Striking a chord about love and loss
A father whose son died accidentally after taking a recreational drug has released an album of songs which he hopes will help others deal with loss and grief.
Andy Cowan, from Wargrave, originally made the music as a form of healing but a relative persuaded him to release the songs professionally.
Called Fathers and Sons the 10-track digital download is a musical tribute to the bond that families share, and one that goes beyond bereavement.
In 2016 one of Andy three sons, Daniel Cowan, decided to celebrate getting a new flat and job in Scotland with a recreational drug bought over the ‘dark web’.
Sadly, that drug contained lethal doses of MDMA and heroin and Daniel passed away from a reaction to taking it. He was 29 years old.
At the time the family were in shock because Daniel was ‘not a regular drug user,’ with Andy telling drug safety campaign group, Anyone’s Child, “There is absolutely no doubt that Daniel died as a result of a mistake – he loved life.”
Losing a ‘larger-than-life character’ sent Andy into a period of deep grief – and one that saw him take early retirement from his senior executive role in wealth management.
Using his former talent of producing music for Christianbased music stores Andy found a way out of grief by writing lyrics and original pieces of music.
He was then encouraged to compile the tribute album by a cousin who hails from Andy’s native Scotland.
“One of the things I found therapeutic was to get my feelings out in songs.
“It was for nobody’s benefit other than my own but Martin, who has had his own work appear at the Edinburgh Festival, encouraged me to come out of myself and said: ‘why don’t we put these songs together in an album?’
“It’s for people who may have been through something similar. The whole point of doing it was that people might be able to listen to it and that it helps them,” said Andy.
Since its launch in August on digital platforms such as Spotify and iTunes, Fathers and Sons has had more than 1,000 downloads.
Tunes entitled Love Through Time, Somewhere in the Silence, Like Father Like Son, spell out the strong bond shared between parents and their children and are all written and sung by Andy himself, who also plays the guitar on several of the tracks.
Andy, who is also known for his wildlife photography locally, has received overwhelming support from neighbours and the larger community in Wargrave for his musical and photography work.
“I’ve received some really nice comments about them both. I moved to Wargrave in 2006.
“I am originally from Fife where my wife and I lived until our early 40s and our company moved down here.
“We love the area. There are so many nice things about Wargrave and it’s helped the healing process, to get out and walk in the countryside.”
Andy’s next project is an album of love songs in tribute to Margaret, his wife of 43 years, who is currently fighting a battle with cancer.
Fathers and Sons is available on Amazon, Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Pandora and Deezer.
For the music go to: andycowan.hearnow.com – visit anyoneschild.org for or more information on the charity.