Introducing Colette O’Connor. If the heyday of women’s music is still in your heart, listen here.
What is women’s music and why is it necessary? Colette O’Connor, a singer-songwriter from Boston Mass, can tell you why.
It may have begun in the early 1950s when Elizabeth Cotten was teaching herself left-handed guitar in her living room. What she discovered while letting her fingers find the music that spoke to her heart, was pure. Yes, talent but something more unstoppable too. Michael Seeger (Pete Seeger’s brother) heard it, recorded her in his living room, and those reel-to-reels became “Folk Songs and Instrumentals with Guitar,” a record that opened doors, minds, and hearts to the power of what women-grown music could do.
To celebrate “Libba’s” great spirit and song Midnight Special, Colette O’Connor wrote, “Midday Special.”
Seeger’s Folk album came out about the same time Ms. Ella Fitzgerald was gathering two Grammy Awards in their 1958 Ceremony. A hand-full of women like Memphis Minnie, Carol King, Loretta Lyn, and Dolly Parton, were giving themselves permission to dare, dream, and do, right along-side the men in the music business. Their tenacity of spirit, work ethic, and unshakable need to write and perform their music inspired other women to do the same.
Because they opened doors, and hearts, the 1960’s world got to know Joni Mitchell, Janice Joplin, Judy Collins, Melanie Safka, Cher, Karen Carpenter, and Barbara Streisand, although one can name so many more to celebrate all day long! Their work embodied and continues to set the bar, for music written by women and who perform. They played live on TV., stage and mainstream radio. This heyday of women’s music was the reason O’Connor wrote “We Heard You (Hey Joni)” an honest thank you tribute to the women-voices that found their way onto Boston airwaves where O’Connor heard. Their voices sang what she felt was “permission to do my best to sing right back at them.”
The ’80s and 90’s music industry became more group-centered. Yes, Carly Simon, Heart, Joan Jett, Blondie, all became stars of the Rocking age but only certain venues, clubs, college radio, and community radio programming continued showing love to the solo women with a guitar. Performing legends from the ’60s & ’70s continued inspiring new voices like Ani DiFranco, Mary Chapin-Carpenter, Sean Colvin, Darr Williams, and Cheryl Wheeler to name a few more of Colette’s faves.
Today, Colette O’Connor is one innovative, stand-out, singer-songwriter who is still inspired by all the women mentioned above and her music pays tribute to those roots while keeping their legacy growing strong.
O’Connor has not dropped the torch. She works hard writing, recording, creating video content, managing online platforms, social media buzz, and performing brand new, exciting, innovative songs and instrumentals that are keeping the tradition of Woman singer-songwriter/ badass acoustic guitar player, growing and it’s not gone unnoticed!
O’Connor’s song “Rising Up” was selected by Emerson College Radio, recorded in the WERS Studio, and included as part of their successful CD Fundraiser, “Musicians for Boston Strong” and Concert on the Common, immediately after the Boston Marathon Bombing.
“People On The Porch” (you must see the video to believe it) has liberated manikins everywhere to become a centerpiece of Worldwide Music day, an annual event Colette has hosted since 2014.
O’Connor’s album “I Think I Am” came out in 2016 and was named among the Top 15 Best Albums of the Year by Nick Noble, host of The Folk Revival on National Public Radio (NPR) Jazz & Folk Station, WICN 90.5 FM. Worcester, MA. Pulse Magazine nominated “I Think I Am” for Best CD in the Worcester Music Awards. Colette O’Connor was also invited to kick-off The Folk Revival’s 500th live on-air celebration.
O’Connor also began her own radio segment “Notes From New England” (now available on SoundCloud Podcast) to give exposure to the music and story of other women artists. Not afraid of commitment, O’Connor drove across the country to do so, on KZUM Radio, Lincoln Nebraska, because that’s where the longest-running women’s music show (The Wimmin’s Show, hosted by Deb Andersen) is still playing women’s music every Sunday at 1:00 Central.
O’Connor also performs music by the Andrew Sisters to help keep the U.S.S. Massachusetts a floating museum, has co-founded Women In Music Gathering (a group that connects like-minded women artists from the Boston area to share resources and unite as a fundraising powerhouse, as mentioned in the Hollywood Digest), and has been granted NAMM Press Agent credentials to keep her readers and media resources in tune with the ever-changing pulse of the music industry.
If you too would like to know more about who is crushing it as a women singer-songwriter in the world today, ask Colette O’Connor! She is writing, performing, and working hard to allow every voice who identifies as a woman the opportunity to sing-out across the airways today. Check out her work at www.coletteoconnor.net
Colette O’Connor
Home page of Colette O’Connor, a songwriter artist from Halifax, MA.. Re-discover something essential. Defining what Women Singer Songwriter sounds like today. Welcome to refreshing acoustic.
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