In the spring of 1994, Sandy Reay wrote her first "real" song. In the fall of 1994, she was a finalist in the Walnut Valley Songwriters' Showcase with her second song, "Cabin on the Prairie". Proving this was not a complete fluke, she was a finalist again in 1997 with "Apache Plume". A cowboy song, "One Lonely Rider," which she co-wrote with Ernie Martinez, was an alternate in the Walnut Valley Songwriters' Showcase in 2008.
Sandy has been playing music since she was old enough to lift the lid on the piano and pick out tunes by ear. She's been playing bass professionally since 1998, and has performed with dozens of bands, in hundreds of gigs in 6 states, and on more than 15 other CDs. For 6 years, she was the "bass wench" of the Colorado Renaissance Festival.
At various times in her life, Sandy raced cars, was a river rat, lived on a horse ranch, bred collies, was married and divorced, was a professional photographer, was the first female full-service gas station attendant in Colorado, got a Bachelor's Degree in English / Education, worked on a drill rig, worked as a draftsman for the Colorado Highway Department, packed boxes in warehouses, trained animals, worked in a liquor store, got a Masters Degree in Computer Information systems, taught computer classes in college and in a adult-education program in a recreation center, worked for a lawyer, lived with a banjo player (gasp!) and did volunteer work for the Swallow Hill Music Association and Colorado Bluegrass Music Society.
There are several conclusions you can draw from the information above: 1) She can't hold a job. 2) She has a short attention span. 3) She was afraid she might miss out on something. 4) She's been really lucky. 5) Other.
She currently lives in an old house in the Colorado mountains with 3 geriatric collies and a “Garfield” cat and spends her time building websites for artists, musicians, alternative health care practitioners, and other small businesses.
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