A Bend in My Singing Journey

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I’ve always loved music.  Along with writing, it has been a passion and part of ME ever since I can remember.  It began with piano, then band, then choir.  And then a song.

In 1982, I wrote a simple song called “Jesus is Only A Prayer Away” on a rainy afternoon during youth camp.  It had two verses, a chorus, and three chords.  My youth minister let me sing it at service that night.  I was nervous and started at an old painting of Jesus on the back wall the entire time.  When I got back from camp, he told our music minister about it, and I sang it in church.  This time I worked up enough nerve to look at my parents and my two best friends.

And that was how it started.  I sang at church, in weddings, at rallies, at events.  I even got to record a few times with our church at FAME recording studio, since I lived in Muscle Shoals.  I was going to be the next Sandi Patti or Amy Grant or both.  And after spending two summers touring with a group that started the likes of Steve Green, Scott Wesley Brown, Twila Paris, and Steve Taylor….I had my chance.  A popular singing group needed a soprano.  I was a sophomore in college, and the director wanted ME.

I didn’t go.  My parents and I decided I should finish school.  In many ways, I don’t regret it.  Every choice I have made led me to here, with two amazing kids and a wonderful husband and 16 years of teaching awesome kids.

But inside, I always wondered.  I always wished I had somehow found out….could it happen?

Now I am 50.  I am 50 and I still have the burning – and no, it;s not a hot flash!  So here I am, stepping out while I still can.  One way or another, I’ll answer the 30 year old question….

Here are some sample of singing below:

Just Right: Re-press

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My mama is a debutante, my dad’s a PhD

I spent some time in charm school, learning manners to a “t”

My grammar is impeccable, I know which fork to hold

My thank you notes were never late; I always fit the mold

And so you’d think I’d want a man who wore a fancy tie

Who starches all his dress shirts and goes first class when he flies

You might expect the country club would be my cup of tea

But if you think that’s who I am then you must not know me

Cause the man who’s gonna steal my heart won’t need things that are fine

His hands, they can be callused if they’re holding on to mine

I don’t need a pedigree, just hold me every night

A tough and tender man who really loves will be just right

It’s been awhile since I’ve been young, and the fairy tales are gone

And I don’t need the trappings, just a passion fierce and strong

Yeah, the man I dream of now finds his joy in simple things

And a smile or kiss from him can give my heart it’s wings

Cause the man who’s gonna steal my heart won’t need things that are fine

His hands, they can be callused if they’re holding on to mine

I don’t need a pedigree, just hold me every night

A tough and tender man who really loves will be just right

That Kind of Girl: Re-press

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Some old lyrics:

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She’s the kind of girl

Who loves the color pink and twirly skirts, even if it’s cliché

Who Has a set of hot curlers in the cabinet under her bathroom sink…and still uses them from time to time

Who is waiting for hats to come back into fashion

Who still looks around when she puts on white after Labor Day to see if her mom is watching

 

She’s the kind of girl

Who likes her jeans comfy, faded, and sitting just below the waist

Who has too many beloved t-shirts, but she can’t bear to get rid of them

Who takes off her shoes the minute she gets home

Who likes her Auburn sweatshirts too big

 

She’s the kind of girl

Whose favorite book is Jane Eyre

Who knows when Mozart was born and died

Who wishes for a chance to use her antique teacup collection

Who would love to dress up and see a musical on Broadway

 

She’s the kind of girl

Who still cries every time she watched Steele Magnolias

Who forgets everything her voice teacher taught her when she belts Carrie Underwood

Whose grammar gets worse the more riled up she gets

Who likes calloused hands better than smooth ones

 

She’s the kind of girl

Who practices ladylike grace in public

But who likes to be loud with her friends

Who loves a good long hug when she sees an old friend

And who won’t tell who she is when the doors close…because most people probably wouldn’t believe her (smile)

 

Yeah…. she that kind of girl