May 12, 2023; From the family music treasure chest.
Over these past few years I've shared bits about my grand aunt Margaret the opera singer, and thanks to my work on Ancestry, finding and connecting for the first time with her family back in 2016. My musical second cousins and I have had amazing experiences together, but our musical lives have all been very different.
Aunt Margaret had three daughters, and the youngest one Jane gravitated towards the west coast jazz scene in the 60s. She took the stage name Vicky Hamilton and partnered up with pianist/vocalist Dave Mackay. They recorded three albums in the late 60s, and it seemed like she was really hitting her stride before she died tragically in early 1971, just 42 years old.
Thanks to the internet, I can hear my cousin Jane swing and sing anytime I like. When I was cutting my teeth learning guitar, my dad exposed me to some of the jazz legends - Johnny Smith, Jim Hall, Barney Kessel, and especially Joe Pass. Little did I know that my cousin had recorded an album with Joe Pass on guitar.
Cousin Jane's birthday is coming up on the 15th. Although I never knew her, and only in the last few years learned anything about her, I'm grateful to hear her voice tonight on the Dave and Vicki album Rainbow with Joe Pass playing some perfect accompaniment. Hope you do too!