She was born a singer. At the age of three she could scat sing with the puppets on the small black and white television. “Ragg mopp, scooby dooby dooby…Ragg Mopp!”
She had voice lessons from the age of eleven. The first of several teachers taught her do-re-me’s and me-mae-me-mah-mo-moo’s. Lalalalalalala up a half step lalalalalalala up a half step, etc.
The instructor had Kristie lie on her back on the floor with a stack of large books on her diaphragm and project, breathe, and bounce the books in staccato. She learned songs like “All I Want Is a Room Somewhere, Far Away From the cold night air….” with a cockney accent and “Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes…” and other art songs with the proper pronunciation for a singer.
Eventually she had other voice teachers who taught her more technique, more art songs, a few arias (Rataplan, Signore Ascolta, My Man’s Gone Now, Bali Hai) and finally style for singing jazz.
She appreciated her formal training, but she liked to party too much to ever be a classical singer. Classical singers have to watch every thing they do to protect their voices. Many times they refuse to go out to dinner with friends electing to stay in their hotel rooms trying to avoid a cold or a virus that could affect their voices.
No smoking, moderate drinking, exercises – both vocal and physical – everyday. ‘”What a waste!’ one her teachers remarked when she first heard Kristie’s dramatic soprano at full tilt. The training helped her become a better jazz singer and so she was thankful. She could hold notes longer, project louder, and had excellent control. Plus she had style and she could move.
Kristie’s family was always doing shows together. It cramped her style having her dad and mom around all the time. But the only way she ever got off restriction was by going to rehearsal. She began doing shows with her dad at the age of twelve when she appeared in the Pirates of Penzance in the chorus.
One of the pirates was bouncing her on his knee back stage and giving her a few quick kisses. When her dad informed him of her age, the pirate never talked to her again.
Her dad usually had a supporting role and her mom was head of props. They kept a close eye on her both on and off the stage, but she could still sneak away and make out with one of the older chorus boys which she always did whenever she could get away with it.
She was reprimanded by the director of Pirates of Penzance for making out on stage with one of the guards. This must have seemed hilarious watching all the other ladies of the chorus give a quick little peck on the cheek to each of the guards trying to distract them from their job of guarding the palace gate. Kristie was trying to stick her whole tongue down the poor guy’s throat and wrap her leg around his torso as she humped his leg. Ha! They should have left it in! It was funny!
(First published 6/19/12)
