How One 9/11 Song Went Viral Before Viral Existed #265 Jack Murphy Podcast

Twenty-five years after 9/11, one song still cuts through the noise and brings the day back with devastating clarity. Kristy Jackson joins Jack Murphy and Daniel Wheeler to tell the true story behind Little Did She Know She Kissed a Hero — the 9/11 tribute that spread by word of mouth before streaming existed, moved listeners in all 50 states and 17 countries, and became a lifeline for people who needed to grieve, remember, and not look away. What started as an emotional response to hearing the Flight 93 phone calls became a simple piano-and-vocal song that radio stations could not stop playing. Kristy shares how the lyrics arrived almost all at once, why she wrote from the perspective of a victim’s wife, and what happened when a Port Authority police officer placed a World Trade Center office key in her hand after she performed the song in New York. You’ll discover: How Jack recognized the song as something special the first time he heard it and pushed it into heavy rotation Why the track exploded through radio before social media made virality a thing The emails, letters, and calls from police officers, teachers, children, and families that turned the song into a shared act of mourning How Kristy turned those messages into a book, donating the proceeds to 9/11-related charities and foundations Jack, Kristy, and Daniel also reflect on the brutal reality of that day, the stories many people still do not know, and why remembering matters more than ever as younger generations grow up disconnected from the event. It is a raw, moving conversation about grief, memory, music, and the way one honest song can help a country feel something together. Essential listening if you care about 9/11 history, the power of music to carry public grief, or the untold stories behind a song that still stops people in their tracks. Kristy Jackson is a songwriter, keyboard player and publisher and has had cuts with artists in MCA, GIANT records, Warner Brothers had 2 grammy winning artists record her songs Kristy the most requested song on New York Radio stations and others after 9/11. She’s played with numerous other professional musicians and continues to write songs and is playing out again after going off the grid to caregive her life partner of 23 years, Greensboro bass player, Bobby Kelly who passed in 2023 She is playing out and I know Bobby would want her to be back on the road. As she describes her writing, her heart writes the lyrics and her soul writes the music. She writes emotive songs but also writes soulful upbeat songs and they are all on Spotify, Itunes, and all the other streaming platforms. She wrote the song, “LITTLE DID SHE KNOW SHE’D KISSED A HERO” after hearing radio stations broadcasting cell phone conversations from FL. 93. while driving down tp Nashville. She pressed a CD and they were sold in every state of the U.S. and 17 countries. The song’s website tells the story of its amazing journey: www.littledidsheknow.com" - She raised over $30,000. She gave $10k to the 9/11 Fund, 10k to the Twin Towers Fund and 10k to the Jeremy Glick Foundation who was one of the passengers on Fl. 93, the plane that crashed in Shanksville Pennsylvania when the passengers tried to take over the terrorists. She’s done interviews with Jack Murphy, Scott Shannon, Delilah and numerous other radio stations and she played the song live on the CBS morning show with Bryant Gumbel and many more. It’s still hard for her to believe it’s the 25th anniversary of 9/11. She continues to where a key around her neck which is a key to one of the World Trade Center office keys. It was given to her by a grateful New York Port Authority police officer and she cherishes it. If you want to know more about the amazing journey of this little song, you can stop by the website. www.kristyjackson.com www.littledidsheknow.com www.triadmusiciansmatter.org