It wasn’t intended to be a song with many elements. But once Terry Kelly and 14 Wing Greenwood BandmasterJeff Campbell began writing it, the inspiration continued flowing.
“Every now and again, if you open that portal, all of a sudden, things fall through, and you say, ‘Where did that come from?’” Kelly said. “And "No Sky Too High" came from that portal.”
A song dedicated to the air arm of the Canadian Armed Forces, the respect and emotion in "No Sky Too High" developed over a long time.
“When I was a kid, there was a school for the blind in Halifax, and I started going there when I was about seven,” said Kelly, who is from Newfoundland.
“A lot of the parents and some of the teachers were retired Army, Air Force, Navy people. They all became my surrogate parents," said Kelly, an award-winning musician and songwriter who lives in Nova Scotia.
“One of the greatest gifts they gave ... (was) they never babied us,” Kelly said.
The lesson from the veterans was a stern, “You’re blind, get over it.” But it was positive because it didn’t stop there. They showed him how to identify the gifts he had in spite of his blindness.
“Just because your eyes are gone doesn’t mean you can’t have fun and live and do things in your life,” he said. “They became really important to me.”
It’s not the first time he’s dedicated a song to the Canadian military. One of Kelly's most popular songs is "A Pittance of Time," inspired by the memory of a moment in a drug store he couldn’t shake, where two minutes of silence on Remembrance Day was interrupted by a disgruntled customer who wouldn’t stop talking.
“Every now and again, if you open that portal, all of a sudden, things fall through, and you say, ‘Where did that come from? And "No Sky Too High" came from that portal.” — Terry Kelly
But this is the first time Kelly, who is an Honorary Colonel at 14 Greenwood, has penned a song specifically for the Forces' air arm.
It began during a discussion about the setlist for a show he was scheduled to play with the 14 Wing Band,.Campbell asked Kelly what song they would play for the air section.
Kelly suggested writing a verse and adding it to one of the other songs.
“(Campbell said) ‘No, no, no. We need our own song,’” Kelly said.
A regular force musician since 1999, Warrant Officer Campbell had several postings before ending up in Greenwood in 2015. Campbell and Kelly have worked together a number of times over the last five years.
Writing the song with Kelly was an amazing process, said Campbell, who has grown close to his fellow musician.
“My main concern has always been in the instrumental side of it,” Campbell said. “This was the first time that I’ve been asked to be a songwriter.
“It came very naturally, but it did take some time."
The writing began in November 2019. But since Kelly and Campbell live about 150 kilometres apart, the bulk of the work was done through FaceTime.
By the time the COVID-19 pandemic hit, they had already been in the studio to record a demo. They took it a step further and spoke with Sgt. Susan Howell, who is the 14 Wing's imaging manager, specializing in video and photography, as well as graphic design, about a video of the song.
Because of COVID restrictions, opportunities to get original footage were slim. Instead, Howell began compiling and editing archival footage to match the song, with a team consisting of Able Seaman Jeremy Morris, the project lead, Master Corporal Daniel Salisbury and Leading Seaman Louis Dubè.
They were able to get some original shots. One in particular, stands out.
As Kelly sings the chorus, a helicopter hovers in the background.
“A little bit of organization and little bit of luck as well,” Howell said. “We reached out to (the 413 Transport and Rescue Squadron) and … they were returning home from a training session.”
Howell and Kelly found out where the helicopters were going to be, rushed up to higher ground and began shooting. The squadron slowed down and hovered for a moment, before taking off again.
The song had already been recorded when two tragedies hit the CAF community. At the end of April, a crash off the coast of Greece resulted in the death of six CAF members. And in May, Captain Jenn Casey died after her Snowbird crashed near Kamloops, B.C.
Campbell said Howell and her team tastefully pay their respect in the video.
“We hope the sense of pride, commitment, dedication and love of flight in the song and video can be a reminder of the values shared by these Canadian military heroes,” he said.
Twitter: @AndrewLWaterman
