It has been a journey of about 30 years of playing and singing in 2 bands and sharing my own songs through these outlets that this cd exists. Due to the shortage of finances, time, or opportunities I was not able to record them in a recording studio situation until now. Because of the wonderful capabilities available now with home based recording studios and with the use of computers and digital recording, we are able to make our own CDs and this is how my first cd of my earliest best songs came into existence. I want to thank Ordean Tweeden for his help and wonderful expertise and generosity in donating his time to record this cd and on another cd that will come out soon called "Kids". I also want to thank Ordean and his wife Lynn for all the encouragement and support for Earl and I on the making of our cds. The very first cd, "The Storyteller", featured songs written by my longtime friend and fellow band member Earl Hanson. His songs were composed and shared through the Gospelair group at the same time mine were. So, we each experienced waiting about 30 years before being able to record our songs. At about the same time, I was also singing and playing the guitar in a singing group called "The Saturday Night Alive Singers". It consisted of single young people mostly in their 20's and we sang at many different churches in the Williston, North Dakota area. We would meet on Saturday nights and practice singing and have a place to fellowship and have fun. Most of our songs were songs off the praise albums but we also put on the Dallas Holm Easter concert which was always greatly received.
I was fortunate as a girl to be able to be part of a one room school house. That type of environment helped develop my creativity, I believe. We were allowed to create and write plays and puppet shows, design our own wall scenes in the classroom, write poems, had our own newsletter/booklet with news of the area and classroom activites and it featured our best creative writing stories. This booklet was shared with the parents and community as well. We sang in plays in which the neighbors were invited to come watch on the holidays. It was a great get together time and brought everyone together.
I also owe my singing, piano and art abilities to my mother. She taught herself as a girl to play the piano and her playing was loved so much, the young people wanted her to play the piano in their gymnasium , in her hometown. Mom has always been my biggest fan and encourager.
My artwork is featured on the "Christ is Lord" cd. It is a part of a mural I did for a local hospital. The finished mural is approximately 8 feet high by 16 feet long, so Jesus is life size. It was one of the hardest art projects I ever completed, and features Jesus reaching down to a repentant sinner. It seemed fitting that it should go on my first cd. My upcoming "Kids" cd will feature another favorite artwork of mine, also named "Kids".
Thank you for listening and/or buying my songs or cd. I hope they will uplift and bless you in your daily endeavors for they are performed from my heart and from my experiences of worshiping Jesus and wanting to share that with you. God bless. Joli Scanlan
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