Leyla mccalla biography of william

And I feel that way so much about Louisiana music, and so many other things, as well. Reading the biographies of Nina Simone and Bessie Smith … these women who were true pioneers and really sort of paved the way for me to be onstage — me and so many other artists. Reading about their lives and the decisions that they made, and how many children they had, and how they felt at that time, and what they lived through.

Those are the things that really inspire me and motivate me. I also read the Loretta Lynn biography.

Leyla mccalla biography of william: McCalla, who was born

I love reading women musician biographies. How does it happen? All those things. How to take care of yourself and your family, and also stay inspired and stay creative, and live your life in this way.

Leyla mccalla biography of william: Leyla McCalla is a hugely

Header Main Place Ads. By Amanda Wicks. What an interesting way in which your history found you. I would imagine it kind of unfolds as she gets older, too. What a neat conversation piece around the dinner table. What have you learned between your debut and sophomore albums? Photo credit: Sarrah Danzinger. Sitewide Footer Banner.

Leyla mccalla biography of william: Born in New York City

Through this album, McCalla explores the elements of transformation and the heat necessary to move from darkness toward light. Tickets Support. Buy tickets About What is Greenbelt? Archived from the original on March 6, Retrieved January 1, The Guardian. Retrieved March 14, Retrieved March 16, Archived from the original on April 2, Retrieved March 17, Retrieved April 6, Retrieved November 19, Retrieved February 22, Accessed January 15, Born into a Haitian-American family in Queens, she was raised in Maplewood, and brought up in the New Jersey public school system.

None of them ancient history, but familiar names attached to people she loved and grew up with. It was a clashing of history that she still grapples with — a history shot through with the twin stories of Haiti and New Orleans, forever joined at the hip, from their early colonial beginnings to parallel slave revolts, a common Creole language, and music that filled the streets in forms the rest of the world continues to mimic.

She grew up with classical music, then began to consider what else was possible after seeing a Haitian folk band featuring a cellist named Rufus Cappadocia who became one of her mentors. That always bothered me. I wanted to be around a lot of different people all of the time.