When I was in first or second grade we wrote our autobiographies. I guess they figured our limited vocabularies and writing skills were about equal to the number of years we had been alive. I remember two things about my autobiography – it’s red cover and my answer to “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

My answer? A dancer, a pianist and a Duchess.

The first two make perfect sense, if you knew me then, and even if you know me now – But a duchess?. I have no idea where that came from, most little girls want to be princesses, right? Not me, it seems – I wanted to be a Duchess. This fascinates me. It makes me laugh.

As I got older I had other career goals, some practical, some not – a teacher, a minister, a lab tech, a theater director, a teacher (again), a hot shot lady executive, a minister (again), a therapist – and always a writer! Time went by and suddenly I was 40 and all I wanted to do was make enough money to cover the rent.

But deep down in my heart of hearts what I have always wanted to be… is a singer. Even more than a dancer. Even more than a musician. Because singers dance and play, if I could sing I could have it all, and be it all.

And not just a singer in a rock and roll band – I want to sing everything! Show tunes, cabaret, Delta blues, gospel, R&B, shit-kicking rock and roll, Latin – I want to sing in French and Italian and be able to whip out an aria here and there…If it is music I want to be able to sing it.

I want to wear elegant gowns – and thigh-high leather boots. I want to be Peggy Lee and Janis Joplin and Stevie Nicks and Pat Benatar and Judy Garland. I want to be Billie Holiday and Tina Turner and Edith Piaf.

I just wanna sing…