SPRINGVILLE — Modern technology allowed Natalie Cole to take recordings made by her deceased father, Nat King Cole, and mix in her own vocalizations to create new duets.

Payson's Ivan Haskell didn't have a recording of the song written more than 165 years ago by his great-great grandfather, famous Mormon pioneer Solomon Hancock. He didn't even have an idea what the melody was like.

But he had the lyrics, and in 2003 he asked a pair of Utah musicians to collaborate with his ancestor.

The result is "Solomon Hancock's Freedom Song," with lyrics written by Solomon and his brother Levi Hancock, the vocal rendition provided by Elk Ridge recording artist Matt Bushman and the music composition by Payson songwriter Adam Holdaway.

On the 4th of July in 1838, Solomon Hancock performed the song during an Independence Day celebration by early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Far West, Mo. The Hancocks were well-known among church members then, and their names remain familiar to many now because they are named in the Doctrine and Covenants, a book considered scripture by LDS Church faithful.

Ironically, "Solomon Hancock's Freedom Song" debuted at a place now preserved as a historical site because of the religious persecution church members endured prior to the Mormon exodus to Nauvoo, Ill., and then Utah.

Solomon Hancock stood near the southeast cornerstone of the planned LDS temple, but the temple was never built because Missourians forced the Mormons to leave Far West a few months later.

Last month, Bushman performed the song, with its new melody, at the same spot in Far West for a church history tour group.

"Just as the sun was starting to set, I stood near the southeast cornerstone and sang to the tour group and others who were there," he said. "It was an electric moment for everyone present. Nearly 167 years previous, Solomon Hancock had stood on that very spot and sang those same wonderful words."

The performance came just days after Bushman debuted the song at a large Hancock family gathering in Winter Quarters, Neb., another major site in the church's pioneer history.

"Matt got eight copies of the song to me right before the family gathering," Haskell said. "After the song was performed at the gathering, those copies sold like hot cakes."

Since the family gathering, Bushman said that several other copies have been purchased by others who were in attendance at Winter Quarters through his Web site, www.mattbushman.com. Lyrics and a recording of "Solomon Hancock's Freedom Song" are available on the site.

Haskell asked Bushman to write a melody for the song in the spring of 2003. Bushman never finished the project. "That version of the song was not completely true to the way Solomon and Levi had written it," Bushman said. "I didn't use all 10 of the verses and added a chorus."

This past spring, Bushman ran into Haskell at the Provo Towne Centre and rededicated himself to seeing the project through. He sought Holdaway's help and they decided to keep all 10 verses and eliminate the chorus. In an attempt to stay true to the music of the period, they recorded the song using only acoustic guitar, piano and voice.

Though the melody to the Hancocks' song was lost, the lyrics were preserved in family journals and eventually found their way into the hands of Haskell. "After the song was performed at the gathering, those copies sold like hot cakes."