'The song had them in tears': Wolverhampton-born musician releases charity single to raise money for health staff

Emergency Medical Dispatcher Aaron Wilkes got to work on his first song after a melody 'popped' into his head while on shift - and will be donating every penny made from the piece to charity.

Aaron, 38 and born in Wolverhampton but now living in Stafford, has always had the bug for music since his parents Miles, 61, and Jan, 58 - who both play bass - met each other while playing in a band, even performing in Wolverhampton's Mander Centre decades ago.

But although he was passionate about becoming an artist, he never took the leap to go pro until five months ago when his new song came to him as a melody in his head while he was on shift at the ambulance service's Tollgate control room in Stafford.

Rushing home after work to get the idea down on paper - because falling asleep would have meant forgetting how it sounded - he started writing lyrics and said they were so 'powerful' he had to take the next step and record the song.

Now completed, and teaming up with the ambulance service, the Black Country artist has released his new track, titled 'Stand Together', which he said was influenced by his dad and a particularly tough 12 months he battled through on a personal level last year.

The talented father of two said he has been answering calls all week since the release, with interviews of the new star popping up across the region, and the song racking 5,000 plays since it hit streaming sites.

And he won't be stopping there, noting that news will come in the 'future months' of where he wants to take his new-found success.

Speaking exclusively to the Express & Star, Aaron said: "I was on shift one night and the song just came to me, I was sort of humming it out loud while working so I could remember it before recording it on my phone.

"I knew I had something to work with and it felt stronger than other ideas I had had so I didn't want to forget it.

"I went home and fleshed it out, I knew if I went to sleep the idea would have disappeared so I couldn't just hope the same sound would come to me the next day - even with a raw version of it recorded.

"I’ve written the song, composed the music, played all the instruments and provided all the vocals. I’ve been into music as a passion all my life but I’ve only just found the confidence to do something with it. The song is powerful and uplifting, it's about strength in unity and fighting for a brighter future.

"Over the last year I have struggled with my mental health, and I know that music can really help people, I think it's really important to remind people that we all have struggles and we can all find a way through it.

"I just wanted to get my message out there and if it helps one person then that's mission accomplished in my opinion."

Before releasing the track, Aaron said he wanted some feedback from his brother Ashley, 39, who works in theatre as a director and producer 'hoping' for an 'honest' answer from a sibling and was not let down after being told he should 're-record' the vocals, but in truth saying that he loved the song.

His other brother, Ross, 34, said he was emotional listening to it but for Aaron, the real feedback came once the wider public heard it.

Aaron said: "It's been really moving, I wanted to release something that would help people and that seems to have been what has happened. I can't really explain how it feels right now, it's all very overwhelming.

"I've had people reach out and tell me that they like the song, I've had radio hosts call and tell me they were in tears while listening to it."

His parents have been playing music together for decades, originally meeting while both playing in a band, performing all over the Black Country, including the Mander Centre in the city centre.

"To be honest I give my dad and mum all the praise, their talent rubbed off on me."

Once the moment settles Aaron is looking to take things further, plotting new tracks, possible shows and certainly having a continued focus on the mental wellbeing of residents across the region and the country.

He said: "I can't confirm anything, this is all really new to me, but the motivation I have from the reaction to this song is something I can't ignore, and I am so grateful to everyone who has listened.

"I had a call from my colleague Claire at work who wanted to spread the word and it has just taken off from there, she has been brilliant.

"In the future months I'm sure I'll have some news to share, but I'm going to take things as they come, not put too much pressure on myself and see how things go - the main thing is the message getting through to people and helping as many of them as it can."

The 999 dispatcher pledges to give 100 per cent of any royalties made to The Midlands Air Ambulance Charity and The Ambulance Staff Charity equally. Just listening to or streaming his song will contribute to his fundraising. To find out more visit Aaron’s Facebook page here.

You can listen to Aaron’s song now on all available music streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and Deezer.

Aaron said: "If you want to support please do give the track a listen, every penny will go the chosen charities and they really deserve it, health works really put there all into the care of the public and I can't think of many more deserving of our appreciation than them.

"The last count was over 5,000 listeners, it feels surreal, I can't thank you all enough for how inspired I feel right now."