I’ve been a musician all of my life. As a kid, I would stand in the living room in front of the mirror “playing” my tennis racket like it was a guitar. When I tired of that, I would put on Classical music and pretend I was conducting the Boston Symphony. I started flute and piano lessons in the 5th grade, was in band all through high school, and learned the guitar at age 16. Growing up in Brunswick, Georgia – a Deep South, coastal town – meant growing up in church. I attended the First Presbyterian Church and was blessed by that space – a beautiful old sanctuary with great acoustics, pipe organ, grand piano, full of Spirit. The congregation really supported music, so I was able to play, sing, and accompany anytime I wanted. I hung out with musicians. I jammed with friends. I forged my path by crossing racial and gender barriers through music that would shape my life.

In 1983, I graduated from Georgia College with a degree in History. I still played the guitar, but not much. I moved out to Yellowstone National Park to work for the hotels and stayed there (off and on) for the next 6 years. It was during this time that I began to compose. It is such a magical place, and I was surrounded by a group of loving hens that supported me and actually liked to hear me perform!