Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Ainsworth.
Laura, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Having grown up in the music business (my dad was a sax and clarinet player and arranger with the top big bands of his day, a prodigy who was quite legendary among his peers), I developed a taste for the kind of music that was popular long before I was born. After working in the commercial music business, myself, as well as musical theater, I decided in 2009 that my calling is to record wonderful, long-forgotten songs and bring them new life.
At this point, I’ve recorded three independent CDs that do just that — ‘Keep It To Yourself,’ ‘Necessary Evil’ and the just-released ‘New Vintage’ — as well as a brand-new “best of” LP on audiophile vinyl called ‘Top Shelf.’ (“New Vintage” and “Top Shelf” were both released on August 2017.)
I also perform live but have to say that these recordings are my real legacy, creations that I hope will live on long after I am gone and be discovered by future generations, just as I discovered captivating recordings by Annette Henshaw and Bea Wain.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
As an indie singer/recording artist, I’ve certainly had to deal with a few challenges. Here are a few:
1) Being such a “niche” artist (retro jazz) that I don’t fit most programming formats, for radio or for venues. Thank goodness, I was there first and am now considered something of a trendsetter in the rising new hip genre of lounge/exotica/bachelor pad music.
2) Finding it difficult to get local coverage. I’ve received worldwide airplay, wonderful reviews and lots of attention in other places, even touring India and Dubai, but have learned that the real challenge is “becoming a star in your own hometown.”
3) Perhaps the thing that slowed me down the most in my career was developing a condition called Meniere’s disease, which causes incapacitating vertigo attacks. The surgical treatment I received stopped the vertigo but resulted in near-deafness in my left ear and huge distortion of the sound I’m able to hear on that side. I’m now looking into new developments in hearing technology to help me with the challenges I face onstage. (In the studio, I can control what I hear through headphones, so it’s not an issue.) But there’s been a lot of improvement in that area of technology in recent years, so I’m confident I’ll be able to take care of this.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
I’m a singer/writer/recording artist, but my husband Pat Reeder and I are in business together. We’re both known for our work in comedy writing syndication, specializing in topical humor for radio and the Internet.
We have our own independent record label, Eclectus Records. “Eclectus” is a species of parrot; another thing we do is care for 13 adopted parrots who come from unfortunate circumstances. Having 13 screaming parrots in my house has destroyed my dream of ever having an in-home recording studio. There is not enough soundproofing in the world. But it’s a trade-off I’m willing to make, and Crystal Clear is my studio of choice, anyway.
I am tremendously proud of what we’ve been able to do on our own. We have complete creative control over our product, whether it’s a CD I planned, recorded and distributed, or a humorous book (yes, we have those, too – in fact, a book I co-wrote with my singer/songwriter friend Bill Sanner, a memoir of his time in the US Navy Submarine Corps called “The Sub-Par Adventures of Snakebite and Stonefinger,” won the Artists Music Guild Heritage Award last year for best book), or anything else we write or perform. I’m proud that many reviewers have given my CDs raves and compared them favorably to major label releases, in terms of performance, sound quality and packaging. I’m most proud when I see my name on a radio airplay list alongside Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole or Frank Sinatra (a dream come true.) We’re able to make a living doing what we’re best at and most love to do.
As for me as a singer/recording artist, my challenges are also my strengths. I wouldn’t want to be easily categorized or sound like so many other artists out there. My work is worlds apart from most music out there today, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
The biggest stroke of luck I ever had was getting together with Brian Piper years ago, when I needed a music director for a live one-person show I was writing and getting ready to perform. (It was called “My Ship Has Sailed,” and it was all about the mad pursuit of youth and beauty. It was filled with my own song parodies about plastic surgery, Botox, etc.) I just happened to run into him at the right time and told him about it. He liked the idea and just said, “Hey, I’ll do it with ya!”
Bear in mind that Brian is one of the most sought-after pianists in the Southwest, working with everyone from Andrea Bocelli to Jerry Jeff Walker to national touring companies of Broadway shows such as “Wicked.” He has also been honored as Dallas Jazz Musician of the Year.
And he wanted to work with me!
That led to my asking him to be producer/arranger/keyboard player on all three of my CDs. Together, we developed a unique sound.
It’s also fortunate that I’m married to someone who is kind of an encyclopedia of music I mean, seriously. He’s not a musician himself, but he’s the former record librarian for a major radio syndication company (where we met) and music trivia expert. I can remember one line of some really obscure song I’ve heard, and he can tell me what it is, who recorded it and when, and (sometimes very challenging) track down who holds the rights to it. We make a great team that way. He’s also made some suggestions for songs to do that turned out very well.
The bad luck? Well, Meniere’s disease and deafness! But I’m coping with that.
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
