It All Started with Her

On my 50th birthday last week, she left me a gift. I opened my voicemail and there she was, her beautiful voice singing happy birthday. A "could you just" that I didn't have to ask for. I've learned so much from this woman. As artists or working with artists you get a lot of "could you just's"- "could you just sing for our benefit concert? Wedding? Church event?" And she has taught me how to balance those requests while standing firm on who you are and when to set a boundary. After years of friendship, I happen to listen to an interview on Cap Radio where the interviewer listed some of the people she worked with in LA as a first session singer for 17 years as well as being a co-star on "Ally McBeal." I ate up all her fun stories after I found out about that part of her life. She's a private person, not one to talk about herself but I pulled them out of her. From working with Whitney Houston to U2 and that funny time she stepped on Jack Nicholson's foot at a party at Stevie Nick's house. Always herself, so grounded in that crazy world. We started recording in our bedroom on a chopping block, my husband building demos for the musicals we worked on together. She's taught me to be more patient, to quiet the doubt in my head but most of all she's given me a friendship that will last a lifetime. Vatrena King, I'm here because of you. Here she is, "Ikette #2" sandwiched between Renée Elise Goldsberry (Hamilton) and Sy Smith (Whitney Houston and Chris Botti) with the legendary Barry White.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVcyrEYVfiM