FRIDAY,
FEBRUARY 8, 2008 SKY-HI DAILY NEWS B5
BY CYNDI PALMER
SKY-HI DAILY NEWS
Musician Peggy Mann has been warming the
hearts of Grand County through song for almost a decade.
The singer-songwriter, originally from
Her descriptive lyrics and song-writing
skills have been compared to that of Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon. Her
She's come a long way from the rambunctious
little 7-year-old girl who stood on her head and won over the hearts of the judges'
panel singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” during her
first talent show.
From that day, Mann continued to hone her
musical talents per-forming in school and theatre productions and singing for
her sup-per playing for a supper club in the
Her father was always a big influence on her
as an artist, not only through encouragement but constructive criticism. He's
the one who instilled in her how important her lyrics were, and that the words
are what inspire audiences most.
She began writing songs in the late '70s,
when her song “Fantasies” appeared on debut album “Tenderness.” Next came CD
“Songs of Choice” which show-cased 13 ballads with her piano and guitar
“unplugged.” Mann's song repertoire not only features original songs but more than
250 commercial tunes (including one that ran for more than a dozen years for
American Furniture Warehouse). She also wrote a campaign song for Gary Hart.
She likes to write about things that happen
in everyday life, lyrics that “get into your heart.”
Few people “get the opportunity to go there,”
she said. “I'm a pretty spiritual person. A lot of things in the world inspire
me, depending on what's going on at the time. It's gotta
be something heartfelt.”
When she didn't win the chance to vie for the
Miss America title in her hometown beauty pageant, Mann succumbed to the pull
of moving to the West. She took her First Runner-Up status and her award for
Miss Congeniality and moved to Colorado, where she began writing and performing
“in earnest,” becoming number one in the eyes of her musical audiences.
Her song “Never Seen A
Love Going Wrong” gained her attention and a top-10 spot in a Colorado
Composers Classic Competition. She's entertained in the
She's also gained quite a following through
several selfless acts of kindness, including donating two house performances as
auction items, which raised $1,600 for last summer's Race for the Cure
fundraiser for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. She
also performed a free concert for an Independent Sports Club benefit last year.
“It's not about the fame, it's not about the
fortune; it's about what the music means in the lives of the people that hear
it,” she said. “When they ask me what I wish for ... I have everything I want.
My music, at this point, I really feel is to give back because I've got a good
life.”
She does most of her recording and writing
during the winter sea-son, scaling back her public appearances and putting on
the occasional private show or special event. She said she enjoys person-al
house concerts because “they are intimate and showcase my music on a more personal
level.”
This weekend, Mann is set to play a unique
performance of “classic love songs” with jazz pianist Brad Pregeant
as her special guest.
A sold-out show is scheduled Friday evening
at the Gateway Inn but people can still try to catch her and Pregeant Saturday evening for a special Valentine's
performance for dinner guests at the Daven Haven
Restaurant.
The Daven Haven
Restaurant will have seatings at 6:30, 6:45 and 7
p.m. (admission includes music and a five-course dinner for two).
“I'm always open to a benefit, even in my
home, if it's for a good cause,” she said. “It's more important in my life
right now to give back.”