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Two Friends Just Released Their First Music Album - At Age 102 And 88

December 5, 2019

Two best friends at a Pennsylvania retirement home are proving it's never too late to achieve your dreams.

Alan Tripp, 102, and Marvin Weisbord, 88, recently released their first album together, "Senior Song Book".

Credit: Lisa Schaffer Photography

The inspiration for the album came when Tripp wrote a poem shortly before he turned 100.

The poem was about life, and getting old, and losing friends — and it made Weisbord want to sing.

Weisbord, who grew up playing piano, decided to set it to music as a surprise gift for Tripp's 100th birthday.

Listening to Weisbord perform his words on the piano sparked the idea for an album.

"I spent my entire life time wanting to become a songwriter, and at 102, I thought, 'Why not finally do it?'" Tripp told People.

Over the course of two years, they spent several hours each week testing melodies and writing lyrics. They would meet in the morning and sit at the grand piano in Weisbord's apartment.

The album, released Nov. 15, has a 1940s vibe with modern lyrics.

"The great music of the '40s, '50s, '60s, [but] the words are looking ahead to the 2020s," Tripp said.

Tripp and Weisbord funded the entire album themselves, recruiting Weisbord's band, the Wynlyn Jazz Ensemble, and fellow residents of their retirement community to sing the tunes.

The album's first copies sold out within days -- but you can also listen to the entire album on YouTube.

Tripp and Weisbord hope their album will inspire other seniors to try something new.

"You don't retire from something, you should retire to something," Tripp said. "We love what we're doing, and that's what makes you live as long as us and be happy."