Download Taylor Emery’s song, “Harris,” through Apple’s iTunes Store by clicking here.
Many stories will likely be written about Taylor Emery, a standout junior point guard on the Freedom High School girls basketball team, as she progresses her way through college and beyond.
But on a mournful day in mid-October, it was her turn to write.
A young man who had cheered the basketball team on from the bleachers, and who had become a symbol of hope for the school and his community, had just lost his long battle with primitive neuroectodermal tumors. And it was then the 16-year-old pulled out a tablet and a pen, and began to share her thoughts on the passing of Jordan Harris.
Unable to grasp this unbelievable news
Not quite being able to refuse
Eighteen years old, he shouldn’t have died
Just a kid living stride to stride
“I never thought about ever pursuing anything in the music industry,” Emery said. “But I felt all the pain from Jordan passing away. And the next day, I wanted to do something for him. I wanted to do something cool that he would’ve loved. And I know he loved music.”
The words flooded Emery’s paper, and it took a few days to organize her thoughts after that and turn her stream of consciousness into something lyrical. It was then Emery shared her work with a 16-year-old friend who played recreational basketball, Kellie Gaston, who also had a passion for singing. They both then turned to another teammate’s brother, Kyle Snelgrove, who even at 17 has his own recording studio in his Brandon home.
“We all got together one night, and did the recording,” Emery said. Gaston sang the chorus, Emery rapped her primary lyrics, and Snelgrove produced. “I had to record my part a lot of times, but Kellie got it on the first try. Kyle said he would have it done in a week, and he did.”
The trio got permission to use an original instrumental base they found on YouTube, and Emery uploaded the final product to Apple’s iTunes Store, offering the song for 99 cents. She won’t know until January how many people downloaded the song in the first wave, but Emery already plans to donate 75 percent of proceeds to the Harris family. The other 25 percent covers the costs of producing it.
“He has helped me and others in so many different ways,” Emery said of Harris, who died Oct. 16 at the age of 18. “He fought cancer three times, and the first two times, he never gave up and was just so happy with what he did. It taught us that no matter how hard things are, there is always a way to come out of it.”
Jordan may be gone
But I’ll never forget …
… I’ll never forget how he inspired me
The Freedom Patriots are locked in a tough battle to win their district, and Emery has been one of the keys to her team’s success. In just two games in December, she scored a combined 75 points. And she hasn’t had a game without scoring in double digits since her first year on the team.
A wall in her bedroom is filled with envelopes sent to her by colleges around the country interested in her hardwood skills. And Emery dreams of not only excelling in college, but possibly earning a spot in the Women’s National Basketball Association.
Her iPhone is filled with all kinds of music, ranging from hip-hop and rhythm and blues to rock, and maybe even a little country. Emery’s favorite musician right now is Macklemore, who she says “raps with a purpose” with songs like “Wing$” and “Same Love.”
Emery is an A student at Freedom, taking four Advanced Placement courses this year alone.
There’s not a lot of room in her schedule to create and produce a song, let alone promote it, but Emery knew sharing “Harris” with the rest of the world was something she had to do.
“I just wanted to help his family so much,” she said. “I know it’s hard to lose anyone to cancer, especially someone who is 18, and I felt this was the only way I could help them. I can’t bring Jordan back, but I hope I can at least help them with this.”
He wants no pain or struggle from us
Just happiness and memories
Loving the past and blinded by our future
A future he never knew
He is watching over us now
What a great thing to bear
Rest in peace, JHarr
Jordan Harris was symbol of hope at Freedom
The cancer Jordan Harris had was so rare, even today it’s difficult to remember its name: primitive neuroectodermal tumors.
Harris was first diagnosed with the condition in 2011 when he was an upperclassman at Freedom High School, and surgeries and treatment would sideline him from some of his favorite activities, like soccer.
“If nothing happened, I probably would have wanted to play college soccer on a scholarship,” Harris said late last year. “But it’ll all be about fun now.”
Harris graduated from Freedom in June, but his condition worsened not long after that. He succumbed to the cancer on Oct. 16.
“In my experience, it’s those with the hardest struggles who seem to persevere the most, and Jordan was no exception,” Freedom social studies teacher Katie Feldman told students, family and friends who joined in a candlelight vigil soon after Harris’ passing. “Talk to anyone who knew him, and they would undoubtedly mention his beautiful smile, the way he always wanted to put other people first, and his unyielding sense of perseverance.”
– Michael Hinman
