Growing up in Elizabeth City, international songwriter Brian Hobbs had never heard of the famed newspaperman W.O. Saunders. He says it was a handful of years ago that he learned of the editor and publisher of The Independent from his friends Tom and Mary Cherry.

“This guy was such a big part of northeast North Carolina and the Outer Banks and I had never heard of him,” said Hobbs.

Since learning of his story, Saunders has fascinated the Sweden-based songwriter. So much so, in fact, that he’s writing a musical for stage about the man’s life, “The Independent Man.”

“The story follows his life and his accomplishments,” said Hobbs.

Hobbs is home through Oct. 18 to celebrate the release of his newest jazz album, “Second Glances,” and to raise support for the production of this musical.

After graduating from Berkeley School of Music in Boston, Mass., Hobbs went to New York City with the sole purpose of writing Broadway musicals. He did write musicals, and also attended some prestigious institutes in the city, but in the end the process just seemed long and laborious.

Life has come full circle for Hobbs, however. He’s been working all these years as a songwriter and a record producer in Europe, and recently on this project.

For Hobbs, Saunders is the perfect subject for a musical. He was a firebrand newspaperman who wasn’t afraid to take on issues he believed in and people who were on the wrong side.

“You either liked him or you hated him,” said Hobbs.

And Hobbs knows what he is talking about. He’s spent the past two years not only working on the material for his musical, but also researching the man thoroughly. From books about Saunders’ life to reprints of The Independent he was able to obtain through the state archives, Hobbs has immersed himself in the life of this ink-stained legend.

Hobbs says he was in high school when he first began to cultivate a love for classic American composers such as George Gershwin. However, his desire to pen a musical play first came about in 1975 when he attended an Albemarle Players’ production of Irving Berlin’s “Annie Get Your Gun.”

Hobbs says he has written the music and the lyrics for “The Independent Man” and he is currently working on the script.

The story begins at Saunders’ funeral and tells his story in a series of flashbacks. Saunders was a champion of progressive thinkers and women’s rights, and a foe of religious fundementalism and racism. His story, says Hobbs, should make for a lively, and entertaining production.

Hobbs says his goal is to bring people together next week at a private reception in hopes of building support for this project. He says he hopes to raise money for the project and begin building connections that could lead to the musical’s first production in the future.

Hobbs says this is a North Carolina story and he hopes this play will find a life starting here in the Tarheel state. He says he is looking for that perfect entree into the theatre world here, where he can introduce “The Independent Man.”