From Nursing to Music: Miss Freddye's Harmonious Journey

0:00 Welcome to the Living the Dream Podcast with Curveball, if you believe you can achieve. Welcome to the Living the Dream with Curveball Podcast, a show where I interview guests that teach, motivate and inspire. Today, I am joined by Pittsburgh Lady of the Blues, miss Freddie. Miss Freddie is a blues singer-songwriter. She's been singing for a long time and she has a beautiful voice and hopefully she will, you know, grace us with that beautiful voice sometime in the interview.

0:43 But we're going to be talking to her about everything that she's up to and any new projects that she's working on and how she got started. So, ms Freddie, thank you so much for joining me. Oh, you're welcome. Thank you for having me. I am very, very blessed and glad that I'm here with you and everybody out there too. Why don't you start off by telling everybody a little bit about yourself? I wear many hats, which that's what I chose to do in life. I'm a mom and a grandma and I'm a nurse working full time, still in the setting of outpatient.

1:27 We deal with pancreatic, colon and rectal cancers, and I'm a two time breast cancer survivor. I'm also musician. I have two bands. I'm the singer. Miss Freddie's Blues Band is the one and Miss Freddie's Home Cooking Band is the other one, and a lot of people will not believe this when I tell them, because there are a lot of people that follow me and then people know me personally. I applied to Barber School here in my area and I got accepted. I'm just waiting on when I can start. Man, that sounds like you're doing it big.

2:09 You know what I have to tell you. I thought I was busy. I guess I'm not busy enough, but I love what I do in life. You know, I started out singing as a kid just with a neighborhood friend and we would pretend we're singing in front of thousands of people. Then one Christmas my mom bought me this pink microphone little plastic thing attached to like I guess what would be a speaker. But I really didn't get out there singing in front of people till I was 15 in the church. I grew up in a church. I was 15 in the church, I grew up in a church. My first solo in the church at 15 and it did not go well and that's how I developed my stage fright.

2:59 But throughout the years, in my 20s and 30s, I continued singing in the church and the choir but, you know, never out front background until 96. I was dating a bass player in a band. I would go out and hear the band you're pretty good. They did blues, um. And then he heard me sing one of my favorite holiday songs, silent night. I was singing it to my youngest he was three at the time, I was singing it acapella and he's like I didn't know you could sing and I said I didn't know either. He said we're looking for a singer and I, you, I just, I just kind of went to pieces inside and then he coached me and I went to audition. The band was in one room and I went in the bathroom the court had to be 100 feet and turned on the water and I just made up something, had no idea about blues, even though my mom I grew up with my mom listening to blues.

3:45 My dad listened to country, you know, and I got in the band and you know here I am over the years. And then I ended up I was a nurse already Because I wanted to be a pediatrician, I wanted to be a neurosurgeon, but it didn't work out that way. So I chose nursing, which I'm glad, you know, because I get to actually interact with the patients that I've taken care of over the years and I love to teach. So patient education is my big thing. I love, you know, teaching, you know, especially patients that are getting ready to have surgery or they, you know, they're going through a crisis because they've been diagnosed with cancer. I can relate to that during that diagnosis, because it's terrifying, it truly is, because your first thought is how long am I going to have to live?

4:32 And oh my goodness, I got to do what I have to do. So, um, that's me in a nutshell. Okay, well, you said you had two bands. You know, you know, kind of, tell us about your two bands, how they got started, tell us about the members and anything else you want us to know about the band. Absolutely so. 96, I joined my first band, bmw Blues Music Works and Big Al Leavitt he's a little four foot 11 guy. He was a psychologist but he loved blues. I mean, he could play that keyboard like nobody's business. And then after a while, about 2002, 2003, I ventured off, started my own thing called Blue Phase, and a couple of the band members from the band I was in, you know, helped me out with play out.

5:19 I didn't play often because I had no clue about marketing myself, my brand. I had no clue with booking gigs. So the way I would go out and you know book gigs, shows is I would take one of my favorite love songs at last at a James version and I would sing acapella. I would go to a venue and sing acapella. So that's how I got my gigs. I would go to a venue and sing acapella. So that's how I got my gigs. But fast forward, blue Phase F-A-Z-E was my first band and we played out. Not a lot, but we played out. We competed in some blues competitions and then we went to West Virginia the now defunct West Virginia Blues Society, miss Freddie's Blues Band.

6:04 We were called Blue Phase and we won. That was 2008,. And we went to Memphis to represent West Virginia. We didn't win or place but it was a good experience. Never been that part of the South and I loved going there. But fast forward. I have now Miss Freddie's Blues Band. It's me the lead singer. Then I have Greg Casill. I dubbed him as G-Man, so everybody knows him as G-Man. He's my lead guitar player. Then my bass player is Greg Seiko and he also runs sound for us. He's a good sound man. And then I have Bob Powers. I've named him Bobby Deal on lap steel because he plays the lap steel and it rhymes. I like it.

6:44 And my drummer he's new to the band. He just came last year around this time this is his anniversary year with me. His name is Sean Tyler. He's a great drummer and I just found out not too long ago he could sing. Then my second band, me again singing. And then I have Mike Houston. He plays guitar and he sings. And Greg Seiko, the bass player from the first band, is in this band also. And I have a percussionist. His name is Bob DeCola. He plays congas but lately he's been bringing out his drums. So I have the variety of both worlds. The blues band. We play blues, a little bit of R&B, soul clap.

7:25 You know rock, blues rock, the home cooking band. We do blues, classic rock, gospel, because every now and then we get commissioned. We're asked to you know, do a show at a church, or I'll get asked to do a duo show. You know a church. Do a couple of selections. So that those are my guys in a nutshell and I'm proud of both bands. There's such good guys to work with I don't have to worry about anything. So all together combined had both bands and probably about since 2008, 2009. And it's been all uphill ever since.

8:06 Okay, well, congratulations on that. Well, I know you do have a beautiful voice. So, if you would, you know what? Why don't you grace the listeners with a bit of acapella so they can hear what I've heard? You know what? How about if I do Wade in the Water? Everybody knows that. Well, not everybody, but a lot of people know that and I tell people. If you know the song whenever I'm out, sing along with me. Yeah, go ahead and tell it now, I will, I will. Wade in the water. Wade in the water. Children Wade in the water.

8:50 You know God's gonna trouble the water. See that host, all dressed in white. He's gonna trouble the water. Well, it looks like the children of the Israelites. He's gonna trouble the water. Well, wait in the water. Wait in the water, children, wait in the water. I said God's gonna trouble the water.

9:31 Wow, there it is, ladies and gentlemen. I love singing that song and I still do it. I still play it out with both bands. Yeah, it's a cool song. Yes, you are good, do it. I still play it out with both bands. Yeah, it's a cool song. Yes, you are good at it, so tell us about, you know, any upcoming projects that you guys are working on and you know. Tell us what inspired them and what we can expect when we listen to them. Oh my gosh, I have. Well, I have several things going on musically. I have several things going on musically. I'm still working on my Blues and Roots album. It's all original material and the songwriter is Mike Sweeney. He's a bass player but he writes a lot of music for a lot of musicians and he even has a folder for each musician and I know my folder is thick because I've seen it.

10:21 He's like I've got this song and try this. But all the songs on that album, um, are his and I love every last one of them because they it's a tribute to my parents. Both my parents are from the south and, as I mentioned before, my mom loved blues. My dad, you know, loved country, but you they love R&B and the soul thing. But you know, it's really that deep down stuff that I'm doing and the title of the album is going to be called the Know how. So I'm excited about that and it's actually different local musicians who have played on it, so it's a variety of everybody. Then I'm working on a country tune that is off of my very first album back in 2010.

11:08 And the title of that song is Pink Lemonade. I'm going to release it as a single next couple months or so and it's a tribute, it's a great song. Reminds you sitting outside the kids are playing, you know people are cooking and here somebody comes out with this great big pitcher lemonade and I also want to dedicate it. Rededicate it to October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, especially with me being a breast cancer survivor twice. So that's my one project. And then I have I'm going to be working on a gospel album and I actually wrote my very first gospel song and I think that song is going to. I had an original song that the Home Cooking Band spins off into the gospel band called the Glory B Band, and I was going to title the album that.

12:01 But I think I'm going to title it the gospel song that I wrote. So stay tuned on that and it's only going to be like maybe anywhere five to eight songs, you know, because I want people to really listen and to really get into that. So you know three, four different musicians to do some background vocals on their original songs that they've written. So I'm excited about that, very busy with the projects and you know that's what's coming now, next year, coming Now next year.

12:42 I want to write, not write, but I think I want to produce an album that has all love songs, all original. So the love songs that I have done throughout the years that are original is going to redo them and then just put it on the album and hopefully, hopefully, I can get it out by February 14th of next year. So that's what I have going on top of you know, when do I start barber school? Absolutely, and so listeners can keep up with everything that you're up to. Throw out your contact info. Absolutely. You all can check me out on Facebook. Just go to Miss Freddie, that's M-I-S-S-F-R-E-D-D-Y-E and look me up and like my page and follow me.

13:28 I have a website, missfreddycom. I'm on Instagram, freddie Stover's Blues, and I'm on X formerly Twitter, as at MissFreddy17. So follow me there. You can find my music on YouTube. You can find it on iTunes, amazon, pretty much a majority of the music platforms that are out there. So I'm excited I've got, I'm doing a lot of different new shows not going out of town, though, because I don't know when I'm going to start school, so I don't want to be away. You know touring or doing a show, and I get a call oh, you've got to start school on this Monday or whatever. So I'm staying close to home this year and that's how they can find me, and it's exciting times.

14:13 I might be busy, but not really. Absolutely. It's never work when you're doing something that you love. That is very true. That is very true and I'm very grateful for that. And I'm teaching myself to play bass. Oh, there you go, I got my bass. I've had her for two years. I had to let it go for a couple months because you know, doing things, and then with work and family, but I'm going to pick it up again in a couple of weeks and just keep practicing. I don't want to play it out the reason why I'm taking up the bass. I want to know the mechanics behind the rhythm section. That's important because I admire the rhythm section of any band.

14:56 Absolutely. We'll close this out with some final thoughts. Maybe, if that was something I forgot to talk about, that you would like to touch on, or any final thoughts you have for the listeners, and throw out your website again as well. Oh yeah, absolutely what I want to say to everybody out there I love what I do and I love that you all love what I do, and it's very, very important. I tell people I'm, I'm not fake. I don't act like you know some diva, you know from outer space. However you want to look at it, I try to be very, very down to earth. Because that's important, because I want you all, if you ever listen to my music, I want you to remember me.

15:36 You know, hey, I heard her talk or I heard her do this or she did that, and that's important. And even for those of you who are starting out in music, no matter if you play an instrument you sing, do both. That, for those of you who are starting out in music, no matter if you play an instrument you sing, do both. That's great. Always remember to be true to yourself. Always remember I don't care what your religious background is believe in yourself and believe that you can move forward. Yes, you're going to face obstacles, of course. If there's anybody out there that has never faced obstacles, please let me know. I want to know how you bypass all that. But you are. You're going to face hurdles and unfortunately, that's the normal part of life. The trick of it is to make sure you have a plan A, b and C.

16:20 A works Okay, then something might happen. And you got plan B Okay, something might happen. You got plan C. Plan C is for you to go back to A and B and combine them and then you've got what you need to do. So stick to yourself. Be true to yourself, no matter if you. You know you want to write poetry, you want to write books, you know you want to be a scientist. Whatever you want to be be true to yourself. Stay that way to yourself. Don't sell your soul, because it really ain't worth it in the long run, because you know, once you're done, you know you're kind of tossed aside and it's like moving on to the next person or the next best thing in life. That's why you can go to my website, missfreddycom, and find out where I'm at, find out what's going on, what I've been doing.

17:04 You know I'm excited about, you know, life period and I know a lot of people are down. But you know what. You can control how you react to situations and issues, because at the end of the day, when you lay your head down to go to sleep unless you work night term. You know it's all about you and it's all about your comfort zone. So those are my you know words for people out there and I stand by those. Sometimes I might slip a little bit, but then I have to remind myself wait, I'm telling people about you know, such and such a thing I need to follow. You know what I'm trying to tell people and it works. You know, I've run into people who see me on the street, know that I'm a nerd, but they've come hear me sing and they're like oh, you know you're.

17:51 You know they tell their friends I've been telling my friend to come out and see you and blah, blah, blah and they don't like blues and they don't like this. But then when the friends come out, they have a good time and say I'm gonna start following you. Think about yourself because you, you know your heart. You know if you got a good heart, this is going to slide on out there to other people. You know, surround yourself with good people, people that have intention, that are self respecting, and that self-respect will spin off to respecting you. Absolutely. Ladies and gentlemen, that is a great message. Please check out missfreddycom.

18:33 Check her out on all the social medias and streaming platforms. Follow, rate, review, share this episode to as many people as possible. Let them hear Miss Freddy's beautiful music. Follow us on your favorite podcast platform. Go to wwwcurveball337.com for more information on the Living the Dream with Curveball podcast. Thank you for listening and supporting the show and Miss Freddie. Thank you for all that you're doing and congratulations on everything, and thank you for joining me me. Oh, you're very welcome and thank you for supporting, you know, us artists out there. We really appreciate you and that's the gospel truth. And you know, many blessings to everybody out there.

19:14 You know, keep it moving forward. Don't never take no two steps back, just go three steps forward and you'll be all rightcom. Until next time, keep living the dream.