|
"Nobody should ever have to feel bad about what they're feeling," says local singer/song writer Corinna Fugate. "That's the message of my songs. Music can be a way of reaching out and fighting for life."
Fighting for her life is something Fugate feels she knows something about. She isn't a black belt in karate nor does she carry around a stash of weapons, but life has dealt this 22-year-old Kansas native some pretty hard blows. The way Fugate copes with life's hardships is through song writing. She has written hundreds of songs that chronicle her life, and those interested in hearing her songs and her story can do so Friday when the Jewel-style singer takes the stage at the Bell Buckle Cafe. "I didn't start singing because I wanted to be a star," says Fugate as she sips a hot tea while seated at a table at a Murfreesboro lunch spot. "(I started singing) because it was my only form of expression. I naturally go write songs and I do it because I have to. My songs come from a real place." Fugate comes by her talent honestly. The singer says she comes from a musical family and was actually named after two songs. "Have you heard it?" she asks, then sings a few lyrics from the Ray Peterson song. "My dad was a musician so I was born with music in my blood. He played trumpet with people like Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles and Boz Skaggs. He played at Jimi Hendrix's funeral with the Buddy Miles Band. My dad had actually quit music when I was born because he wanted to give me a stable life. By the time I came along, he was a building control manager." Mike Fugate, Corinna's father, was killed in a work accident when she was 12. The tragedy still haunts the younger Fugate and serves as the catalyst for her music. "It happened while I was at school," she recalls of the accident. "My world was shattered. I want to say he was bright and kind and we were happy. My parents were still married. But after that happened, I didn't feel like I could relate to other people my own age. I had to grow up fast. I had trouble with alcohol. "When I was 17, my mom gave me my first guitar and I taught myself how to play. Within two days I had written my first song. I think it saved my life. It gave me a sense of solace and a way I could relate to the world again. It allowed me to reach out." Ten years after the death of her father, Fugate is still visibly affected by the story. At 22 she is soft spoken, unfailingly polite and anxious to share her music with anyone interested in listening to her story. |
Corinna Fugate FYI Corinna Fugate will play the Bell Buckle Cafe and Music Parlor, located on Bell Buckle Railroad Square, 6 p.m. Friday. Admission is free and open to the public. Fugate will also play Nashville's Hair of the Dog 9 p.m. Tuesday. For more information on Corinna Fugate or to hear or purchase her music, log on to www.corinnafugate.com. |
|
"After I got the guitar, a few months later I started playing shows and people started coming," recalls Fugate. "I don't believe in writing about things that are fake, and after Dad died I became a lot more sensitive. I don't think I would be able to write songs if I wasn't so intense. I didn't used to feel things so deeply, and it's sad because in this world it's not cool to be sensitive. It's cool to be distant and cold and a jerk."
Fugate paid her dues gigging around the Kansas City area, and after she developed a following, she decided to try her music out in New York City. "I lived in Hell's Kitchen right in the ghetto," recalls Fugate of her move to New York City. "I played in places like CBGBs and The Bitter End. I played at this place in Long Island and a critic there called me the next Joni Mitchell. I was so excited. "People kept saying I was very talented but that I was in the wrong place," she continues. "Everyone said I needed to move to Nashville." Approximately one year ago, Fugate picked up her guitar, left the Big Apple and came to Music City. "I love it here," says the singer. "I feel like it opens me up." Since Fugate moved to the area, her already prolific song writing kicked into high gear. She says she feels like her dad is there helping her put the words on the page. "I feel like I'm not alone when I write," she says. "When I write, I feel like my dad is helping me and the songs are living, breathing entities and I'm just their translator. Sometimes I get it right, and sometimes it's a lot harder." The self-proclaimed Billie Holiday fan has recorded four CDs of original music, and Fugate says she looks forward to sharing her old favorites as well as her new material will Middle Tennesseans live Friday. "My music does have a message," she says. "I want people to hear it, that people who are misunderstood sink into hopelessness, but there is hope. That's where I am." Originally published June 30, 2005 |
|
