Influences
I am a product of the 60’s and 70’s. Music came alive to me with The Beatles. A plethora of Rock and Roll, Pop, and Acoustic groups and artists emerged during this time. But I found myself drawn to acoustic music and purchased a cheap guitar when I was 13. My sister’s boyfriend taught me my first four chords and how to play “House of the Rising Sun.” A couple years later I bought an EKO 12-string and began my rhythm guitar playing days.
Bob Dylan (of course), Cat Stevens, Simon and Garfunkel, Peter, Paul, and Mary; these are representative of the singers and songwriters that I tried to play and eventually influenced my writing style for music and lyrics. The Moody Blues, Yes, Jethro Tull, and CSN (and Y), also affected me greatly. I was part of a folk group in high school, an eclectic collaboration consisting of a popular, blond, socialite (Sandy), the football team quarterback (Alan), a “square” pastor’s son (Mark), one of the few Black girls at school (Robin, also very popular), and a hippie – that’s me. We played school gigs and a few private parties.
Though I “wrote” a few songs earlier in life, my creative explosion came in my 50’s, finally letting my feelings spill out in lyrics and song. It began with long-held feelings of loss and sorrow over being alienated from my daughter, expressed in Tell Elizabeth I Love Her. Chameleon and The Song I Never Wrote For You soon followed, amongst others.
That Was Then – This Is Now
Songwriting continued for several years, until Pam became ill, and even in the early stages of her disease. But I stopped playing completely before and during the pandemic up through Pam’s passing in May of 2022. Within a month of her death, I began to play again, mostly in the garage, trying to get my fingers moving and later, remembering lyrics.
I had a dream about our retirement. We wanted to travel the US. We loved taking the back roads, finding the out-of-the-way places to shop and eat, meeting people along the way. So many places I wanted to share and experience with Pam. We wanted to pick locations, enjoy the travel, see the local sites, and drop in (or with planning) to cafes and bars to play my songs for whomever would listen.
That was not to be. But as I played, I realized that I needed to follow through with my dream, in part to honor Pam, but also, to have something to live for. Since that time, I’ve been practicing and polishing my music, all the time hoping to “go on the road” with my repertoire of songs. I may never achieve professional-level sound as my hands just don’t cooperate as they used to. I am still composing. I still want to share myself through my music, hoping that others will benefit from listening. If you hear me, I hope you enjoy!
In the end you said, “If you hear me, hope you enjoy,” I have heard you play, and I really enjoy it. 🙂
Thank you, Ellie. Welcome to wutjavia.com. Where did you hear me play?
Nice getting to know you! 😉
Loved the photos!