In most areas of life, women have always faced an uphill battle despite their brilliance, strength, passion, wisdom, and beautiful perspective.
When, as part of the www.BigBlendRadio.com podcasts, Lisa D. Simth approached me about joining a video chat highlighting Pioneering Women, I immediately thought of our good friend, Singer-Songwriter/Guitarist/Actress/Comedienne/Radio Personality Teresa Tudury. I’ve known Teresa since the 1980s and her impact on me and many fantastic musicians I know deserves a spotlight.
Teresa started out performing live in the San Francisco Bay Area when she was 15 years old. She soon caught the attention of Janis Joplin, who took her under her wing, She has many fond stories of Janis and was actually given the opportunity to replace her in her band when Janis left it. Teresa felt there was no way she could step into those shoes and was already developing a sound of her own.
Teresa has many similar stories about other legends in the music industry and often tells them on her delightful weekly radio show, Live from the Doublewidewhere she plays the songs of her friends. She lived next door to Leonard Cohen on the Island of Hydra and became instant friends with him. Many of her stories involve her hitting it off right away with famous people and if you spend any time with her, you’ll know why. Her wicked humor, disarming kindness, brilliant wit, intelligence, and her skill as a performer make you want to be her best friend. Cohen was a fan of her songwriting and helped her make some connections.
It’s through Teresa that I am one degree separated from Rickie Lee Jones and many of you know how happy that makes me! Rickie joined Teresa in Mississippi with Charlie Musslewhite on the recording of her upcoming album, Teresa Tudury: Perhaps You’ve Heard of Me. That’s a nod to Teresa’s catch phrase as she introduces herself on stage and on air. Rickie has been a guest on Teresa’s show and to hear the two of them laugh and sing together is a treat.
I am friends with a lot of very talented musicians, though just a fraction of those Teresa knows. What I can say is that many of them will tell you Teresa is one of the best songwriters they have ever met, if not the best. Authenticity is essential for me when listening to music. Teresa’s complex and wondrous personality shines through in her songs and in the way she sings them. She has been compared to as “A cross between Bette Midler and Bonnie Raitt,” “a cross between Leonard Cohen and Besse Smith,” and others. I usually see it expressed as some “cross between” because the best you can do is compare aspects of other people’s work to Teresa’s. She really is her own thing, and it is magnificent. She doesn’t shy away from difficult subject matter and often uses humor to find a way in. She has helped my understand how I can sing about things that matter to me in a way that they may actually be considered by people different from me. While my upcoming song, “When it’s Your Kid” does not use humor, I used things I learned from Teresa as a storyteller to find my way.
I have never seen my husband Paco laugh so hard as when Teresa sang her delicious song, “Delusional Man” live at a performance. We were delighted when she told us that it is included on the new album. It joins songs like “Cheering Your Little Ass On,” “Goodbye, Philadelphia,” “Put Mrs. God on the Phone,” and more poignant songs like “River of Life” and “If You really Knew Who I Am” as songs you should take the time to experience,
On today’s podcast, you’ll hear me talk about Teresa along with stories of Pioneering Women from throughout history highlighted by:
* Travel writer & author Elaine Masters https://www.tripwellgal.com/
* Travel Writer Sharon Kurtz (who suggested this topic) - https://sharonkkurtz.com/
* Travel writer & author Linda Ballou - http://www.lindaballouauthor.com/
* Author Kimberly Hess - https://blendradioandtv.com/listing/author-kimberly-hess-a-lesser-mortal/
* Travel writer Jo Clark - https://www.haveglasswilltravel.com/
* Travel writer & author Kathleen Walls https://americanroads.net/
* Historian & Tour Guide Gynn Burrows - https://norfolk-tours.co.uk/
* Vocalist & Composer Johnny Schaefer - https://hearjohnny.com/
THIS SHOW WILL BROADCAST ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 24 AT 12PM PT / 1PM MT / 2PM CT / 3PM ET / 8PM BST
The episode will air on the following Big Blend Radio podcast channels, which are all distributed to all major podcast platforms such as Spotify, Apple, Amazon & Audible, iHeartRadio, ListenNotes, etc., see:
- Big Blend Radio: www.BigBlendRadio.com
- Women Making History Channel - https://women-making-history.podbean.com/
- Way Back When History Channel - https://way-back-when-history.podbean.com/
It will also be featured on:
- Our YouTube Page: https://www.youtube.com/@bigblendradio/
- Our Facebook page and groups: https://www.facebook.com/bigblendradiomags
After it airs, it will be featured on BlendRadioandTV.com, and in an upcoming digital Big Blend Magazine.
Teresa’s Live form the Doublewide airs on Wednesdays at 10 am Pacific Time and repeats Thursdays at 7pm Pacific Time.
Our recent Happy Hour
What happens when an author, a travel writer, two musicians and a Death Doula walk into a bar? Find out by listening to our recent Big Blend Radio and Magazines Happy Hour virtual Speak Easy. FEATURED GUESTS: Matt Cost-Author, Travel writer Jo Clark Have Glass, Will Travel, Death Doula Lea Brovedani - The Trust Architect, Musician, songwriter & producer Joey Stuckey, and vocalist & composer Johnny Schaefer. It’s lively and interesting conversation with lots of laughs. You can hear it here.
As always, thank you for your love and support! If you got this, you have expressed interest in my music in some way in the past. You can unsubscribe at any time at the link below, but I hope you will stick around! You can find links to my streaming sites and YouTube channel (which I hope you have subscribed to) by typing @hearjohnny in the YouTube search bar.
Until next time (tugs ear.)