Blessings In Disguise

I was born in a beautiful, sunny suburb of Los Angeles - Whittier, to be exact. I attribute my intense hatred of cold weather to my auspicious beginnings as a California girl! As a wee child, I moved to Melbourne, Australia - which was quite an adventure, although I didn't really understand it at the time. I learned to speak there, and probably would have become Olivia Newton-John if we hadn't left when I was still in grade school (just kidding). After a brief stint in Ohio, we landed in the posh, northwest suburbs of Detroit where I spent my formative years at an all-girls Catholic high school - some of the BEST YEARS of my life!! If home is where the heart is, that would be the tiny town in Indiana where my parents live (they both grew up there then moved back after Super-Chuck retired), although my actual home is in a great neighborhood in Chicago. As for my musical career, like the album says, my voice is a gift from God and my grandmother. I have had little formal training, other than your standard high school choir, a few singing groups in college, a little community theater, and (thank goodness!) some very patient musicians I worked with at various churches. Needless to say, I developed a VERY good ear and a real love of singing & all kinds of music (except jazz...why is everyone playing a different song all at once?) This CD has truly been a labor of love. While we were working on it - and by 'we' I mean me and my FABULOUS and VERY patient AND talented producer, Derrick Procell - my best friend was diagnosed with cancer and my mom had a debilitating stroke. Oh, and I was working at my 'real job' and travelling all the time. Luckily Derrick was a driven man...and wrote some INCREDIBLE music (and lyrics) and also coerced a few AMAZING musicians to help me out. All the songs have a special meaning to me, and I will be forever indebted to Derrick (as well as Meredith, Evvy, and all the other musicians - including Trevor Sadler who put the finishing touches on the damn thing) for sharing his/their talent. I hope something on Blessings in Disguise resonates with you so deeply that you say wow, I could have written that, I should send her an email, or at least makes you LOL.