Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Ainsworth.
Hi Laura, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in Grand Prairie, the daughter of Bill Ainsworth, a jazz saxophone/clarinet player, big band arranger, and group singer who was legendary among his fellow musicians, so the music I’m now associated with is in my blood. Midcentury-style jazz is what I grew up listening to while my friends were listening to rock and country.
My first job (not counting Six Flags in high school) was as a singing telegram singer, with the bellhop outfit and everything, picking up where Western Union had left off. I would write the custom telegrams and sing them. Then, like my dad, I worked in the commercial music business, where I met my husband Pat Reeder, and also performed in musical theatre until that was curtailed a great deal when I developed Meniere’s Disease, a serious vertigo condition that would attack without warning. I’ll tell more about that later.
In 2009, I decided that it was time to make some recordings — something that would last beyond the moment the curtain came down on a show. I wanted to focus on fabulous but mostly-forgotten songs and tunes known today but perhaps not with the original verses, etc., which I would include. The idea was to give them the very high-quality production that this type of material used to get on Capitol and Verve. This has been so rewarding to me that, at this point, especially after COVID interrupted the live scene, I’m concentrating mostly on recording. That way, I’ll have a real legacy and perhaps entertain and inspire others in future generations, just as Bea Wain and Rosemary Clooney inspired me.
I have a brand-new independent CD out, my fourth of all-new material, with the theme of an intimate home cocktail party, inspired in part by the album JULIE AT HOME by Julie London, who actually recorded it at her home in an all-night session. (I always have to record at a studio, though, as I have a dozen loud rescued parrots at my house!) Since the song choices were suggested by fans, I wryly call this album YOU ASKED FOR IT. It’s available through my website as a digital album or a deluxe Japanese mini-LP CD with poster, lyric sheet, and a bonus track, “As Time Goes By.”
My three previous albums are my debut KEEP IT TO YOURSELF, NECESSARY EVIL, and NEW VINTAGE; there’s also a “best-of” LP on audiophile vinyl called TOP SHELF. An expanded CD version of TOP SHELF has been released in Japan by Ratspack Records and is available worldwide.
Incidentally, my husband and I eventually moved back to Grand Prairie and were able to buy the very house I grew up in, and it is virtually a time capsule. I’ve decorated in my own tiki style that I like to call “midcentury rainforest.” In my kitchen, I have the same yellow Formica table that my dad used to write his arrangements on for jingles and also for the house band at the Fairmont Venetian Room. And I have the same green tile bathroom he used to practice in (for the echo) and to try out reeds. It seems I have come full circle…
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, not very smooth! For one thing, it’s too bad that radio isn’t more open to playing my “niche,” so people with more exotic tastes could more easily scratch their niche, haha. They really have to seek it out, but I’m happy to do what I can to be a trendsetter.
Also, there’s a saying, “Never try to be a star in your own hometown,” and I’ve found this to be true in my case. Around the world, I get a lot of attention, considerable airplay, and glowing reviews. I recently signed distribution deals in Japan and South Korea and have toured internationally (India and Dubai), but local coverage is still hard to come by, aside from the Dallas Voice, which has given me some rave reviews. Thanks for providing some local attention!
Finally, the biggest hurdle by far was the sudden onset of Meniere’s Disease, which caused intense ringing in one ear and incapacitating vertigo-and-nausea attacks that would hit without warning. I still tried to do live shows now and then and managed to “time” them pretty well, but there was finally one show I had to do with an attack coming on. I had just one song to get done and was escorted to the mic during a blackout, holding onto the mic stand for dear life and singing “Someone To Watch Over Me.” Then I got offstage (blackout again) as the big attack hit. That was the end of my live performing for several years until I had surgery on my left ear, which caused near-deafness and weird distortion on that side but cured the vertigo. It was a trade-off I had to make, as this progressive illness had grown so severe by then that I was spending most of every day on the bathroom floor while the world spun around like a bad amusement park ride.
My “leftover” hearing issue is another reason why I focus now on studio recording, with its more controlled conditions, as opposed to live singing. If I do perform live, I now have a breakthrough technological system that involves a transmitter on my left side and a receiver on my right. It’s not perfect but helps a lot!
Another musician who has been plagued by Meniere’s is Huey Lewis of Huey Lewis and The News. Perhaps only his fans realize that’s why he “went away.” I’d love to know if he’s been able to do anything about his illness because I know how awful it can be!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My mission is to preserve the wonderful music I grew up with, from the midcentury, Great American Songbook/lounge jazz/big band era, and to put a fresh, personal spin on it. I want to help new generations discover the wit, sophistication, and romance that’s sadly disappeared from music. If you watch the YouTube video of my song “Where Did The Magic Go,” you’ll understand what I’m all about.
My work is as a singer/writer/recording artist, so, of course, I wish it could involve just focusing on “art,” but it doesn’t! My husband Pat and I are business partners and have worked together throughout our relationship, first in comedy writing and syndication, specializing in topical humor for radio and online.
And now we have our own indie record label, Eclectus Records (named for a species of parrot). Again, having 12 loud parrots at home is why I couldn’t record there as Julie London did. I do most of my recording at Crystal Clear Studios in Dallas.
I look now at what we’ve been able to create out of our own house (and brains and vocal cords) and am wildly proud. I guess what makes me proudest is when I see my work compared very favorably with that of the recording stars from back in the day who inspired me in the first place! And I see my work appearing on radio playlists around the world, along with recordings by Ella and Frank. That is rarefied company!
I’ve been fortunate to receive a number of awards and nominations, but I don’t think about awards much, as I so often disagree with the choices. However, I have to say I was proud (and shocked!) a few years back when I swept the Artists Music Guild awards, winning Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year, and Video of the Year. I didn’t disagree with the choices that time!
I’m also known for my sense of humor. That comes through even in the song choices on my albums, and reviewers and fans appreciate the touches of wit. There’s no way I can be serious all the time.
One other area of my work that sets me apart in a fun way is my role as a sort of midcentury-style icon. I’ve told you about my time-capsule home, adorned with teak and Formica, pink and green tile, tiki design, and parrot art. (I should say parrot-THEMED art, not art actually done by parrots.) My current project is turning our big flat-screen TV in the living room into a faux “aquarium,” similar to something I saw in a local tiki bar. Of course, there’s vintage fashion as well. I DRESS for occasions in a way that is so last-century! My look typically is not complete without gloves.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I almost hate to say this because I’m not a big fan of the effects of social media on society, but Facebook really helped me connect with colleagues in the industry, some of them famous Grammy winners who have become real friends. As an independent musician, I’ve also found the Indie Collaborative very supportive. I recommend them highly to other indie musicians.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.lauraainsworth.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/lauraainsworthsinger
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/lauraainsworthsings
- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/lauraainsworth1
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/lauraainsworth111
- SoundCloud: https://shop.bandwear.com/collections/laura-ainsworth-shop
- Other: https://lauraainsworth.bandcamp.com
Image Credits
Alan Mercer
TBN
Bill Ainsworth
Popsie” Studio, NYC
