Saw Toni Childs in concert tonight.
It was too loud for Jeb even with cotton in his ears and he eventually fell asleep in my lap with a shirt tied around his head.
The first CD I ever bought was Toni’s “House of Hope” when I was 17. She’s been an inspiration to me ever since. Her passion, her strength, her courage, her vision – she is truly a remarkable woman.
Tonight when Toni sang her well-known “Zimbabwe” song she invited the whole audience to stand and move in an African-inspired ‘umph’ that was to activate the second chakra. She suggested that once women in particular, heal this chakra the world will be a better place.
I activated from my seat with Jeb nuzzled in my neck. I wasn’t the only one sitting. The dark-skinned man with the long white ponytail in the row in front of me, sat with his cane across his lap doing a kind of African hand jive.
Even if I was grounded in my seat with 55 pounds of lanky limbs in my lap, I still had a concert experience that was deeply moving and greatly inspiring.
For me, Toni’s music is about bringing love where there is fear. She sings this encouragement with sounds through her throat like no one else on the planet:
it’s time to be free
shine your light
you are beautiful
do what you came here to do
speak your truth
These are the messages that reverberate through her into the ether to settle on your ear drums and shake your soul awake.
She told us that at one point in her life she had decided to stop making music. Until Eve Ensler showed up one day and told her that she had to keep on and promptly gave her the assignment of writing a song for her documentary about The Vagina Monologues. It won Toni an Emmy and started her touring again.
Hearing Toni sing, it’s hard to believe she ever thought to stop. How can a bird not share its song?
We all have a song to sing, something to share. Let’s find it, live it and spread it around.
Note: When I initially posted this piece I included a fan’s You Tube video of Toni Childs performing live. It was my well-intentioned desire to share the sound and presence of Toni on stage. But after a few hours of consideration, I decided that I’d rather share something that was released by her. You can search You Tube for Toni Childs and see all that comes up. And you can also check out one of Toni’s projects and hear “Because You’re Beautiful” here.
Best yet, support independent musicians and buy a CD.
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