DID JAWL COME?

I hope you were able to catch Sunday's (Dec 3) debut of the sensational new country band, “Jennifer Weatherly Live - Rocked up Country - Country’d up Soul.” This may be Jennifer's Dad talking, but as a long-time presenter of recording artists, I found it to be EXCEPTIONALLY wonderful.

The debut was broadcast live on Manao Radio on the island of Maui and if you were not there live, listening to it on your computer during prime Sunday TV viewing time in the other “49” states had to be a stretch, even for the most loyal of Mouse Cliquers.

If you missed it, take my word. It was grand. This is not the last you will hear about my girl Jennifer Weatherly. She’s a winner. Besides her new band, Jennifer is also a regular celebrity DJ on Manao Radio along with other exceptionally good DJs playing music that makes the station very easy to enjoy. Try it …

You’ll find JENNIFER, MANAO RADIO listed in my favorite links ------>

I first realized Jennifer’s overwhelming desire to sing when as a pre-teen, she woke me up early every Sunday morning to drive her to church. She was that angel hitting all the right notes in the choir.

She loved all kinds of music, but she took a real hankering to the sound of country. It didn’t surprise me when some years later she took off for Nashville. She had no prospects for a job but that didn’t bother her … or me. When I left Toledo and headed to Hollywood (with a wife, two boys and three year old Jennifer in the back seat) I didn’t have any job prospects either. However, it’s that kind of risk one must sometimes take in order to make a mark in life.

After eight years in Nashville as a recording studio back-up artist and showcasing composer’s new songs (to be later recorded by known country stars), she packed up her bags, and along with husband Willy Wainwright (the outstanding fiddle virtuoso with Ricky Van Shelton’s traveling country band), headed for Geneva, Switzerland.

Why Geneva? They had heard that Country music was becoming big in Europe and Geneva seemed a perfect place to be (another life gamble). Jennifer and Willy formed their own band, made six top selling albums together and Jennifer became the Swiss Country Music Federation’s “Vocalist Of The Year.”

My favorite Jennifer story happened during their first concert in East Germany. She told me of the ruin and despair they saw as they drove through the streets. For the first time she started to question the direction they had taken in their careers. However, when the curtain opened and she looked out at 5000 East Berliners in cowboy hats, she knew they had made the right decision.

After eight years of successful touring all over Europe, Jennifer and Willy decided to head for warmer climes. They settled down on the island of Maui (a tough decision after that wonderful snow and ice).

Willy quickly went to work and helped create the Gypsy jazz band, “Gypsy Pacific.” But Jennifer laid back and became a happy beach girl. However, that country sound just kept on ringing in her ears and after constant haranguing from friends and relatives (me for one), she decided to pull together a cross section of local musicians from all over the island and create the new Hawaiian country sound.

If you want to hear “Jennifer Weatherly Live” present some good old “Rocked up Country, Country’d up Soul” featuring Switzerland’s number one country singer, joined at the fiddle neck with the best bluegrass player in the world, husband Willy Wainwright, and a band of expatriate good old boy and girl Hawaii-country players …

Welcome to Mauiburro Country.

Stay tuned.