Mom with Alzheimer’s Sings Touching Duet of ‘Praying’ with Son

This Gospel-singing Mom with Alzheimer’s loves to perform old favorites on her guitar with her son singing along side her.

Kelly Ridings has been singing with his mother, Julia, for as long as he can remember. As a child, it was a common occurrence to have his parents rehearsing at the dining room table. When Kelly visited her recently at Tranquility of Dalton, an assisted living facility, he realized that he didn’t have a video of the two singing together! That’s when Kelly set his phone on a nearby table and hit record.

Years ago, Julia sang in a quartet with Kelly’s father, Elmer, called the Trinity Quartet. “Praying,” a song made famous by country singer Vern Gosdin, was one of the songs that frequented their set list. Kelly remembers hearing it often while growing up. It has become one of the songs that he and his mother sing together when he visits her.

“She may be 88 and have Alzheimer’s now, but to me, she’s still the best guitar player and singer ever,” the Dalton native said.

When he decided to record the video and post it to social media, it was merely to save the memory for himself. He thought perhaps a handful of Julia’s friends might see it and remember her years singing but nothing more. Within a day he had over one million views!

“Everybody was talking about it,” one of the workers at Tranquility said. “We tell her (Julia) she’s a celebrity and that just cracks her up.”

Kari York, program manager at Tranquility says she isn’t surprised at the online reactions. Many people are able to relate to a loved one with Alzheimer’s.

“Alzheimer’s is a disease that’s growing in prevalence, so many people have loved ones who have it, and so many more people know someone who has it,” she said.

The common theme among the online comments hinges on family members with Alzheimer’s losing their ability to connect – except where music is involved. This one area seems to grab those sweet moments of recall giving families opportunities to connect once again.