Band Turns Late Boy's Lyrics into Heartfelt Charity Anthem

A band from Stoke-on-Trent has released a charity single called 'Sorry (Joshua's Song)', which is based on lyrics written by Joshua Barton, a 10-year-old boy who died after a sudden asthma attack at a scout camp in 2018. Joshua's father, John Barton, found the lyrics among Joshua's toys after his death. John, who is a big fan of the band All The Young, shared the lyrics with Ryan Dooley, the band's lead singer, in 2024. Ryan was nervous about turning Joshua's words into a song, but he worked hard to create a melody that fit the lyrics. The result is a touching tribute to Joshua and a way to remember him for his creativity and love of music.

John Barton said that Joshua was always known as the boy who died at scout camp, but he wanted to change that narrative. He wanted people to see Joshua as a creative and musical child. Joshua loved music and often played his keyboard at home. John waited until he was ready to talk about his son before sharing the lyrics with Ryan. He said the song is beautiful and that Joshua would have been thrilled to hear it. The main reason for releasing the single was to show the world the creative side of Joshua and to leave a positive legacy for him.

Ryan Dooley said that John had become a friend after attending many of the band's shows. When Ryan received the lyrics, he felt a lot of pressure to do them justice. He spent time working on the melody and was happy with how the song turned out. Joshua will be credited as a songwriter when the song is released on Spotify. Profits from the single, which is available on Bandcamp, will be split between two charities in Joshua's hometown of Barnsley: Base 71 Youth Zone and Barnsley Great Christmas Toy Appeal. These charities support young people and families in the community. The band and Joshua's family hope that the song will help people remember Joshua for his creativity and kindness, and that it will raise money to help others.