"Alabama Sky Night" - live version recorded on February 22, 2017 at an open mic night located at Moriarty's Pub in Lansing, Michigan.

Written by Jenny Bonner and Eldon McGraw.

Performed live by Jenny Bonner and Eldon McGraw.

Jenny Bonner was a singer/songwriter who passed away unexpectedly from a stroke on June 1, 2017 at the age of 45. In 2016, she released her debut EP called "Moments." Her EP received very positive critical reviews and she started building a fan base with her heartfelt original songs. Prior to becoming a singer/songwriter, Jenny was an accomplished classically trained cellist. She was also a strings teacher for the Waverly Community Schools in Lansing, MI.

After the debut of her EP "Moments," Jenny immediately started crafting songs for her second EP that she titled "Pine Hill Sessions." She named her second EP "Pine Hill Sessions" because she grew up in Alabama and her parents currently live in Pine Hill, Alabama. Jenny lived in Michigan at the time she started planning her second album and also while she was on vacation with her family in Alabama. She wanted to craft an Americana style album based on her upbringing in Alabama and the influences of her vacation time visiting family in Alabama in more recent years.

On July 4, 2016, Jenny, her soon to be husband Eldon McGraw (married on Aug. 21, 2016) and her daughter Becca Spurbeck visited Selma, Alabama and toured the historic civil rights memorials. This visit had a profound effect on Jenny and inspired her to write the first song for her new album. The song was “Wrong Side of the Tracks.” She recorded the song with her husband Eldon in Lansing, MI in December of 2016. That same month, she recorded a music video of the song in Selma while visiting family over Christmas. The first song and video from “Pine Hill Sessions” was released on MLK Day in January of 2017.

Starting in the summer of 2016 until the time of her passing, Jenny continued to write new songs influenced by her time in Alabama. The plan was to go back into the studio starting in June 2017 and start the recording process for the rest of her songs. She had written songs called “Alabama Sky Night,” “Gee’s Bend,” “Gettin’ Loose in Tuscaloosa” and more.

Jenny started crafting “Alabama Sky Night” with her husband Eldon at her parents’ house in Pine Hill, Alabama while on vacation over the Independence Day holiday in 2016. Jenny and Eldon sat on the back porch in the still of the night watching the Alabama sky night to inspire them as songwriters. They traded a few lyric lines back and forth, Eldon strummed his guitar and Jenny launched into creating a wonderful melody. Over the next few days, Jenny was able to complete the lyrics for the complete song structure. She crafted the lyrics with memories of spending time with her family as a young girl in Alabama in church and social functions. She also added new memories she was creating with her family on vacation in Alabama in 2016.

Over the next few months while back in Michigan, Jenny and Eldon continued to rehearse “Alabama Sky Night” along with the other new songs for “Pine Hill Sessions” that they planned on recording in the summer of 2017. Sadly, Jenny was not able to record the amazing new songs she was creating.

On February 22, 2017, Jenny decided she wanted to perform this new song, "Alabama Sky Night" at an open mic night in Lansing, MI where she lived. Jenny and Eldon perfomed three of her original songs that evening. They perfomed "Movin' On" from her debut EP, "Wrong Side of the Tracks" that she had just released a few weeks prior and her new unreleased song "Alabama Sky Night." It was a fun evening to perform some original songs to a small but enthusiastic audience.

Special thanks to Jenny's parents John and Paula Bonner who provided guidance and caring to Jenny throughout her life to pursue her love of cello, piano, singing and songwriting. Thank you to the McGraw family for their support, to Jeff Behrendt , Mike Reed and Ian Walker who were instrumental in helping Jenny launch her singer/songwriter career, to all of Jenny's extended family, her friends and music students she taught throughout her life.

We are releasing this song on July 13 in memory of Jenny's birthday. We hope you enjoy and thanks for listening!