Tenth Day of September
The first song that David Morris and John Miller wrote together almost didn’t happen. Miller wanted to write about 9/11. Morris, now a staff songwriter for Billy Blue Music, didn’t. As a White House reporter for Bloomberg News, he had covered the attacks and the aftermath, and didn’t want to reopen old wounds.
“I’m sure glad I listened to John,” Morris says.
The song, “Tenth Day of September,” will be released to radio by Billy Blue Records this Friday (July 31), in time for the 25th anniversary of that fateful day. Miller died in 2023, making the moment bittersweet for Morris. “I sure wish John was here for this,” he said.
The song is the debut single from a 2027 collection of songs Morris has written or co-written, with vocals by some of the best singers in bluegrass. “Tenth Day,” with Dave Adkins singing the lead, traces the arc of a family who lost a loved one from the day before the attacks until the present day. At its heart is a two-line chorus wishing for a do-over.
“Wish I could turn the clock back to a day we both remember In my heart it’s always the Tenth Day of September”
Jerry Salley, Creative/A&R Director of Billy Blue Records, was in the producer’s seat for the single, and will have the same role for the rest of the record. “Jerry is a terrific songwriter and he brings the same sensibilities that make him a success in the writing room to the studio,” Morris says. “I was honored when he agreed to take on this project.”
Morris is also thrilled that Adkins agreed to add his powerful voice to the song. “I’ve known Dave for a long time, and since John isn’t here to sing it, Dave was the logical choice. His big, emotional delivery was made for a song like this,” he says.
Morris, who started writing songs in 2010, has more than 30 bluegrass cuts to his credit as a writer. He’s a past winner of the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at Merlefest and the Hazel Dickens Songwriting Contest. Ironically, his first national number one was “Weeds,” a song Adkins recorded with Edgar Loudermilk.
Morris, who now lives in northeastern Pennsylvania, is a graduate of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Leadership Bluegrass Class of 2016 and is active in IBMA’s Songwriter Mentor program. He also directs a music series in his hometown, Berwick, Pa.
Billy Blue Records, co-founded by Salley, Ed Leonard and Dottie Leonard Miller, is an imprint of Daywind Music Group with Salley being on board since the inception.
“In my opinion, this is one of the most important songs that David Morris has ever written. He and his longtime friend and cowriter, John Miller, stir emotion in our collective hearts and minds as we are reminded through their song of how all of our lives changed forever on that fateful September day. And, Dave Adkins delivers a vocal as powerful as the song. Let us never forget.” Jerry Salley, A&R, Creative Director, Billy Blue Records