SPOTLIGHT

During intermission, Anderson collected astronauts’ autographs. That’s when Susan Helms purchased a cassette tape of Heartstrings- Anderson’s first album- for in-flight music on her upcoming space mission. The tape was later returned to Anderson, along with a certificate stating it had traveled 2.5 million miles in space.

Despite her out-of-this-world musical achievements, Anderson herself is very down to earth. Like many musicians, she began her study with piano. At the age of nine, her mother’s friend randomly gave her a guitar that was going for donation. Anderson began picking out notes in the car on the way home. The rest, as they say, is proverbial history. Her first guitar teacher immediately moved her from a young children’s group to a teenage group who played closer to her ability. The day she bought her first Guild steel guitar, the staff in the music shop at Old Town School of Music in Chicago, was astounded by the pre-teen’s far-beyondher-years talent. For years, Anderson’s dedicated parents drove her weekly- rain or shine- the twenty odd miles to the school. It was about helping her develop her passion.

As a student at DGN, Anderson played in the jazz band, and later formed a bluegrass group. The Wildwood Pickers performed locally and on the road at summer festivals in the 1970s. Gigs with this band paid for groceries while on scholarship at DePaul. During college, Anderson picked up the mandolin from Jethro Burns, of the Homer and Jethro duet. Shortly thereafter, she began her relationship with the harp guitar. The instrument’s prominent moment spanned from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th. One night she attended a concert of Michael Hedges- one of the few musicians who had made a living of playing the harp guitar. Since then, the harp guitar has been her passion and paid her bills.

When asked to define her style of music, Anderson hemmed and hawed. After some deliberation, she said that while her style is that of international folk music, she’s all over the map. Anderson is a classically trained guitarist whose roots are in folk music. “Early in my career, I got calls from confused music store employees. They didn’t know which bins to put my CDs into,” she laughed. Her all-over-the map style is a quality that audiences have come to love. Fans can expect to hear anything from classical to country in her repertoire. She admitted that she would like to categorize herself, “because it would definitely help my career,” she said, smiling.

These days, Anderson is based in Nashville with fiancé (and Continued on next page

MURIEL AND SISTER MARGUERITE IN THEIR DOWNERS GROVE HOME WITH THEIR GRANDFATHER’S VICTOR TALKING MACHINE. COURTESY OF MURIEL ANDERSON

Continued from the previous page

photographer), Bryan Allen. Her tours, typically about three weeks at a time, span the U.S., Europe and Asia. When asked her favorite destination, she paused. “It’s a tough question. I’ve been some great places. I really enjoy Japan,” she stated, pensively, “as they have great respect for musicians, and understand music very well.” Anderson and Allen take advantage of downtime in between shows to get out into nature, visit friends and family, and immerse themselves in local culture. A day off might find the two of them visiting an art museum in Paris or hiking a desert in Arizona. This past summer, the duo sailed from Long Island up the New England coastline on a sailboat concert tour. The trip resulted in Anderson’s upcoming acoustic album to inspire sailing dreams.

Anderson has come a long way from her first paid gig, ($20 for three performers), at The Two Way Street Coffee House in the basement of the First Congregational Church on Curtiss. She has written hundreds of songs and produced a dozen albums. More than talent, she credits her success to hard work and dedication to a chosen path. She understands the importance of perseverance, as well as backup plans. “My grandfather, Andy Jacobson, played saxophone in John Philip Sousa’s band,” Anderson proudly relayed. “While he was personally very successful, the musician’s union went on strike just about the same time DJs realized they could spin records. It made life very hard for bands,” she stated. His down luck helped Anderson learn firsthand that the music business can be fickle, and to always have a second plan.

Having several instructional music books to her name, Acoustic Chef, is a more artistic recent endeavor. It’s an international account of Anderson’s travels in the form of a cookbook. “I’ll sometimes stay with local people during tours. Often, we’ll end up in the kitchen cooking something together,” she said. A CD of music to accompany each recipe as you cook, is also included. “I had an amazing English teacher at DGN, Margaret Cantrell. I thought of her as I wrote it,” Anderson stated. Pick up a copy at Anderson’s Bookstore, on Amazon, or on the musician’s website, murielanderson.com. Email her at muriel@murielanderson.com, to learn about upcoming tour dates. (Be sure to put your state in the subject line). You can also catch her yearly local show, always the Saturday after Thanksgiving, at a rotating Chicagoland venue. ■

Check out Muriel Anderson’s 501 (c)(3) charity, Music for Life Alliance. A rash of burglaries in her Nashville neighborhood committed by young people with substance abuse issues inspired Anderson to brainstorm with community leaders for a solution. The organization is a result of the combined efforts of the Musicians Union, the head of the local juvenile court, and Chicago-based Washburn Guitars.

THE DRISCOLL CRISP TEAM

Your Downers Grove Real Estate Experts

Scan Here!

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA to stay connected with Downers Grove real estate and be entered to win a $100 downtown DG gift card! @DRISCOLLCRISPREALTORS

FIND OUR LOCAL REVIEWS AT WWW.DRISCOLLCRISP.COM

TRACY DRISCOLL & DIANE CRISP MEET REAL ES OUR TATE TRUSTED PARTNERS

REAL ESTATE BROKERS 630.674.8320 tracydriscoll@att.net

w w w . d r i s c o l l c r i s p . c o m

5 2 0 0 M a i n S t , S u i t e 2 2 0 D o w n e r s G r o v e , I L S h e i l a A . M a l o n e y A t t o r n e y

6 3 0 . 5 1 2 . 8 4 0 0 s h e i l a m a l o n e y l a w @ g m a i l . c o m M i c h a e l T j a d e n L o a n O f f i c e r

6 3 0 . 2 6 8 . 5 5 3 6 m i c h a e l . t j a d e n @ d k m o r t g a g e . c o m