Ann was the guest musician at the gym masses last Sunday, then she hosted her first “Ann Reed Boutique” at St. Joan of Arc. I wanted to find out more about this wonderful poet/singer/songwriter and what was the boutique all about?

I love Ann’s music. Jim Ed and Dale play it often on the Morning Show and each time they do I can see her in my mind’s eye – standing at the microphone as guest musician at mass on Sunday morning. As I write this I am listening to her Christmas CD, “not your average Holiday CD”. When I was sixteen I could do my homework with Elvis wailing in the background. No more. This quiet, soothing music is just my speed these days. Even the CD label is “not your average” label. Ann is a serious musician who is clearly able to have some fun. This is how the description of the music on the label reads.

6 and 12-string guitars, vocals, hammered dulcimer, harp, trombone, clarinet, cymbals, timpani, grand piano, English horn, French horn, Swedish horn (and all indigenous horns from countries yet to be established), Norwegian nose flute, Irish penny whistle, triangle, xylophone, flutaphone, telephone (the whole phone family), and spoons.
* by Ann Reed and the Me, Myself and I choir and Seven Talented fingers and 3 Slackers Band.
* Some instruments may have been left on the editing floor.

Ann is younger than I but we both recalled with fondness the folk music that emerged during “contemporary” masses in the post-Vatican II era. Ann’s first exposure was at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Minnetonka. It was during these years that Ann began her early singer-songwriter career. She was already a poet, having started writing when she was very young, a coping mechanism for those difficult adolescent years.

Ann’s dad loved musicals and she enjoyed Gershwin, Cole Porter, Rogers and Hammerstein and some of the great singers of the times, Ella Fitzgerald and Rosemary Clooney, to name a few. Ann’s brother owned a guitar. She was so intrigued with it she often stole into his room to try it (True Confessions!!). It was the time of folk singers such as Joni Mitchell, Peter, Paul Simon, Paul and Mary, the Kingston Trio and Bob Dylan (She loved Dylan’s music and lyrics but didn’t like his voice. I felt such a reprieve. I thought I was the only one who hated his voice!). Inspired by these influences and mentored by many other kids at school who played the guitar, Ann learned to play a 6 string guitar and later the 12 string guitar. Soon she was part of a folk group playing at Immaculate Heart of Mary. Now she is an acclaimed guitarist - and somewhere along the way has picked up a little piano, mandolin, standup bass, and lap harp.

For 6 or 7 years Ann joined Judy Foster as a duo touring bars and coffee houses locally. Ann started to write more of her own music during that time and eventually in 1979 she went solo. “By 1989, I was able to make a living at it,” explained Ann. She teamed up with a manager and business partner, Lin Bick and for awhile tried the traditional route – Nashville and Los Angeles. But neither of these venues fit who she was as a person. As her web site says, “Ann realized she is basically the stay-at-home, Midwestern type who is quite content to leave the glitz”. But don’t let that cause you to underestimate her talent. Along the way she has captured every major Minnesota music award.

• Artist of the Year
• Folk Singer of the Year
• Alumni Fine Arts Award

With Lin’s help Ann established her own label, “A Major Label,” and a catalog. A couple of Ann’s songs, Heroes and Power Tools have been hugely popular. Heroes features the names of famous women in history, even teachers were using it in their classrooms.

Heroes Appear like a friend To clear a path or light the flame As time goes by you find you depend On your heroes to show you the way (The chorus of Heroes)

A local company, Northern Sun Merchandising wanted to sell some of Ann’s products, thus helping to launch the next phase of Ann’s career, The Ann Reed Boutique.

The Ann Reed Boutique is a new venture, something Ann and Lin have wanted to do for a long time. It gives them an opportunity to sell CDs and other items related to Ann’s music. It also sells some of the products from Northern Sun, T-shirts, mugs, hats, buttons and stickers. At the Boutique held in Hospitality Hall last Sunday there were also some items from Indonesia and Guatemala.

I asked Ann about her first appearance at St. Joan of Arc. She remembered that it was when Father Harvey Egan was pastor “It was either Anna Vagle or Dan Chouinard who invited me.” She greatly admires SJA, particularly since she grew up with the message of social justice. In keeping with that Ann and Lin share a philosophy that includes donating 25% of Ann’s time to nonprofit organizations. Most of that is to raise awareness and funds that benefit women and children.

In October Ann performed at the Cabaret. She said she had a ball. She reminded me that many of these musicians don’t get the opportunity to see each other perform because of their own schedules. The Cabaret is like one big jam session/ mutual admiration society. The audience is the big winner!

and

Sue O'Brien is the wife of Tom, mother of four children, and grandmother of six. She is dental hygienist and manages a dental practice in Spring Lake Park. A parishioner for many years, Sue worked as a caregiver at Grace House for seven years, beginning the week it opened. Now she is looking forward to meeting new people at St. Joan of Arc as she helps out as a web reporter and photographer. Sue can be reached at sueo-b@comcast.net.

If you weren’t able to attend the Ann Reed Boutique last Sunday, you can find many of the items on her web site at www.annreed.com . Just click on Boutique and you can still make purchases in time for Christmas. I thought I had my Christmas shopping done until I attended the Boutique. There were too many things to pass up. Among my favorites – a T-shirt with the saying, “Well-behaved women rarely make history,” another for my daughter who teaches in Alaska, “Not All Who Wander Are Lost, “ and a “Heroes” mug. Oh, by the way. I did get that autograph on my newly purchased Ann Reed Christmas CD. Yes!

Some photos courtesy of www.annreed.com.