Mark McKinnon, longtime leader of the Chico band Ha’penny Bridge, nearly reached the brink of total despair as he and his wife left their home in Paradise to drive through what McKinnon called “the gates of hell.”
“We thought, like a lot of people, we were escaping flames behind us not knowing that the worst was ahead of us,” McKinnon said.
The song he wrote about the experience was inspired by the bravery of his wife, Wendy, who he encouraged to drive out of the flames separately in her vehicle, telling her that he would be right there with her the whole way.
“She disappeared into the fire and smoke and I thought, ‘oh my God, what have I done,’ and then suddenly, I was engulfed in flames and I couldn’t even tell where the road was, let alone where Wendy was,” he said.
During their escape, Wendy called and told Mark that she wasn’t sure if they would make it out and wanted to tell him one more time that she loves him.
“I told her ‘I love you too. Keep your eyes on the road. Try to stay out of the fire and just breathe.'”
“Just Breathe” is the name of the song McKinnon was finally able to write weeks later after a musical dry spell caused by the deep emotion and trauma the musician went through.
Watch a raw version of Mark McKinnon’s song “Just Breathe” at E-R Sessions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=bZiWCuHGL5E.
