Forever & Always

Collection Contents

#		Title	Length
1		How Can I Say I Love You?	2:41	Play
2		Right Person, Place & Thyme	3:48	Play
3		Mother, Baby & Me	3:03	Play
4		Rose of Allendale	4:17	Play
5		Forever & Always	3:51	Play
6		Sea Fever	3:20	Play

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Description

Come hear the sounds of Fortune's Gale (aka Gale B. Gardiner) on Forever & Always (F&A), the result of D.C. area producer Jim Houcks request she enter Sweetbriar Colleges '02 Singer/Songwriter Festival. Responses to Gales voice include Harvey Reid - 'she has the voice of an angel', Leslie Coutsiridis (The Last Supper music director www.lastsuppermusical.com)-her voice has quite a wonderful quality, a natural lovely musical sound added to the music she sings', & fan/happy F&A CD owner - 'your voice took me to heaven & back more than once.'

Born in Phila., PA, Gale has always been a musician, starting lessons at four years old. She was asked to do vocal & piano solos in elementary school & was puzzled, a bit embarrassed, when told she was the most gifted musician in her class. At 11yo she quit piano, took up guitar & voice, & by 15yo was composing instrumentals & songs for piano & guitar. At 20 yo she had her 1st gig, while also singing at many weddings for family & friends.

As an adult she was fortunate to study with an internationally recognized pianist, vocalist, & guitarist/autoharpist (Peter Pertis/Nancy Anderson, Hartt School of Music faculty, & Harvey Reid, nat'l / internat'l guitar/autoharp champ www.harveyreid.com). Despite music & theatre passions, she also followed a calling in family health policy, which took her through the USA, Canada & Europe (if interested, her recent work is at www.cimm-icmm.org/page/anglais/summary.html). Frequently asked to perform, she was approached by a Ferrari designer & his girlfriend to move to Croatia & perform at their bistro.

Specific track info (not on CD insert):

#1 How Can I Say I Love You? - It was originally, How Can I Say I'm Sorry. Gale's mom said 'can't you write anything upbeat?'...so she kept the melody and wrote new lyrics,singing it at her 1st gig. It was requested by a couple the next week when the returned.

#2 Right Person, Place & Thyme - Written during Augusta Festival Autoharp Workshop in '99, Gale's neighbor asked her to record it for a May wedding. Gale brought a blank tape to sounding board at Tortilla Factory (Herndon (VA) Folk club, and that is where Jim Houcke heard her (& asked her to sing ballads on his next CD, wanted her to submit to Lillith Festival, & encouraged her submission to Sweetbriar College 2002 Singer Songwriter Festival...

#3 Mother, Baby & Me - Lyrics were written by Gale's brother Randy for he & wife Kathy's first daughter Joy. Melody came to her on OH to CT flight after seeing her six week old niece. Producer of Forever & Always, Larry Cooper insisted it be included after Gale picked up her guitar to sing it as a way to calm his one year old daughter while they tried to record. Larry said people would 'stop and listen' - it was the song chosen by Center Squeeze Cafe (CT) to play overhead...

#4 Rose of Allendale - Gale 1st heard this in Norway done by Harvey Reid & Joannie Maden (Cherish the Ladies) with exquisite harmonies at the '99 Vikedal Roots Festival. Gale had been in Europe for work & visited friends in Bergen 60 miles from festival that weekend. Most beautiful drive of her life (60 miles but 5 hours & 2 ferry crossings over fjords)! Gale learned the song from Mary Black's CD & considers it one of the most challenging & rewarding vocals she's ever done.

# 5 - Forever & Always is an example of how new music often falls from the sky during Gale's travels - this one came in Oslo, Norway '99, on a Sat. walking down Kierkevein (Church St.) after seeing a father 'toss' his infant into the air, both laughing - a pure moment of unconditional love & unconditional trust between parent & child. She 'heard' a fiddle playing, but no time to include one for this EP. She hopes you 'hear' the fiddle somehow during the vocal interlude...

#6 - Sea Fever - Masefield's 1909 poem (UC Poet Laureate) was the inspiration for this melody, Gale's 1st foray into shanty-writing. It was on the Final program of a York, ME Waterways '95 Songwriting contest where she went when her submission wasn't a 'top 10' (she'd sent Brook Waltz, now on her Dalmatian Suite CD). They wanted shanties, not waltzes! It's enjoyed by others like Gale with 'sea fever'!


As indicated in a few of the above liner notes, a major turning point in Gale's music focus came in 1999. That same year, a professional DC jazz pianist neighbor asked if she'd teach him to play like that when he heard her working at her Baldwin baby grand on the epic Dalmatian Suite (a 2nd CD recorded by request Spring '02).

But it took the magic of her grandmother's class ring to motivate Gale to do the Forever & Always CD when contacted to submit to the SweetBriar College festival. She would not have attempted it except her grandmother was a SweetBriar alum & Gale still wears her class ring. A young piano student's father & mother, Larry & Dionne Cooper, kindly offered to exchange lessons for CD production. With a deadline of 9/15/01, final production occurred during a traumatic time with no chance to re-do things. It is an 'authentic' 1st effort at pure acoustic recording.

In '03 she was asked to be in Playing, Praying & Paying for Peace III, an American Friends Service Committee benefit. She played the Dalmatian Suite (covered by Fox 61). It encompasses way too big themes: Creation, Love, Dissonance, War & Reconciliation back to Love. Later that year she was asked to record "Love Will Always Find You" for the family of Todd Ouida (who died in the WTC 9/11). This resulted in a 3rd CD, a solo/duo with 17yo voice student, Matt Jones. Proceeds go to www.mybuddytodd.org , a foundation keeping Todd's spirit alive.

In Spring '05 she was on Madison, CT public access cable where the cameraman said she reminded him of Tori Amos. At a Glastonbury, CT summer art gathering (www.spectralvoices.com ), she was heard by Eugene, a Univ. of Hartford WWUH DJ (www.wwuh.org ) & invited to play live in the studio. This resulted in her 4th CD (Live in the Studio!), requested as fans wanted songs & the stories behind them.

Shes performed in CA, CT, MA, NH, PA, VA, WV, Croatia & Norway, expanding styles to include traditional, roots, folk, parodies, unique holiday fare, & originals (bluesy, folk, classically eclectic) with piano guitar & autoharp. Harvey Reid invited her to host 3 Seacoast Guitar Society Redhook Brewery Hoots in the 3 yrs since its inception (www.seacoastguitar.org ). By audience request, Gale has:
1) featured at Groton's Stagecoach Inn MA)
www.groton-inn.com ,
2) performed at outdoor CT Landmark Antiquarian events
including colonial music at Nathan Hale's 250th
Birthday Celebration, &
3) become a regularly featured performer at Klekolos
World Coffeehouse Middletown, CT www.klekolo.com

February 2006 marks the CD release of CT Songwriting Assoc.'s newest compilation "Share the Journey" (16 tracks of spiritual & inspirational songs - from folk, gospel, country, celtic to classical!), including Gale's previously unrecorded, "One Day" www.ctsongs.com/csarecordings.htm . Proceeds go to LUNCH (Local unified network to combat hunger).

By fan request Gale is working on her 1st solo full length concept CD (> 60 min., expected Summer 06). She's been surprised & happy to hear her music on radio & overhead at Center Squeeze Caf (CT) where she performed.

Thank you for your interest in Gales offerings, & supporting independent music! Please feel free to contact her with comments, suggestions, requests.

Special acknowledgement to Our Creative Source for the gift of music & life itself, Forever & Always, Gale B. Gardiner.