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ear, what she had played the night before. My grandmother heard and insisted that my parents get a
piano for me. She found a second-hand one, and my dad went and picked it up. He had to take out the
dining room window to get the piano in the house! I was in love. I spent hours and hours at that piano!

I was always extremely shy growing up and was bullied at school, but I felt so right and at home sitting
at the piano and singing. Eventually my parents were told I should learn to read music and I was sent
to a piano teacher. I went to her for two years without learning to read! I’d trick her into playing the
piece I was supposed to learn that week, and then figure it out by ear. One week the phone rang before
she could play the song, and she told me she’d see me next week. I knew my goose was cooked! She
was an extremely strict teacher. I was
in a panic all week. At the next lesson,
I confessed what I’d been doing. To my
great relief, she was more amused and
impressed than angry. After that, she
wouldn’t play a note for me! I learned
to read quickly and I’m glad I did,
because of course it opens you up to
being able to “hear,” with your mind,
music you’ve never heard with your
ears. She also encouraged me to learn
how to write music by giving me staff
paper to write down the songs I would
compose on the piano. She would have
me perform these songs during her
students’ piano recitals. The first time
I saw my name listed as Composer,
along with Bach and Mozart, I was
pretty proud! I named my first song
after her. It was called ‘Peggy’s Song’. Not the most original title, but I think she was touched!

LL: What genres of music and artists were you exposed to in your home?

JP: My parents loved Country music. I heard a lot of Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Anne Murray,
Patsy Cline, and Emmy Lou Harris. I also heard Blood Sweat And Tears, The 5th Dimension, Neil
Diamond, The Beach Boys, and Simon and Garfunkle. At my grandparents’ house, I heard Tony Bennett,
Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, and Bobby Darin. My piano and voice teachers would introduce me to
the world of Classical music and Opera.

LL: What about your musical training and influences?
JP: Well, after my first piano teacher, I had another strict teacher who put tacks on the edge of the
keyboard to discourage my habit of bending my wrists down! She pushed me hard into the Classical
music repertoire, but also began to encourage my growing interest in Jazz, getting me books about Jazz
chord progressions and such. I had started singing in earnest by this time and was being strongly
maneuvered onto the Opera singing path. At a young age, I had a remarkably mature sound and range
in my upper registers, and it would excite classical teachers. I also had a few teachers who encouraged
my interest in classics from The Great American Songbook, which was nice. I eventually decided to
focus more on singing and let piano take a minor role. My piano teacher was very disappointed! She
said, “Why would you want to be a singer? All they do all day is sit around and comb their hair and paint
their nails!” Anyway, I eventually went to college as an Opera Performance major and Piano minor at
The University Of Maine, where I had been given a big scholarship. Money was an issue in our house,
and this helped a lot!

One October, Ella Fitzgerald and Oscar Peterson came to perform at the University. I was so enamored
and inspired that I left the Classical world, immersed myself in the world of Jazz that I had always toyed
with and had a fascination for, and started singing Jazz full time. I never fully left Opera behind
though. To this day, I still sing and practice Opera every morning, as it keeps my voice in shape and my
range flexible. From Jazz, I moved into the world of Blues and all of its offshoots. This led me back to