Join us for a heartfelt, musical and visual remembrance of Willow Wray and to celebrate the birth of her CD, Seeds of Love, miraculously recorded seven weeks before her passing on May 31st.With Julie Nicholas, Sheilah Glover, Terry Garthwaite, Dick Bright, John Hoy, Barbara Borden, Giovanna Imbesi, David and Oona Garthwaite and Jeff Martin.Willow Wray was know for years in the Bay Area as a riveting performer and singer – 35 years with the vocal trio Nicholas Glover and Wray, and before that with Terry Garthwaite and The Joy of Cooking. Willow could rock the room with her renditions of Janis Joplin and uncanny performances of Connie Francis and Patsy Cline. Lesser known to her audience is that Willow was also a prolific songwriter with a substantial body of work when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the summer of 2013.
In February, 2014, it became apparent that her chemotherapy treatments were not effective. At this point a community of musicians came together to support Willow in recording her original songs, under the leadership of producers Terry Garthwaite, Sheilah Glover and Iliani Matisse. Recording dates were set for April, just a few months out. Then, in March, her oncologist gave her a more severe prognosis of two weeks to live. Through amazing efforts of dedication, love and the rapid changing of musicians’ schedules, recording started the day after she left the hospital. Willow went from hospital bed to recording studio.
With the boundless generosity and skill of Jeff Martin of Studio E in Sebastopol and top notch musicians such as Nina Gerber, Jan Martinelli, Barbara Borden, Dick Bright, Giovanna Imbesi, and the former members of the Joy of Cooking – Terry and David Garthwaite, Toni Brown and Fritz Kasten, with old friends Julie Nicholas and Sheilah Glover creating harmony vocals, a 14-song album was created in a remarkable period of two weeks. Seeds of Love was born. The process gave Willow new vitality, and she lived a couple more months, until May 31st – long enough to attend the mastering session and to design the CD jacket and the 28-page booklet that accompanies the CD.
Many of the same musicians who play on the album will be performing today. A visual tribute will be shown on the big screen. Posters, costumes and other historical artifacts will be in the lobby for enjoyment and reminiscing during the reception after the show. Please join us in celebrating this Bay Area treasure – Willow Wray.
