Hope to see you there!
The Story Thus Far
I come from Irish and Bohemian families and music has been my life's long passion. Something about singing and music feeds my soul like nothing I've ever known. Growing up in St. Louis was a fantastic experience musically. A rich heritage in Jazz and Blues combined with a wide diversity of ethnic cultures made the town a great musical playground. I grew up listening to Billy Holliday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Tina Turner and sang Irish hymns in a church choir. My father would take me to see the Big Bands play at Powell Hall. In the Missouri Ozarks, where my mother's family was from, there was Bluegrass and fiddles that made my heart pound. My music teacher in grade school was a big influence because he was hard on us and took music seriously. Once after a session of half hearted singing he told us, "My Godmother taught me everything important I ever learned about music and she used to say, 'It's not what you sing, it's how you sing it that matters. If you're not gonna feel it and put all of yourself in it, you might as well not bother." Later I found out he was the godson of none other than Ella Fitzgerald so those words stuck with me. For high school I went to the St. Louis Visual and Performing Arts center for vocal and theater training. It was there that I fell in love with the folk music being played in the stairwells and my song writing began. At fifteen I wrote my first Blues song; a torchie little number that would have made Billy proud. Breaks started to happen and then life took a turn that pulled me away from a career in music and into a stay at the school of hard knocks that would span marriage, divorce and a string of financial hardships. When I was 23 my musical hero and teacher from a far (of writing and playing whats in your soul), Stevie Ray Vaughan, died with a fantastic body of work left behind. He was in his prime and just like that it was over. Something about that changed me. I didnt know how, but I was going to get to the place someday where I could live for making music. I kept writing and singing and at age 31 did a stint in an all girl Folk Rock band. I sang and wrote with various musicians in St. Louis with my son as my biggest fan and I had lots of encouragement but wasn't going anywhere with it. Then one day I woke up divorced with my son soon leaving home and all I had left was my search for the music. So November 2004 I picked up my life, packed it in a moving truck and drove to Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.
Now I sing with various musicians in the area, was in Fable for a year and a half, and am now out on my own. I'm spreading my wings and finding my bliss. I work on my music, and play for who ever will listen. Usually my spoiled rotten cat is my audience as I write song after song of all that's inside of me - Love and loss, unbreakable spirit, and lessons learned. Music is about moving the body, mind, and soul. To do so is my greatest joy.
Love and Light
*The sampling in the player is a very small picture of my range of music. More will be available as it is recorded. Keep checking back. You will hear it fresh out of the proverbial oven.
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