WHO IS THIS L. FRYER, ANYWAY??

…A Brief Bio

Hey folks, it suddenly occurred to me (like a bolt right out of the Yankee Blue sky!), that many of you reading my articles and reviews, may not have the slightest idea who I am, or what makes me tick! (of course, there ARE some of you who just couldn't care less, either!) But, allow me to fill you in, a bit, about the woman behind the words. I won't take up too much of your time by including such trivial details as prison terms, family feuds, married cousins, and other non-pertinent information. HEY, just kidding!!!!

If you've been following my work for any length of time, you probably already know that I'm a Yankee gal. Yep, I confess, no southern belle, here! But, I do have some southern roots. My great-grandma lived in NASHVILLE all her life, as did a lot of my ancestors. And my Mom was even born there! Does that count? Anyway, if blood has anything to do with it, then I, at least, have SOME southerner in me. And, well, no one can argue with the fact that I have a whole lot of southern soul!! But, back to the facts. I was born and raised in the mid-west, and married to the same guy for more years than HE cares to count. I'm an animal lover, and would stop a car on a dime, if it meant avoiding hittin' a squirrel in the road. I love to play black-jack, not much of a cook, and would go down screamin', if a debate were put before me that I'm passionate about…. Now that's about all the PERSONAL info I'm lettin' loose of, but then, a lady never gives away too much! Right? Right!!

What led me to writing about music, you may be asking. Or NOT…. Truth is, I've loved music for as long as I've been on this planet-maybe even LONGER! Heck, I even took piano lessons from the age of about 6 to 16! I EVEN played in recitals! (but that's a subject we probably shouldn't dwell on) Most of my working life has been in the areas of promotion and marketing-much of which, included writing. I've written everything imaginable-from travel brochures, to speeches for political candidates, to songs! Yep, I've written a song or two! But then, who hasn't?? But it was meeting songwriters and artists that really sparked my interest in writing about music and entertainment. And, it began, really, with doing some work for a couple of New York magazines, which started me writing about COUNTRY music. Yep, you heard me right. NEW YORK!! I was writing a column, reviewing music videos, when Garth Brooks appeared on the scene. And that single appearance of his, one day on some obscure TV show, pushed me over into Country music. But it took awhile for me to understand and appreciate what COUNTRY music really was and just how really good it is!! Of course, as you might imagine, NewYork wasn't really ready for country, yet. So the magazines and I parted ways, and I continued my research and interest in country music. Since that day, back in the late 80's, I've grown to love country music, its performers, its writers, its publishers and producers, and most of all, its fans!

I think I can personally attest to the fact-yes, FACT-that there are no nicer or warmer people anywhere in the entertainment business, than those in Country music. So, how could I NOT focus on this very special area? ( I mean, even if I WANTED to, I couldn't. This music just would never let me let go.) And over these past 10 or 15 years, I've been even more drawn to "Traditional" country music-the kind that started it all-the kind that, sadly, is so hard to find on radio anymore. So now, in addition to the blues, rock, and even classical music that I continue to receive and review, I now receive almost more Country CD's in the mail, from around the country, than I can keep up with! But I'm not complaining. I love the folks that send them to me, and I love the music, too! Oh every now and then, one comes along, that's hard for me to review. One's that I'm not SOOOO crazy about. But then I hear one that just gives me goosebumps, that makes up for the other ones. As I've said, PASSION is what music is all about. And I can hear it, loud and clear, in a song that the artist believes in. It never fails to come through. Just as it never fails to miss the mark, when the passion is not there.

So, folks, that's about it. I don't know if you know me any better now, than you did before I wrote this little bio (of sorts), but I hope so. But there's one thing you can DEPEND on. I will always write what's true. I will always write from my heart. And you will never, ever see anything in my work, that I don't believe. I AM human, so I might make a mistake, now and then. But I try very hard, NOT to do that. And if I do, you can always feel free to let me know.

And of course, you can write to me, about whatEVER you have to say, or express, or want ME to express for YOU. I love hearin' from ya, even when you DON'T agree with me. (course, that's rare ) Oh, and one more thing. I do have a bit of a warped sense of humor sometimes. So I hope you'll take what I say, with the humor and love is written with..…"an independent view"? ....Yep, I guess so!

Linda Fryer, BMI
Freelance Music/Entertainment
Journalist** LFryer1324@aol.com