Rebecca Folsom
About Rebecca
I was born and raised in the foothills of Boulder, Colorado with the Rocky Mountains in my backyard, and a big city out front. I still love the mountains and I enjoy visiting cities. My number one passion since Elementary School has been music and singing; although I thought about writing and illustrating children’s books for a while. I used to sing my sister to sleep every night from the bottom bunk.
Carol King was one of my first influences. My parents listened to a lot of James Taylor and Elton John. My very first album was the Beatles “Revolver”. I liked the artwork on the cover as well as the music. My first concert was Earth, Wind, and Fire. I started my own music collection with Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, The Band, etc….I liked the older, more acoustic stuff. The best concert I ever went to, hands down, was Bob Marley’s “Babylon By Bus” Tour.
I started writing my own music at age 13 and began performing my songs at school events and talent contests. After a few twists and turns I dropped out of high school, and put music on the back burner. I got my GED early and went on to art school with a focus in painting and drawing. I graduated with a mixed focus of painting and performance art. My BFA was done swinging from the rafters of the University Gallery in a graduation gown made of bright blue and purple feathers, while singing a song about being a Phi Beta Kappa. I believe “Gold Star Girl” was the name of the song.
I returned to singing after a month long trip to Egypt where I experienced toning and chanting in the temples and great pyramids. I was deeply moved by that part of the world and I came home with a renewed desire to sing through everything.
The CD “Welcome Home” was very much inspired by this trip. The artwork was created on Papyruses brought back from Egypt, with a focus on the singing, dancing, flying and empowered woman.
The second CD “Many Miles” was inspired by years of singing at every gig imaginable. Dank smoky clubs, awesome smoky clubs, private parties, people’s homes, coffee houses, barn dances, etc. There were many great experiences, some that were deeply satisfying and quite a few that were high on adventure and I am thrilled to have survived.
The third CD “Across the Sky”, marks a new era of listening venues….house concerts, listening rooms, festivals and concerts. This album is inspired by a number of things, but two of the strongest are a vision quest while out in the wilderness for a few days, and the loss of a very dear friend to cancer. This is an album about letting go, the freedom inherent in that release, and the wisdom of uncertainty. It’s always good to remember we have to give it all back in the end; to enjoy and savor what is present, and certainly not to forget to laugh at the folly.
