Caroleigh, Jill and Lauren, the rhythm of my Sisters

Caroleigh Cheryl- January 25th
Janus Ingrid- January 11th
Lauren Patrice- March 30th

Those are dates that are forever etched on my mind because those are the days that the rhythm of my life always beats strongest...with love.
My 3 Sisters have made my life worthwhile, let me tell you about how they each have affected my life and my music.
Caroleigh (pronounced,carol-lay)
My oldest Sister, was a gifted musician and singer, she played the flute and the violin, and she had a voice like an angel. Caroleigh loved all types of music, but 50's rock and roll just moved her to no end. James Brown and Jackie Wilson would just send her into orbit. Years later when Motown emerged as a force in music she was a fanatic for the Temptations.
They did a song called "Don't Look Back," and Caroleigh would be the female backup singer to Paul Williams vocal...it still moves me to tears when I hear, because it makes me think about my Sis.
Jill the other older Sister is also a gifted pianist, and just a brilliant woman who has always been ahead of her time. She was the first person to graduate from Columbia University with a degree in African American studies. Also, she is the founder and CEO of Backpax, a company which teaches cultural diversity to youngters.
Lauren, the youngest of us is also a musician, she played the clarinet. In High school she was in the concert orchestra and the jazz band, and was first chair in both.
She has now made a career in the United States Navy, recently deployed to Bahrain (north of Saudi Arabia), where she just became a Chief Petty Officer.
My 3 Sisters are among the most beautiful woman that I've ever known, but our lives have taken us to many different stations in life, and it has taken losing one of them to make me realize just how much they all have meant to me.
If you ever listen to a really good drummer, you realize right away that they capture alot of different rhythms at once, yet drummers are the foundation upon which great music is made. All of the beats that they create add to or blend the other instruments and vocals together into a harmony that can move the even the steadfast of folks, so it is with my Sisters.
Their lives are entertwined with mine and it has made me a better person. Each of what they have given me in love has shaped my life in ways that is just like listening to music.
I love songs, singing them, as well as playing them, because the textures that they create with words offer you a glimpse into the soul of the writer.
Musicians bring about the effect of the songs, but the the writer created it to set a mood. So it is with my Sisters, when we talk it's really uplifting and passionate. Sometimes, even without alot of words being expressed, they set a tone for me that reaches deep inside of me.
When I was little, I used to watch Caroleigh play the flute for hours at a time, ask a million questions, and be generally in awe of her. When I'd listen to Jill (Janus's nickname), she just epitomized grace and charm...she still does.
When I went to see Lauren in concert in her senior year in school. I was awestruck by how much I didn't know about music, she did some things on the clarinet that I'm still trying to figure out with my saxophone.
The point here is that within the rhythm of my sisters beats a strength that gives me strength, it's also given me the clarity to be a good musician, and vocalist. They've taught me to take chances with my music, set it free, but tame it all at once.
In short, the love they've given me, I've passed it forward to my audience, and if you play music that's how you should operate too.

This post is dedicated to eveyone who has the pleasure of having a lovingly family,who supports, and believes in them.

Support Live music today tomorrow and always.