A Good Person to Know

A Good Person To Know, Rebecca Edwards
Written by Linda Puckett

She presents herself with such a quiet demeanor that one, upon first meeting Rebecca Edwards, might not recognize or even suspect the power she holds within her voice. Not only does Rebecca have a lovely speaking voice, she is also blessed with a beautiful singing voice and musical knowledge to back up her talent. A self-proclaimed “singer and artist”, Rebecca shares her artistic abilities with the world through singing, songwriting and as an abstract painter. Some Sunday mornings she joins our fabulous Unity Spiritual Life Center musical team and graces us with the melodious strains of her lovely voice from the stage. Other times she is in the audience adding richness to the congregational singing.

Rebecca is originally a California girl. Born the fourth of four children and significantly younger than her three siblings, she says it was almost as if she was an only child because by the time she was two the others had all left home. Rebecca spent the first eight years of her life in Sacramento then moved to Fresno where she remained through high school. She then moved to sunny southern California. She lived south of Los Angeles for several years, including 14 years in Long Beach where she was led into massage therapy, a practice that has sustained her for the last 18 years. One of the things for which Rebecca is grateful is her exposure in CA to amazing acting and voice teachers with whom she trained.

Both of Rebecca’s parents enjoyed singing. Her mother had a knack for writing “catchy country songs.” “Once Mom wrote a song for my brother called Can I Play Cowboy In Heaven? and had it recorded on a 45 record for him”, she recalls. Dad, although he wasn’t Irish, sang in an Irish tenor voice. Early in life Rebecca took piano lessons and she began singing in choirs in the fourth grade. Shortly after high school she became the lead singer of a Top 40 pop band for several years. In her senior year her love of musical theater production led to her first stage role as Ado Annie in her high school’s production of Oklahoma! Rebecca has performed in six musical theatre productions so far, and would love to have that experience again. She says “I always feel connected to my soul and to God when I’m singing.”

Around 1989 Rebecca began painting with water colors and sold many of her pieces at art shows. In the last several years she has switched to acrylics and canvas as her medium. Her creative style is free flowing and about it she says, “I let the canvas tell me what it wants. I just let the work evolve.”

After being brought up with traditional Christian beliefs, Rebecca searched for a church home that resonated more with her as an adult. In Huntington Beach, CA she stumbled upon Religious Science. She felt at home there and started attending Science of Mind classes. She later began attending Agape International Spiritual Center where she sang in the choir for a year until her move to Oklahoma.

Rebecca’s mom had moved to OK to live with one of Rebecca’s sisters at the onset of dementia. By 2003, her condition had declined to the point she was placed in a nursing home. Rebecca felt pulled to be near her mom and her sister. So, in November of 2003, she made the move to Oklahoma and was richly blessed by being here during the last three years of her mother’s life.
And life goes on! In 2007 Rebecca recorded her first CD, a collection of inspirational songs titled Always, containing 5 of Rebecca’s originals. It was a six month project and a time she refers to as a “unique,  (continued on page 8)

fabulous learning and growth experience; very gratifying, challenging, and greatly rewarding.” She arranged all but one song herself and was privileged to work with top quality local musicians and producer. Much of the music on this wonderful CD evolved during the recording sessions. The project took on a life of its own. The “bonus” song holds special feelings for Rebecca. She remembers her dad singing it to her when she was a teenager. During the CD’s developmental stages she decided she would include this song, My Best to You. A couple of weeks before her mother passed, Rebecca sang the song to her and forgot the words. Her mother – not speaking much at this stage – looked at her and in a quiet, sweet voice, finished the song… “Remember this, each new day is a kiss sent from up above with an angel’s love…” “It was a special moment”, says Rebecca.

When it came time for her second recording project, a jazz and blues CD, Rebecca decided to produce it herself. Working with the same professional musicians as on her first project, she arranged the pieces so that the musicians could enjoy a few long solos. The result is a grouping of jazz and blues standards titled Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars. Rebecca was happy to include an original pop/jazz ballad on this CD. Her CD’s are available at the USLC bookstore and online at www.rebeccaedwards.net .

Within each of us somewhere dwells a fantasy. Rebecca’s is to be a wildlife photographer. What’s yours??

While it was Rebecca’s love for her mother and sister that brought her to Oklahoma, it is her “wonderful family of friends” that has kept her here. The ocean is calling to her, however, and a move back west is somewhere in the not so distant future. Keep that in mind next time you have the opportunity to smile at and talk with Rebecca, who is indeed A Good Person To Know.