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Really About me . . . I feel fortunate that unlike so many, I was aware and freely encouraged to participate in my natural creativity as a child. . . I began singing at three, and performed solo in Carnegie Hall at the age of five . . . in a children's program. I probably got over any stage fright there as the hall has five balconies which were filled on the evening. . . I began recording at twelve, made regional hits, toured and performed at promo gigs, for TV and radio, stage shows with Top 40 pros, (who seemed 40). I signed autographs until it was painful, and got used to all types of people. . . . At fourteen I walked out of a recording studio to become a teenager. It was marvelous! I'd been feeling isolated from my peers; they were free, out on the dance floor, whilst I was backstage. No fun at all . . . It just wasn't good enough . . .lucky too, as I may have been headed for Vegas in those days, and well frankly, that would have been the wrong direction. I danced and partied my way to seventeen, where I met Eric Burdon, an English pop star who fronted a band called the Animals, in Los Angeles. He encouraged me to continue my career, write my own material; so I did . . My first solo album of original material was recorded for Polydor Records in London. . .It was lots of fun, as it was done with marvelous competent musical friends who could be called into the studio to "sit in". . . Johnathan Weston produced it, and Paul Buckmaster and John Barnham did some fabulous arrangements. Barnham had worked on some Beatle's stuff, and Buckmaster, arranged early Elton John albums and had played with a band called The Third Ear Band.The day Paul asked me to play the song to him he wrote it down whilst I was playing it! "There's a talent I never mastered!" Then he asked me if I would like to have a harp on the tracks. I thought "what a pleasant idea". In the end, I could hardly hear the harp with the strings, swirling around my voice etc.. It was truly a masterpiece! I was invited to a "sing along" recording session by Mal Evans who was the Beatle's road manager. This was no ordinary session as it was the song "That's the Way God Planned It" sung by Billy Preston, and backed by George Harrison and Eric Clapton . . . . Turned out great! There is a special "tid-bit" though - George (a big fan of Eric's) was jumping up and down in the control room, like a Beatle fan, during Eric's solo. . .proving we all experience the same enthusiasm over the things we love no matter who we are . . . I met David Bowie in Kensington Market in London when he asked me if I was the same girl that sang in "The Roundhouse", a great music venue/hang-out at the time; I had no idea who he was, but was pleased that he liked my music. He invited me to Beckingham Kent, where he and Angie lived. I think I must have hung out jamming til dawn for about a month. He was recording "Ziggy Stardust" at the time so I got to sing on the"Sun Machine" track which was another sing-along . . .and so we did. |
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