Musician Spotlight - Sally Beal
Sally Beal is a song writer. There is no denying that. In the last fifteen years, she's written close to a hundred songs ranging from "Lincoln County Girl" to "Larch Ridge." Everyone who hears her songs has a favorite. "February Moon"? "Red Dog"? Sally's songs do an incredible job of capturing the land, the seasons and the people in the Tobacco Valley.
Sally has lived in NW Montana with her family for nearly 25 years, but she started writing songs long before that. According to Sally's mom, Sally was creating songs when just a toddler. Her mom tells me Sally was the original rapper way back then. Sally said she was always composing songs but didn't necessarily write them down until around 2000. Now she has two songs books out that include CDs. She's given songwriting workshops in Eureka and many of her songs have become standards for the Eureka Folk Music Society. And there are always more songs appearing as if by magic.
Sally's most creative times are when she is driving. She pulls over and grabs a scrap of paper to jot down lyrics while humming the tune to herself so she doesn't forget it. She has a notebook filled with jottings that she hopes to make into finished songs someday. But she truly seems to be able to write one at the drop of a hat. When a group of local women formed the Out of the Woods Band a few years ago, Sally wrote a wonderful song which they performed during their concerts.
About the Author: Rita Collins. I am a believer in the power of community and for now I call the Tobacco Valley home. I have lived in nine states and three counties and this community here amazes me - how people reach out to neighbors and even travelers. I've never lived in a place that demonstrates people caring for each other so well. And I've never lived in a place that has such a high percentage of talented musicians and artists. I work with the the Sunburst Community Service Foundation, a nonprofit that began in Eureka twenty years ago and now serves numerous communities in western Montana. And I just started a new business, St. Rita's Amazing Traveling Bookstore and Textual Apothecary. I never could have imagined life being this exciting in my sixth decade.
