In 1995 I went back to school to pursue some long-postponed post-secondary education. Giving in to a lifelong attraction to history, I decided that that would be my major. After getting to third year I went back to a day job for awhile before enrolling in a diploma program at Camosun College in Victoria. The Applied Communication Program would be my life until December of 2003.
[see Portfolio section]

After graduating I took some time off and made my first trip to Nashville in the spring of 2004. My husband was touring as a keyboards/drum tech with Heart, and they were booked to perform a CMT Crossroads TV special with Wynonna, so I decided that this would be a perfect opportunity to get a first class introduction to Music City.

I rented a guitar and car and hit all the hot spots, got to know the city, and played the Bluebird open mic. There I met my first Nashville co-writer, Travis Woodruff, who was standing in the lineup behind me waiting to get in. We got together and wrote a song before I left town, and we did some more writing when I went back in the fall.

Visit #2: in October 2004 I had the most amazing time on a ranch about an hour out of town. Mary Ann Kennedy was holding her first ever women's songwriting workshop on her 100 acre slice of Tennessee heaven, and I joined about 30 other women for an incredibly inspiring weekend, hanging out with Mary Ann and her writing partners Pam Rose and Catt Gravitt. These women are superstars of the Nashville songwriting world, and we got to hear them sing some of their most successful hits as well as participate in breakout sessions and one-on-one critiques of our own songs. It was a thrill and a privilege to be there that weekend.

The organic vegetarian catering was amazing, and the best part was getting to hang out with all the critters on the ranch, and having our class picture taken with one or two. A sweet little pug named Chi came right over and snuggled up to me just before the shot was taken. Lucky me!

Visit #3: In February of 2005 I attended Song Camp 101 sponsored by Nashville Songwriters Association International. Three days holed up at the Holiday Inn Vanderbilt with some of the finest songwriters in the country left me with all kinds of inspiration and new techniques for tapping into my creativity. I managed to squeeze in some writing time with my friends LuAnn and Travis, and went to the Frist Center for the Arts to see the famous show clothing made by Manuel for the likes of Gram Parsons, Johnny Cash, Dwight Yoakam, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt and Dolly Parton.

Visit #4 (October 2005) was very inspiring. Wrote two new songs, worked on a couple of new demos with Fats Kaplin and Bill Renfrew, and played the open mics at the Bluebird and the Hall of Fame Lounge. I only got out to one show, but it was a monster of a round: a not-to-be-missed NSAI fundraiser at the Bluebird with:

Bob Welch ("Hypnotized")
Roger Cook ("I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing")
Jim Peterik ("Eye of the Tiger")
Chas Sandford ("Missing You")
The lovely Bekka Bramlett got up and blew the roof off the place before they were done. Wow! Amazing stuff.

Nashville is a go-go town, and it truly is inspiring to be around all the hard-working songwriters and musicians there.
You might say this cowgirl has come full circle... Stay tuned for report on Trip #5.