On 14 February 2013 – V-DAY, one billion people in 207 countries rose and danced to demand an end to violence against women and girls. On 14 February 2014, we escalated our efforts, calling on women and men everywhere to RISE, RELEASE, DANCE, and demand JUSTICE!
In Atlanta, it has been my delight for many years to harmonize with Joyce Williams and Jacqueline Howard aka Joyce & Jacque. Joyce & Jacque have been singing together since their days at Spelman College. As a duo they have shared the stage with powerhouse singers Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, The Pointer Sisters, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Nina Simone, and Odetta.
It has been my joy and honor to collaborate with Barbara McAfee at concerts in Minneapolis and Atlanta. I have also been fortunate to study with Barbara using her Full Voice method, and can testify that I have added octaves above and below my previous vocal range!!
Ann Kilkelly and Carol Burch Brown have joined with Patrick Turner to create the crazy, quirky band Junk DNA. Tap dance, ukuleles, upright bass, and great vocal harmonies define their sound on songs like Tiny Tim’s “The Ice Caps Are Melting” and the 1903 hit “Airship.”
From the Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival in New York to the North Georgia Folk Festival In Athens, from the Folkway in New Hampshire to the Bluebird Café in Nashville, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Non-Violent Social Change in Atlanta, SFO was a miraculour, fun filled musical journey.
In 1985, my band the Small Family Orchestra went on a cultural exchange to the revolutionizing country of Nicaragua. Traveling from Jinotepe to Matagalpa, from Leon to Esteli, we met amazing artists and musicians, using their art to empower the people after years of brutal dictatorship.