Eighty-seven-year-old John Leonard Tucker might not understand today’s music, but he does understand the power of music—and he still has the voice to communicate that power. Best of all, he gets to do it with his granddaughter, Yazzy Tucker.
For Ms. Tucker, who has loved her grandfather’s voice for as long as she can remember, this is a dream come true.
“When I hear Granddad’s voice ... it just feels like the most magical sound,” she told The Epoch Times.
The musical duo calls North Devon, England, home. It’s where Mr. Tucker worked the land as a farmer and where his granddaughter is now carving out her own career as a musician.
Mr. Tucker has spent his life filling his home and community with his wonderful voice. Over the years, his sight has declined to the point where he can’t see much—which has been devastating because he can no longer read the words and music that he wants to sing.
Ms. Tucker says that, overall, it’s been really hard for her grandfather, who has always been so active. Even though he has struggled to adjust, Mr. Tucker always makes an effort to make it out to his granddaughter’s gigs, and he sometimes even gets up on stage with her to sing.
Having made music with her grandpa for much of her life, Ms. Tucker uses music to help him stay active.
Initially, she started singing “bits and bobs” to share on social media, and then, one day, she shared a video of a performance with Mr. Tucker.
“I uploaded a video of Granddad,” she said, “and everyone loved Grandad!”
This inspired Ms. Tucker to start teaching her grandpa some newer songs and not just help him sing what he was used to. She admits that he is not always a big fan of the songs, but he loves to sing with her and so learns them anyway.
Because Mr. Tucker can’t see the words or music, Ms. Tucker teaches him gradually, giving him one line of melody and verse at a time.
The first video of the pair that Ms. Tucker uploaded to social media was of them singing “O Holy Night” and got 15,000 views—which she thought was an incredible feat at the time. As they’ve continued performing and uploading, however, their videos have reached millions of people.
“I taught him a song by Stephen Sanchez,“ Ms. Tucker said. ”When I listened back to the video of it, I used to close my eyes, and I must have watched the video about 1,000 times myself.”
The magic of the pair’s singing has even captured the attention of the British supergroup, Coldplay.
Having Coldplay comment on her video affirmed her belief that making family a priority doesn’t need to interfere with her career in music.
Ms. Tucker acknowledges that gaining popularity on social media is a great asset in her career but says that spending time with her aging grandparents is what keeps her going.
“I urge anyone reading this,” she said, “if they’re lucky enough to still have their grandparents, to go and spend time with them, even if it’s just a cup of tea. It’s so easy to get swept away in your own life and forget to check in. The most important thing I’ve taken away from this, [is that] I'll be so grateful that I did all of this.”
