SONG
CREDITS Singer/Songwriter:
Penny Menze Words
and music: Penny Menze
Marriages, divorces, raising my son, and working 2 jobs most my life, I
was lucky to have music in my life. I loved music and always
wanted to be a singer, so to be able to supplement my living with it,
was a dream come true.
I played honky tonks and bars in the mountains of Arizona, in a town
called Show Low. I moved to the mountains to join my first band.
With my 5 year old son in tow, we started off to make a life on our own.
I had $500.00. I got a secretary job so I could get by for a few
weeks. I was going to quit this job as soon as the band started.
I rented an apartment at the King Cole Apartments ($245.00 per
month). These apartments were old, and the carpet was older,
but came with a single car garage.
The band never started; apparently the musicians that hired me were
flakey. Times were tough on the mountain, especially during the winters.
The garage came in handy, this is where I strung clothes line, so after
I scrubbed our clothes on a washboard (purchased at ACE Hardware), I
would hang them to dry in the garage. This would take awhile
because of freezing temperatures. The clothes would freeze, thaw
then freeze….anyway… I finally landed my first band job when I was
21. I played solid for 15 years before moving to Nashville in 1998.
January 2010, we just finished up on my latest project; an album called
“Planes, Trains, Trucks…Lovin’ and Leavin’. (Yes, I know the
title is long, however, the font is small). This record has 12
tracks of country music, and I mean country music. It’s the only kind
I know. Patsy, Tammy, Waylon, Merle, and Lynn; they are in my
head. I think I sound like them, but when I sing I guess it comes out
different because I’m told I don’t sound like Waylon, like I think I
do. I wanted to record an acoustic album, so Producer Alan
O’Bryant, enlisted a stellar group of musicians and singers to create
this work. I love bluegrass instruments and so that’s what we
have here; Grassroots meets Country. There are original tunes as well as
some of my favorite songs that were written by friends of mine. This
record is almost a biography. Thank you for your time, Penny
P.S. I have a very nice washer and dryer, which are my prized
possessions.
