SUSAN EVANS / YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMORROW
A distant cousin to Loretta Lynn, Patty Loveless, and Dwight Yoakam, Susan Evans was born in Chicago, Illinois, to a Kentucky raised mother, Pauline Ramey, and Mississippi raised father, William Taylor Kirk. At the age of eight, she and her family moved to her father's hometown of Louisville, Mississippi where she grew up in the small country community, Nanih Waiya. It was there she developed her love of singing.
"I can remember in grade school, the whole class would stand up and recite the pledge of allegiance and sing "My Country Tis of Thee". I sang as loud as I could with lots of enthusiasm and always ad-libbed a few notes here and there. As I recall, I got some funny looks and a few sniggers from my classmates."
"I was probably twelve years old when Nanih Waiya acquired a new music teacher, her name was Barbra Palmeri. She was wonderful. I knew the first day we saw her, long auburn hair, mini skirt and all, our music recitals would never be the same. She took a special interest in me and had me singing in everything I could possibly sing in at school. She was a very passionate person who always told me to sing with lots of power and feeling".
At sixteen, Susan began performing with a band. "We played mostly Rock 'n' Roll, whatever was danceable. The big songs back then were "Cocaine" and "Sweet Home Alabama". They always packed the dance floor. Out of all the songs I sang, the one I loved to sing the most was "Long, Long, Time" by Linda Ronstadt. At this time in my life, I had no real aspirations of pursuing a career in music. We were just having fun, and making money doing it."
Susan spent her twenties first as a country music deejay and later became an advertising rep for K-105, a 100,000 watt radio station in Kosciusko, Mississippi, where she sold, wrote, and voiced commercials and jingles. Her weekends were spent performing in clubs and various musical events in Mississippi. She also became a sought after judge for beauty pageants and talent competitions. "Being affiliated with a large radio station allowed me many opportunities to be involved with the entertainment industry. I hosted many talent shows and events for the station and really had a great time. During the late 80's, I did do some recording in Nashville and released a record. It was a wonderful experience. However, I still did not have that drive and determination to really pursue a singing career."
It wasn't until 1991 that Susan decided it was time to make the move to Nashville and see what the music business was all about. "Wow! What a dose of reality! I met and heard so many truly talented people who were much more talented than what the big record companies call "marketable". I've personally known individuals and groups we've heard on radio and seen on television who were supposedly living "the dream" and they will tell you it was a nightmare. Sure, there's money made on record sales and tours but who gets most of it? The record companies and the rest is eaten up by tour expenses. The hard working artists, unless he, she or they reach super stardom, are left with very little. For some, a little fame is worth the struggle. It was not the life I wished to live. I high-tailed it out of Nashville, got married and had two kids with no regrets."
Why did Susan Evans choose to do a CD now? "I did it for my mother, who has always been so proud of me. I did it for all the folks who believed in me and encouraged me to pursue a career in music and for my two boys, Taylor and Joah, so they'll always be able to hear their Mommy sing to them. Last but not least, I did it for the thousands of people out there hungry for some really good music."
Susan Evans / Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow is a well written, well produced album in which every song will leave you wanting to hear more. It's about relationships and broken hearts and hope for a better tomorrow, sung from the heart of a talented woman who's lived through forty years of life's ups and downs and still finds the will to keep on singing.
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