Member Since: 9/14/2006
Band Website: fayssouxmusic.com
Band Members: Fayssoux McLean and Brandon Turner
Influences: Early influences were family gatherings with grandmother "Mary Jane" singing and playing piano with all of us around her singing harmony. She composed jigs and sang songs she heard workers on the farm singing. Her sister and brother both sang grand opera in NYC. Later, I listened to my parents' great records by The Mills Brothers, Ink Spots, Spike Jones, big bands, Mario Lanza, Yma Sumac, Blossom Dearie,etc. I heard grand opera, classical, rock and roll, boogie woogie, blues, with all the great singers.
Harmony was important to me, as I typically sang what was missing, rather than the melody. I figured the melody was already taken care of. I started formal piano lessons when I was 5 yrs old at Converse College. I still go to the piano as a source when searching for a guitar chord. My first "crush" on a song was "Moonlight Sonata" which I picked out by ear on the piano. My teacher didn't want me learning these popular pieces."Cousin Bud" had a radio show playing blue grass/country music that I listened to occasionally, so I had heard a little bluegrass music, but when I was 19 years old, I sat with friends on the porch who were playing bluegrass on a Martin guitar and banjo-"How Mt Girls Can Love", "Gathering Flowers for the Master's Bouquet", etc, and I was hooked - the intensity of the sounds without being filtered through the radio did it. I was pretty faithful to Don Reno and Red Smiley; Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs; and The Stanley Brothers. The harmony fascinated me and felt like a part of my heritage. I adopted Ralph Stanley's part then branched out from there... I guess Carter and Ralph and the Clinch Mt. Boys were my favorite band.My exposure to country music came from John Starling (Seldom Scene). Some of my favorite singers were Hank Snow, Don Williams, George Jones and Melba Montgomery, George Jones and Tammy Wynette, Louvin Bros, Merle Haggard, and Yes-Chet Atkins. I always loved his voice as well as his guitar style. In the 70s, I sang with Emmylou Harris when we met in DC, and enjoyed recording with her after she was signed by Warner Bros. I enjoyed listening to Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt, Tracy Nelson and Linda Ronstadt during that period as well. At that point I was still very shy about singing lead, but did sing with Emmylou's band members for a bit when she left for California. My conversion from strictly harmony to lead singing really happened after I met Peter Cooper in the mid 90s, as he sort of put me on the spot and encouraged me to sing out more. We sang together to promote his book, " Hub City Music Makers" and later, he produced my first solo album in Nashville.
Sounds Like: You will have to fill this one in yourself.
Record Label: Red Beet Records
Type of Label: Indie