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about
Played piano by ear age 5. Ran car battery dead listening to the Beatles. Taught herself guitar age 9. AM radio was her closest companion. Played trumpet age 10. Spun records endlessly. Hopeful. Obsessed with Rachmaninoff. Taught herself drums age 15. Infatuated with Gershwin. Inspired. Wrote 1st song age 16. Won piano scholarship age 17. Attended music school. Intrigued with all instruments. Sought to master as many as possible. Audition placed her under Prince's purple canopy. Did the Minneapolis funk/r&b thing. Returned to music school. Resolute. Wrote music day and night. Sang jazz in award winning vocal group. Choir received top national honors in Chicago. Featured in Down Beat Magazine. 1 of 2 awarded highest honors for outstanding vocal performance at Greeley Jazzfest. Earned Bachelor of Music degree. Happy. Wrote/recorded old school pop with original band. Played in popular alt-country band. Sustained vocal injury. Ended hopes of music career. Devastated. Doc said, "When given a lemon make lemonade." Continued writing/recording in spite of challenges. Fire destroyed studio. Defeated. Walked away from music for a season. Cathartically composed originals for her ears only. Accumulated hundreds of songs in backlog. Rebuilt studio. Determined. Resurrected songs from ashes. Now has catalog 25 years deep. Received requests to release music. Dream reawakens. Struggles with vocals but defiantly refuses to quit. Tracks mostly solo with occasional studio favors. Records slowly but tenaciously. Thankful. Her once agile voice is replaced with fragile, world weary one. Upon completion, collection will be appropriately titled, LEMONADE. Many more to come. Musical influences include the Beatles, Kinks, Byrds, Left Banke, David Bowie, Todd Rundgren, Elton John, Badfinger & Brian Wilson.
I would like to drink a toast, to all the lifelong losers
Dust them off and take them for, a good time on the town
I would never choose to beg, beggars can't be choosers
But at this moment I just need, to have you all around
CHORUS
Bittersweet the grapes that we are sipping here tonight
A last salute to all the plans that didn't work out right
So dry your eyes lift up your cup and let me now propose
Here's to tomorrow looking up from down below
Let me say God rest the soul, of poor old Captain Nemo
All he ever wanted was, the world to live in peace
Lost it all on just one roll, down at the big casino
Taking all his genius to, the bottom of the sea
CHORUS (repeat)
*Bridge*
I'm not really looking for sympathy
Just want to sit in the company
Of some other fool who has fallen from grace
And needs mercy, sweet mercy
For your not that different than me
Bested by the great white whale, the score was one to zero
Ahab dreamed of vengeance as, he turned in troubled sleep
With broken stride he set his sails, but no one told our hero
The winner in the end would be, the unforgiving deep
(CHORUS)
credits
released May 27, 2015
Songwriting: Phyllis Johnson (music/lyrics)/Stefan Johnson (lyrics)
Phyllis Johnson: Vocals, Rickenbacker, Acoustic Guitar, Keys, Bass, Drums, Tambourine
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