I grew up in the outskirts of Kansas City, MO, in a small town called Harrisonville. My daddy was a roofer and Church of Christ preacher, and Mom stayed at home.
All I ever wanted to be was a singer. I've never been able to go to a concert without wishing I was onstage. I remember being jealous of Alabama when my dad took me to my first concert at the age of 7. I enjoyed the show, but I would have liked it better if I'd been on stage with them! (I already wrote songs at this point, so I had a clear picture of what I would do up there.)
When I was a little girl, Dad told me that Patsy Cline's voice was so smoothe and beautiful because she ate so many peas. For years I swallowed peas while holding my nose so I could sound like Patsy. I'm pretty naive, and extremely determined.
I got my first paycheck when I was 12, for singing at the Truman Lake Opry in Tightwad, MO. I sang three songs each night, clogged to the Orange Blossom Special at the end, and received $50. We used it to buy a new tire, when we had a blowout on Truman Dam on the way back home.
Later, when I was 15, my first hourly job was with my father, doing tear-off (up on the roof with a pitch-fork, tearing the old roof off.) My dad put the new roof on, and my sister Laura, who was afraid of heights, cleaned up the mess on the ground. Dad called it "Andy West and Daughters Roofing Co." He was very proud of the "and daughters" part, and I must admit I was, too. He passed away that same summer, on that same roof, (my sister and I weren't there that day, thank God) but I still have very fond memories of working with him. He was the funniest, smartest, and BEST man I ever knew. At least until I met my husband...
I got married two weeks after I graduated High School, to the only man I've ever kissed, Aaron. Despite the odds, we're still happily married today. He's an amazing man who believes in me and supports my career, but still babies me when I need to be cuddled. (AND he's GORGEOUS, too!)
I had a Christian Rock band when I became pregnant with my first son, Luke. We were opening for big acts like Pillar, Casting Crowns, and Reliant K, and here I was with a big baby belly! Then, later, I was toting my baby around with miniature earplugs in his ears!
We realized right away that we couldn't tell our sons to pursue their dreams if we weren't doing everything we could toward achieving our own. Aaron decided that we should move to Nashville after an A&R person at a Christian Record company told me to consider it. Aaron applied for jobs online while I was still in the hospital with our second son, Joey.
I couldn't move to Music City and not go back to my Country roots, so now I'm all Country!
I'm currently walking in the footsteps of all the great Country artists before me - a little more like Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette, since I'm a mom during the day.
I'm playing on the same stages (like the Bluebird Cafe, Robert's Western World, Douglas Corner, and Eddie's Attic) and paying my dues, occasionally having dinner or jamming with one of my heroes...
How could I NOT love it?
Check out this songwriting workshop! A friend of mine is putting on a huge songwriting workshop in Eureka Springs, AR. There will be lots of great guest speakers, teachers, publishers, and songwriters!:
Listen to 98.9 WRFN Radio Free Nashville every Saturday night at 7pm and request Olivia! For out-of-town friends, visit the website and follow the link to hear the live feed.
