Page 20 - ION Indie Magazine JanFeb 2021 Issue

From the high-spirited sass of the title track to the electrified bluegrass twang of “Who’s
Gonna Love You,” to the broken-hearted breakdown found on “Wonder What She’s
Doing,” Margie strikes all the right notes. The only song on this project she didn’t write,
the moving “Missing You,” was composed by her son, Stephen Shelby Singleton.

One of the songs she is proudest of is a tune she co-wrote with Brook Benton. He took
“Lie To Me” to Billboard’s Top 20 in 1962 with an R & B groove that Margie embraced
for this EP. “Over the years people have asked why I never recorded it,” Margie reflects.
“I figured it was finally time, and we had a blast with this one in the studio.”

“This is an incredible time in my life,” Margie says. “I’m blessed and excited. It’s like I’ve
come up for air one more time. We all need to be doing what we love to do. For me, it’s
writing songs, making music and recording.”

“After a few years of retirement, I knew I needed to get back to recording,” says Margie's
son Steve. “So last October, I started building a little studio at Mom’s. I had left her home
when I was 16. We had not worked together in all those years. At 70 years old, I came
back to her home to work. I picked up a guitar, sat down with Mom, and we wrote several
new songs. I feel blessed to have my Mother still living, but doubly blessed to have this
time to be creative with her. She is something else!”

“This has been an incredible adventure working with Steve,” says Margie. “We’ve been
at home writing songs and recording. I didn’t know what a great producer he is. I am so
pleased with the way that 'Never Mind' turned out. It’s a ‘family affair.’ You know, Steve
and I are so much alike. It’s amazing how genes work. I’m 14 years older than he and
sometimes it seems like we’re siblings. Everything that we dislike about each other, we
can look within and find the same fault in ourselves. He and I have walked different paths
in our music careers. He has been a producer/writer and has worn many other hats. I,
on the other hand, have been a singer/songwriter. Working together for the first time, I
think we have both gained a lot of respect for each other’s abilities. I am amazed at his
knowledge and how meticulous he is. He and my godson, Dexter Mathis, are
phenomenal together, even across the miles. Dexter is in Shreveport, Louisiana, and
Stephen is in Nashville, Tennessee, but they connect in mind through Skype and make
great music together. Working on “Never Mind” throughout the Corona lockdown has
kept us sane, though at times we could have gladly killed each other. But our mother/son
love kept us from doing that. I’m grateful to have created a bond other than parent/child.
We have created a major bond musically and that is such a joy.”

Margie sums it all up by saying, “It’s awesome to look back at all the music I’ve been a
part of, but it’s also a great feeling to look ahead.”