Lubbock-Formed Band Blackwater Draw Releases Song, Music Video Honoring Camp Mystic Flood Victim

One year after the flooding that swept through Camp Mystic on the Guadalupe River, Nashville-based band Blackwater Draw is releasing “Dear Eloise,” an original song written to honor 8-year-old Eloise “Lulu” Peck, one of 27 campers who died in the July 4, 2025, tragedy.

The song began in a Nashville writing session between Blackwater Draw, made up of Lubbock, Texas, natives Berklee Louise, Tiffy Nelson, and Cami Caldwell and hit Nashville songwriter Emily Shackleton. Caldwell had come across Eloise’s photo and was struck by her resemblance to Caldwell’s young niece and by small details the two girls shared, including a love of spaghetti and animals. The moment sparked a song idea in Caldwell, tentatively titled “The River Lied,” based on the broken promise the river made to the Mystic campers. During the writing session, Shackleton proposed opening the song as a letter: “Dear Eloise, I’m sorry the river lied.” The band says the rest of the song came together quickly, Emily stated she hadn’t written it, God had.

The band recorded “Dear Eloise” at Caldwell Studios in Nashville. Before releasing the song publicly, Blackwater Draw mailed Eloise’s parents, Tim and Missy Peck, a handwritten letter and the song on an engraved USB drive.

“The song’s arrival felt perfectly timed by God and will be a treasure to us always,” Missy Peck wrote to the band after receiving it.

With a donor stepping forward to fund production, the band worked with Mediajuice Studios of Dallas to film a music video for “Dear Eloise,” shot with the Pecks’ blessing at a 19th-century chapel on the Guadalupe River, on a ranch belonging to family friend Jay Boy Adams. Caldwell’s niece, whose resemblance to Eloise first inspired the song, appears in the video. The Pecks shared home video footage of Eloise for use in the video’s closing moments.

‘”We wrote this song because we couldn’t stop thinking about Eloise, and we wanted her parents to know she’s touched people who never got to meet her,” Caldwell said. “That flood couldn’t stop her light. We hope this song and this video help keep it shining. It is also our hope that this song honors not only Eloise, but the other precious Camp Mystic victims as well, now known as Heaven’s 27. Like our song says, ‘We won’t forget a single life.’ Our hearts are broken for every life that river took.”

All proceeds from downloads of “Dear Eloise” will go to the Living for Lulu Foundation, the nonprofit Tim and Missy Peck started in their daughter’s memory to serve children and animals in need.

Blackwater Draw formed in Lubbock, Texas, where the members grew up performing at the historic Cactus Theater, owned by Caldwell’s family. The band relocated to Nashville in 2024 after signing a record deal and is currently writing songs for its debut album, set to be recorded this fall.

“Dear Eloise” is available on all streaming platforms. The music video will be released on July 7.

Blackwater Draw is a Nashville-based country-rock act composed of Lubbock, Texas natives Berklee Louise, Tiffy Nelson and Cami Caldwell. The group first built a following performing at Lubbock’s historic Cactus Theater and through their “Stairwell Covers” video series, which has drawn millions of views across TikTok and Instagram. They released their first project, “A Blackwater Draw Christmas,” before relocating to Nashville in 2024, where they are now writing and preparing to record their debut album.

The Living for Lulu Foundation was founded by Tim and Missy Peck in memory of their daughter, Eloise “Lulu” Peck, to serve children and animals in need. Learn more or donate at livingforlulu.com.

Mediajuice Studios is a Dallas-based film, television and commercial production studio founded in 2004 by Jeremy Snead. Known for trailer and video production work for clients including Activision, Capcom, and Hasbro, the studio produced the “Dear Eloise” music video.