Heather Katz

I come from a family of strong women. My grandmother walked with her sister and 5 children from Russia to Romania during the Russian Revolution and then got on a boat to Canada. Mom started working at the age of 8 plucking chickens....there were no luxuries, but there was music. She joined the Toronto Jewish Folk Choir and sang with Paul Robeson at Massey Hall. There was always music in the house. Sinatra, Crosby, Big Band Sounds, 1940's Musicals...I grew up with that......and then came the 60's. One of the highlights of summer in Toronto has always been the Exibition. One year my mother stayed at the Bingo tent while we were on the Midway. When we returned she'd won the big prize and was standing at the counter looking over her choices. She had her eye on a set of CorningWare. My eye was drawn to the wall, where there hung the most beautiful guitar. I looked at my mom and pleaded. The CorningWare was history and I went home with a big triangular box. Every summer I spent 6 weeks at camp and the teenaged counsellors played the music of the day over loudspeakers mounted on the lead cabin. I was introduced to Dylan, Lightfoot, Simon and Garfunkel and Leonard Cohen. The first song I learned to play on my guitar was Suzanne. It was 1967. I sat in my room for hours at a time and learned as much as I could of what I was hearing on the radio. I would have liked to have gone to Woodstock but I was only 13, so I went to the theatre and saw the movie 7 times. Hendrix and Joplin stayed on my turntable. I was in heaven when the triple album set of the concert came out. I started playing coffee houses from age 17. People told me I had talent. That was a good thing because I'd already decided that playing music was what I was really destined to do. I played on Yonge Street where I was asked to join my first band. Many bands followed, with styles from Rock to Disco to Reggae to R&B and Blues. I love it all.... I've been blessed over the years to have met and performed with many of the people I grew up listening to. I'm still hoping to sing with Aretha.