“Wait for Tomorrow” writer Peter Fullerton, right, with his sons Ryan (left) and Tim Fullerton. Photo contributed by Tim Fullerton

Music is noted for evoking strong memories — sometimes happy, sometimes sad — but for brothers Ryan and Tim Fullerton of Bath, re-recording their late father’s hit song was bittersweet.

Their father, Peter Fullerton, 70, of Bath, died in September after receiving a diagnosis of primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) — a rare liver disease affecting 50,000 Americans each year. He worked as a contract manager for Bath Iron Works for 34 years and dabbled in nature photography and woodworking, but his sons say music was his true passion.

“My dad loved to record music,” Ryan said. He spent years in the basement recording on cassette tapes and eight tracks, recording himself playing Beatles songs. He just loved doing that stuff.”

Peter came from a musical family — his father founded the Bath Municipal Band, which performs to this day. Throughout his life, Peter played several instruments and belonged to multiple musical groups.

He co-wrote the song “Wait for Tomorrow” when he was 15, which was later recorded by the Barracudas at Rockland Records in 1968, reaching No. 16 on Maine radio’s top 40.

Tim Fullerton said his father was never happy with the version the Barracudas recorded, claiming they took “too many liberties” with the sound. When his father started tinkering with the song again in his basement, composing alternate lyrics and guitar chords, this gave Tim an idea.

For a Father’s Day gift, both Tim and Ryan chipped in to book Peter a session with a record producer in New York City to record a new version of the song.

“He was so excited,” Tim said.

“The thought of going in the studio never really crossed his mind, because it wasn’t available in Bath or it was too expensive,” Ryan said.

Although Peter never confirmed it, Ryan and Tim believed the song was about their mother Jean Fullerton, Peter’s high school sweetheart, as lyrics from the song imply.

Peter spent the summer tweaking his song in preparation for his August recording session until his illness put a pause on the project. After a grim diagnosis in September, it was clear that Peter would not recover, so Tim and Ryan promised their father they would record the song for him.

Using video footage, they pieced together the lyrics and chords to record the song in February. They made a music video simultaneously and spliced clips of their father playing alongside them to make it a truly collaborative Fullerton experience.

“It would have been a million times better if my dad had been there with us,” Tim said. “But it was nice we could do that for him.”

The song is now available on Spotify, Amazon and YouTube, and all profits will be donated to PSC Partners.