it was over, everyone around me was wiping their eyes. What we witnessed was an ultimate act of love: Essence had sacrificed her own musical ambitions to fulfill the dreams of Bernie Dalton. Through tragedy there was beauty. Essence said it best: “Music moves in unexpected ways like a wave.” I am so thankful that this Contest brought us Bernie’s story of resilience, and the amazing community of supporters that stand behind him. From the Tiny Desk, Bob Boilen Interested in connecting with music-lovers and music-makers across the Contest community? Join our Tiny Desk Contest Community [Facebook Group]( NPR Music thanks our sponsors [Lagunita Brewing Company]( The 2018 Tiny Desk Contest has now ended. Stay tuned for information about the 2019 Contest! You received this message because you're subscribed to our Tiny Desk Contest emails. | [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( | NPR 1111 N. CAPITOL ST. NE WASHINGTON DC 20002 [NPR]