Bio

Just wrote this for ReverbNation...

Hi! I am marilyn, born in Hudson, NY to a couple who worked at the Universal Match Factory, which was considered to be a darn good job back then. The oldest of five girls, and younger by eight years than my brother, I always wanted to learn to play music. Anything. I tried piano in elementary school, but the teacher dropped me when the toy piano I practiced on wasn't cutting it.

As I got older, I joined band and chorus. Because music was not a priority in my household (rather, feeding and clothing us were what they spent their money on), I had to borrow my instruments from the school. I had a tuba (i am five feet now, you can imagine me as a child with one of those!!!) a french horn, a bassoon and finally a clarinet for band. I stuck with the clarinet.

One day the band teacher announced that he was selling Conn classical guitars....and I started hounding my parents to let me have one. There was one that had a serious bump on the bout which the teacher was 'letting go for $50'. I thought I had died and gone to heaven when they finally gave me the money for it....I think that was my Christmas and Birthday present for many years....

My first time on stage (yep, with that guitar), was a Talent Show at school. I am naturally shy. I don't know why I ever thought I could get on that stage and sing in front of an audience when I couldn't even speak up in class. I walked on to the stage with my guitar, looked out at the audience and froze. I tried to play, but could not....I couldn't do anything. They had to come out and get me....I was horrified.

My best friend was the musical child prodigy, and of course, everything I did got compared to what she did....and was found lacking. I decided that the best thing I could do as far as music was concerned was listen to others....but the desire to MAKE it never left me.

I raised a family and worked full time and finally went to school for my masters degree. When my degree was completed, and my family grown, I found myself with time to fill and once again picked up a guitar. I found a teacher who listened to my tale of woe and my fears that I didn't have a musical bone in my body and he said, 'Can you hear songs in your head with nothing playing?' Well, yeah.... 'Then we just have to get it out into your fingers'.

I think the most important lesson I learned from that man was that making music was hard work and had more to do with work than with 'talent'. So I worked. And he was right, I did learn.

I have since met lots of people who have encouraged me further....people who have helped me become a better singer, people who have played with me and taught me all kinds of things.

The second time I got up alone on a stage was a couple years ago. And you know what? The song I knew best left my mind, my hands and I stumbled through it and off the stage just about in tears. But I survived. And got up another day and did it again. This past summer, I provided the bulk of the music for a party by myself, even....and got lots of good feedback about it.

Most recently, I have tried my hand at songwriting, and you will find those efforts on these pages. I am recording straight into a computer without any 'fixing' of the result, so the quality of recording leaves something to be desired. But, you can hear the melody and the guitar and get a sense of what I do. I hope you enjoy what you hear.

And if you are just starting out, or not sure if you 'have it'...just keep moving ahead. If you love music, it will pay you back so much more than you put in....

Peace....
marilyn