Fun Facts
Some things you might not know about me…
I grew up in Laurel Canyon in the Hollywood Hills – yes people are actually born in Hollywood!
When I was 13, I wanted a bike that cost $100. I went door to door on my street asking my neighbors if I could have a summer job working for them. Papa Denny from The Mamas and The Papas hired me to walk his big English Sheep dogs for the summer. After I walked his dogs on the first day he just handed me the $100. My dad made me go back and walk those dogs all summer to learn the lesson of working for your money.
I loved Carol Burnett and went to the taping of her show every Friday all through Jr High and High School. I challenged her to a Tarzan calling contest on her show when I was 13 and she made it look like I won.
I knew I wanted to be a comedienne when I was cast in a comedy role in the musical “Hello Dolly” at Hollywood High School. With my first comedy line I delivered I heard the roar of 2,000 people laughing and I was hooked!
I was the babysitter for Carole King’s children all through high school.
Carole let me borrow her piano when she was remodeling her house – that is how I started to play piano and write teenage angst songs.
I moved to San Francisco and when no one would hire me to sing in their clubs, I created my own TV show when I was 21.
I was a competitive swimmer from the age of 6. I had national records and swam 4 hours a day until I graduated from high school. After that I swore I would never swim competitively again! In my early 20’s I found my way back to a pool, and joined an adult masters swim team, and have been swimming 4 days a week ever since and love it!
As an open water swimmer I have swum from Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, and on a relay- Maui to Lani, Hawaii, and Lake Tahoe. I was on the first American women’s relay team to swim the English Channel in 1989.
I rode my bike from San Francisco to Los Angeles in the AIDS ride.
I walked from Santa Barbara to Malibu in the Avon breast cancer walk.
Centers for Spiritual Living awarded me an Honorary Doctor of Music, Beloved Musician Award, and Mile Hi Church in Denver gave me their Spiritual Beacon Award. Unity Churches gave me a Grace Award for my musical contributions.
I won the Volunteer of the Year award for 27 years of service to “Bread and Roses” for singing in convalescent homes, hospitals, prisons.
I was the music director and co-music director for the National Conferences for Centers for Spiritual Living for 9 years at Asilomar Conference Center and other conferences around the country. I was the music director for 3 different Centers for Spiritual Living for 10 years.
I have been blessed to do the music for several authors that I admire: Alan Cohen, Joan Borysenko, Jean Houston, Mary Mannin Morrissey, Debbie Ford, Rachel Naomi Remen and many others.
I LOVE clutter clearing and cleaning – in my 20’s I made my living organizing and cleaning houses and I loved it!
Even though I am a performer, I am an introvert and love nothing more than being in nature, listening to the quiet and having a day to putter around the house.
When I was 10 I fell in love with music and musicals and saw “The Sound of Music” 25 times that summer!
When I first started out I did any job that came along: singing mermaid at the Monterey aquarium, singing and dancing casket for a funerals directors conference, played piano and sang in a moving elevator, delivered singing telegrams dressed as a monkey, and was a singing Elf for the 12 days of Christmas at a mall.
I live near San Francisco with my hubby and 2 adorable kitties.
I LOVE San Francisco fog!
My biggest achievement: I won on the Edgar Rice Burroughs Tarzan Calling Contest when I was 13!