The world grieved when the news broke in 2016 that the legendary Holly Dunn, who catapulted to fame through her song “Daddy’s Hands,” had succumbed to ovarian cancer.
“Daddy’s Hands” is a song written by Holly Dunn herself for her father, who is a minister. Just by listening to the song, you can already feel Holly’s love for her father and just how much she appreciates his presence in her life.
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In 2011, a video of a 12 year old young singer by the name of Paige Rombough was uploaded to Youtube, where she sang “Daddy’s Hands” on stage. Perhaps owing to her young age, there are differences in her rendition compared to Holly Dunn’s. This is fine and is to be expected since Holly Dunn recorded this song when she was around 29 years old. There are bound to be differences in the depth of a young voice and a mature, adult voice.
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The bass is noticeably missing, which would make sense because then it would fit Rombough’s voice more. The beat is also a tad bit more upbeat, and feels “faster.” This could be taken two ways: this is Rombough giving the song a modern vibe, or this is the accompanying band trying to fit into Rombough’s vocal range at the time.
But kudos to Rombough, since her rendition is pretty much faithful to the original while peppering in her own personal flavour to it. Her southern vocals give it the uniqueness that afforded an unforgettable performance.
There will almost certainly be no another Holly, but she can rest assured that her song “Daddy’s Hands” will be remembered and respected by young (and old!) singers alike. No matter what version is being sung, the love and emotion behind the song remain strong.
Listen to Paige Rombough’s version of “Daddy’s Hands” below.
