DM) How did you get your start in music?
JB) When I was a kid, we didn't listen to classical or jazz at our house. My mom loved Andy Williams, Mel Torme, Nat King Cole... my dad listened to country.
I have an early memory of playing homemade
drums to "Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass" for hours
at a time in our smelly basement. At 13, I wrote my first Pop
song...inspired by a friend who made me look stupid at school.
I needed a little angst, I guess. No, I've never recorded it,
but it had pretty good structure... you know, verse-chorus, a
good hook. Well, a hook anyway. A short time after that I had
a born-again experience, which also created a flood of emotions.
For a while I had forsaken "secular" music and begun
listening only to black gospel and early contemporary Christian
albums. Anyway, it was one thing after another and I went with
the flow...I wrote sing-a-longs, scripture songs, better-get-saved-or-you'll-be-sorry
songs, etc. Before I learned to play an instrument I would sing
everything a capella and in harmonies with two or three other girls.
It was good training...didn't occur to me for a long time that
I could do something not just anybody could do. I thought of
every life situation in terms of words and music.
DM) What do you mean "…thought of every life situation
in terms of words and music."?
JB) I mean I saw a song in everything. I'm sure photographers
and artists look at their environment in relation to their medium,
too. Actually, comedians do the same thing. I would just see
my surroundings, my circumstances or someone else's as a potential
song. I still do that but, you know, I don't like to be irritating
about it.
D) Irritating? What do you mean?
JB) I don't know...irritating. Too direct or obvious maybe.
I don't want to write so that only one person will say, "Gee, that's about me," but so that lots of
people can relate
to it. You know, just a more universal emotional appeal.
DM) Which one of the tracks on this album makes you the most
proud?
That's a tough one...on one level, "Highway to You"
is the most satisfying. I felt the subject of the song brewing
for many years as I looked back on a pivotal day in my life but
just couldn't seem to translate the emotions into words. I was
patient with it and honestly, I love every word in every line
of that song because it accurately expresses a feeling and a
single moment in time. On the production side, I think I'm most
proud of "I'd Give Anything" because I saved the song
from death! The producer I was working with was turning the song
into a chewing gum jingle or something...bringing in lame singers
and...I really can't explain it. It's bizarre when someone hears
your song so differently than you do. We parted company and I
finished producing the song ...and the rest of the album!
DM) Were you surprised that you could produce an album?
JB) Yes, I guess you could say that! Ha! I had to do it so
I did it. I produced! It's really just a matter of trusting what's
in my head and then trying to translate that to my musicians.
Sometimes things get lost in the translation, you know, but at
some point, you have to make a decision or you'll be in the studio
for years. Working with musicians and engineers who have good
ideas certainly helps. It's kind of a scary hat for me to wear.
DM) Scary also sounds like a bit empowering?
JB) I don't know...more humbling than empowering. If you read
the album credits, you'll see others got producer credit as well,
for various
reasons. Occasionally I'll know exactly what I want, you know,
but most of the time when something works in an arrangement...
a sound, a mix or whatever... it's very spontaneous. Ideas come
from different
people...sometimes it's very different from what I planned, but
so much better...that's what's humbling. Maybe I just don't feel
right about calling myself a producer...but I guess I am. Hmm,
suddenly I feel kind of powerful...get me a cigar.
DM) Is music your first love or did you pursue something else
at first?
JB) I believed that I would be involved in music or something
public my whole life...I don't really know why. As a child I
would have this elaborate fantasy of sitting next to Johnny Carson
and being funny and smart...everybody hanging on my every word...no
clue as to why I was on the show, however. After high school
I attempted to do the college thing...chose a major in criminology
and ancient history and lasted a year and a quarter. The guy
I married (and am still married to) fell in love with me and
my music...that has a way of encouraging a person. Really, if
I didn't pursue writing and performing I might open a restaurant,
but this same guy strongly discourages that. Seriously, for the
past 20 years, every job either one of us has taken, every business
we've started, every insane thing we've done has had something
to do with, in the end, trying to make a living making music...
seems to be a couple of things in life you just don't like to
stop doing once you start, and one of them is making music!
DM) Does your family encourage you in your music career?
JB) Yes, amazingly enough. My kids aren't embarrassed by me,
that's a good thing. My husband keeps acting as "executive
producer" and "personal manager". What that really
means is that he writes a lot of checks and talks to the sound
guys at clubs on my behalf. Seriously, there's no way I could
do this without their encouragement and support.
DM) Is it difficult to have a family life with your career?
JB) Actually, I still haven't figured out how to do it all
well... at the same time anyway. Either my career goes on hold
or we're living on frozen entrees. Right now, we are in the frozen
entree phase. (They make them a lot healthier than they used
to!) I don't know. If I had to choose, I'd rather regret failing
in the music business than failing in my marriage. And...I'd
rather be starting a successful music career now than starting
a family! It just seems like nobody...especially women...wants
to sacrifice career for children or vice versa, so we just try
to move them around the time line. Most of the time I think I've
made the right decisions...
DM) Everybody makes wrong decisions. How do you live with
yours?
JB) Geez, maybe you should be more specific and point a few
out to me? (ha, ha)...seriously, some bad decisions are easier
to live with than others, that's for sure. If I can't correct
a mistake, I've got to put it behind me...if I moan and mope
and regret, it just paralyzes me. They say what doesn't kill you
makes you stronger, right? The other thing is, good "life"
decisions I've made have, without a doubt have been terrible
"career" decisions. So what do you do? I'm just hoping
to turn all this frustration into a good song or two.
