Bernie and the Believers

In 2017, Bernie Dalton was diagnosed with Bulbar Onset ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). Surfer, songwriter, and devoted father of a 16 year old daughter, Bernie had an end of life wish to make a record of his songs. He wanted to leave a musical legacy for his future grandchildren that he would likely not live long enough to meet. He wanted them to know who he is, he wanted them to know his views of the world, and to convey his advice for living in the lyrics he wrote. Bernie had a vision, but since ALS had already robbed of him of his ability to speak or sing, he asked his voice coach singer/songwriter Essence Goldman to be his voice. Essence launched a Go Fund Me campaign, and the outpour of love and support from family, friends, and community made it possible to record an album of Bernie’s songs. An amazing musical team, Roger Rocha, Daniel Berkman, David Simon-Baker and Essence, came together to produce this album of Bernie’s songs and the inspiration and collaborative experience was magic.