A is for Ann Reed - by Nan Brooks

Ann Reed

 

Today is the Day After.  November 4, 2020. It is the day we thought we might know who our next president will be, but we don’t know yet. It is the day all of us are disappointed one way or another. It is the day my heart aches for this torn country, for all who suffer from hatred – those who feel it and those who are subjected to hateful actions. It is a day I hold in my heart all who work so hard for justice. I  woke exhausted and in need of hope.  And there was my phone with a message on the otherwise blank screen to tell me Ann Reed was singing on that book of faces.

Ann Reed is a wonder. She is a singer-songwriter, author, poet and probably a bunch of other things, too.  Multi-talented, that’s the word. She is funny and she is wise. Her voice has been described as “rich dark chocolate.”  You don’t have to take my word for it. Here is a link to her web site

You can read about how she’s been making music since she was 12, about how she is a Midwesterner, about her sense of humor. Better yet, I hope you will treat yourself and listen to “We Will,"

 no matter what day it is. Then you can go to www.annreed.com/favorites and buy it. 

And there is “Heroes”, a song many a choir has sung for inspiration and delight at   You can listen for the name of one of your favorite women.  

And there is her proposal to Ruth Bader Ginsburg 

Five times she has written a song about the Minnesota State Fair live, which is to say she wrote it on the spot on public radio from the fair with suggestions from the audience for lyrics. She’s witty.

My memory lane is rich and Ann Reed is there. It’s 1981, I think, and we’re at the National Women’s Music Festival in Bloomington, Indiana. The festival is being revived to our delight and we are on the performer showcase. It’s early afternoon, the crew and performers are excited and nervous and the concert is moving along efficiently thanks to production manager Jill Davies and others. Festival goers will vote on who they like best among the showcased performers and the winner/s will have a featured spot on the mainstage the next year. So it’s a big deal. Ann Reed starts off the concert, then me, then Kate Clinton. The hall is full, every seat. Ann is a hit; she is in glorious voice, her songs are touching and funny and rich. She comes off stage and the crowd are on their feet, cheering. I follow her out of the backstage area into the hall and someone on the crew shouts, “Nan! Come back here!  Where are you going?” I say, grinning, “I’m following Ann out of here ‘cause I am not gonna follow her on that stage.” I’m not sure she heard me, but I wanted her to know how happy I was for her, for that standing O. For the record, I did go back and do my set. But that’s a story for another time.

Today I am grateful that she stepped up, singing to us. She brought me back to my Self, back to my purpose in life, back to that long road we all walk together.

Here’s to Ann Reed and to your hearing her.