The Songaminute Man: How music brought my father home again

Simon McDermott

The nostalgic memoir of a young man, eldest of fourteen, growing up in 40s Wednesbury. The heartbreaking true account of his son struggling to come to terms with his father’s dementia. A tribute to the unbreakable bond between father and son.

Full of poignant moments, the ups and downs of family life and treasured memories, The Songaminute Man is a story of two halves: a celebration of the man Ted was, and a powerful and moving account of caring for a loved one.

Cân yn y Cof
Hunangofiant hiraethus dyn ifanc, yr hynaf o bedwar ar ddeg o blant, yn tyfu i fyny yn Wednesbury yn y 40au. Hanes gwirioneddol torcalonnus ei fab yn ei chael hi’n anodd dod i delerau â dementia ei dad. Teyrnged i’r cwlwm anhygoel rhwng tad a mab.

Yn llawn eiliadau ingol, uchafbwyntiau a heriau bywyd teuluol ac atgofion gwerthfawr, mae Cân y Cof yn stori wedi’i rhannu’n ddwy: dathliad o’r dyn oedd Ted, a chofnod pwerus a theimladwy o ofalu am anwylyn.

Simon McDermott
Simon McDermott is the son of Teddy Mac. Ted had been a singer in clubs and was nicknamed “The Songaminute Man” by his ability to sing any song perfectly on command. After Ted was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2013 at the age of 77, Simon found that he could calm his father’s aggression by singing songs together in the car. He uploaded videos in the style of carpool karaoke of his father’s singing to Facebook, which quickly went viral around the world, raising over £150,000 for dementia charities, winning Ted a record deal and a Pride of Britain Award. Simon documented their path together in the book “The Songaminute Man” recounting his father’s life as well as his experience of caring for his father in the lead up to his fame.