Teen writes and sings for troops

LEHI — When Jaden Bliss began selling her music door-to-door, her intent was to raise money for the families of fallen soldiers.

She's doing well at that.

The 13-year-old Lehi teen recently handed two $660 checks to Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff that went to Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund and National Freedom Alliance, founded by Lt. Col. Oliver North.

Her sales have also covered all of her expenses, said her father.

Bliss writes all her songs, often with her father. She gets an idea and a melody, goes to her dad, who picks up the guitar, and father and daughter work it out. They record it at home, take it to Ron Saltmarsh's Orem studio, polish and record it professionally.

In June she is coming out with her second CD under Saltmarsh's Harvest Records label. It's a compilation of her first songs remixed and four new ones dedicated to Utah soldiers killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. Cedar Fort Inc. is distributing them through Deseret Book, Seagull Book and Wal-Mart.

Saltmarsh said when he met Bliss he knew she wasn't like other kids. "She was just like a pro. Her heart was so into her songs."

Distribution may increase sales, but it decreases the amount of money available for charities. The stores each take their cut, as does Cedar Fort. Before now, all sales from her performances and Internet site (www.BlessOurSoldiers.com) went directly to production expenses and the charities.

Recently, she was able to keep $100, the first profit she's realized from her efforts.

She promptly went shopping with the cash.

With sales increasing she may be able to keep more but will continue to focus on donations to her soldier charities.

In August, Bliss opens in Tampa, Fla., at a Ford Amphitheater concert for country singers Hank Brake, Aaron Tippin and the Charlie Daniels Band.

She has been writing songs since the fifth grade when she wrote "I Can Be a Hero" as a class assignment.

Early on a neighbor offered to build her Web site. Another invited her to sing at a National Guard conference at Camp Williams. Since then, she's been sought out. She sang at "Support the Troops" rallies at Washington Square and Liberty Park.