Lori
Some of my earliest memories from childhood involve singing... I have one particularly vivid and fond memory of singing along with my mother to the aria from Puccini's Madame Butterfly...
My fascination with the guitar started at an early age, and I received a plastic toy guitar for Christmas one year. When I was in the sixth grade, I used that guitar to compose a song about "Black Elk Speaks" for an English project. (It only had 3 remaining strings at the time, which I tuned in a triad).
I got my first "real" guitar when I was sixteen... it was a twelve string "Sorrento" with birds on the pick guard. I got a chord chart, taught myself to play, and started writing songs. I played my first "live" gigs at the local college coffee house while I was still in high school.
Since then, I've played a variety of venues ranging from coffeehouses and clubs to benefits and festivals. I've also been involved in a number of collaborations that run the gamut stylistically from rock to new wave and performance art. Some of my recordings have been played on the radio from time to time. Through the years, I've played a lot of places and have met a whole slew of folks in the process. Music has seen me through some very difficult times and introduced me to some amazing people. I believe in music.... so I keep singing....