Album Notes

WOW… my very first CD… four years in the making… who’da thunk?!?!?

Like the emotional make-up of all beings, music ‘n’ song is universal, harmonizing all language forms... heard and interpreted in congruent yet subjective fashion - as intended by its writer and individually personified by its listener... the heart, soul, voice & passion of love ‘n’ life itself - be it jubilation or tribulation.

Life ‘n’ love has left a mark on me... my music is my mark on love ‘n’ life! No matter what, my Pollyanna self will always believe... “love conquers all”

I’m an Atlanta transplant raised in Brooklyn, NY in the 60’s... learned to play ‘n’ pick at upstate NY sleep-away camps from “hippie freak” counselors. Hey, whaddya want… they were all protesting ‘n’ stuff… they wanted to make love not war… they knew the answer was “Blowin’ In the Wind”. There was lots of fingerpickin’ back then. It musta rubbed off. In spirit, I’ve always been somewhat of a “hippie freak” m’self, so my finger-picking talents had no choice but to shine through.

Mid-70’s - late 90's... um... er... they’re a blur (college... partying... marriage to widowhood... Corporate America... figuring out the whole “life game”... movin' on... that kinda stuff).

Late-late 90’s-now... pulled out the ole gee-tar again... transformed myself from “hippie chick” to “bo-ho”… right brain kicked into gear… finally!!! (Whew… that took a long time!!!)

Songwriting started with a phone call to Atlanta’s own Eddie's Attic to sign up for open mic nite. "Sure you can sign up for our open mic nite. Ya just need two original songs...." and the rest sounded like Charlie Brown's teacher Miss Othmar... LOL! "Two what?!?!?” I asked? "Two original songs with a third in your back pocket in case you make it to the finals", he said matter-of-factly. "Alrighty then...I'll get back to ya", was all I could say.

Over 30 original songs later, lots of performances at Eddie's Attic, scads of performances at open mic nites around the Atlanta area, being a contestant in Open Mic Madness and Emergenza's Acoustic Hero Contest... enhancing my finger-picking style with some strumming, and the the rest is history...a history I hope will repeat over and over. Who knew I would, one day, actually realize my dream of performing live and actually record a whole CD... and it's not about to stop now! I’m a walkin’, talkin’, singin’, pickin’ testimony… it’s never too late to pursue and realize a dream!

My biggest influences have been the Greenwich Village players of yore: Arlo Guthrie, Judy Collins, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell...those types. Of course, James Taylor, Gordon Lightfoot, Dan Fogleberg, Nanci Griffith, Dar Williams, David Wilcox, and those folks have definitely contributed to the formation of my lyrical and musical style as well. The fact that I’m very metaphysical has also had a huge influence on my music and lyrics.

My biggest influences of late have been folks who’ve been persistent in suggesting that I need to change my style... they have actually convinced me to maintain, yet embellish my style so as not to have a "canned or cloned" sound. It is because of them that I’ve mixed it up a little bit and enhanced my style with depth, emotion, and musical variation. They were my 'muses with messages'.

I knew I "had 'em" when open mic nite hosts began introducing me as "the cultural part of the evening...Folk Goddess Shari Moss". Do the compliments get any better than that?

So… there ya go… everything you wanted to know about the Folk Goddess and then some. To recap… got bit by the song-writing bug... played lotsa open mic’s... got dubbed ‘folk goddess’... traded pet sitting for studio time... (ya gotta love it, eh? some can say they knew me when I was shovelin’ you-know-what… LOL)… and, here we are… hope you enjoy! Drop me a line, write a review… lemme know whatchoo think!

Love ‘n’ stuff,
Folk Goddess