Through the Years

Hello again Backstory family! We have a very special episode for you! Cat’s Whitley County High School class has just had their 40th reunion, and had chosen “Through the Years” way back in 1982 as their class song.  We first have the honor of talking with Steve Dorff, who wrote the song, and shares the story of how it got written, as well as the events that transpired in pitching the song to Kenny Rogers. Steve also shares some additional stories from his long and successful songwriting career. With five decades, 20 top 10 hits, Grammy and Emmy award nominations, and a spot in the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame under his belt, Steve has had his songs recorded by over 250 artists. A truely remarkable career, with no signs of slowing down. We can’t thank him enough for agreeing to sit down with us and talk about the song and share his own impressions of it, as well as feedback he continually gets about it. 
We then turn our attention to some of Cat’s classmates who share with us what the song has meant to them looking back at thier high school days, and what it means to them now, 40 years later. We also hear the ways in which life has changed for each of them after high school, and where they are now. It is an interesting mix of stories that are funny, sweet, at times bittersweet, and definitely have many twists and turns. One thing is clear though : The Whitley County class of ‘82 is a special group. The love they share for each other as classmates is evident in every minute of this episode. From the feedback we received in planning the episode, to the lengths they all went to to make sure those who weren’t able to attend the reunion were still able to be a part of it was amazing. We hope you enjoy this sentimental episode, and we congratulate the Whitley County Class of ‘82 on their 40th reunion. Special thanks to our guests (in no particular order): Angie Wilson, Gary Bryant, Nat Hyde, Jim Wilson, Judith Streetman Sherman, Tami Moses Cox Mason, and Teresa Rountree