Santa Maria was a long way from home for Carole McNeil, a petite blonde with huge green pixie eyes and a sly grin. She left a regular singing gig and a supportive fan base in Castle Rock, Colo., a month ago to move here. Her striking looks and memorable voice helped her quickly nab a regular gig a short drive north: at Cafe Roma in San Luis Obispo.
Still, it wasn’t home. So home came to her.
When she left Colorado, McNeil took with her the contact information for a lot of her closest friends and fans. But it was a big surprise when two of her fans showed just how much they adore her. She had once performed for them at their anniversary. They drove all the way from Colorado to San Luis Obispo to watch her first Central Coast performance.
“I was sitting there waiting to perform and I saw them peek their heads in to get a seat,” McNeil said. “I was so surprised. That’s some real friendship going on there.”
McNeil sings a vast repertoire of music from romantic to jazzy, classics to Top 40, and even music from children’s movies.
“I like the fun of the jazzy songs,” she explained. ‘My voice fits in with that genre, and I am able to stylize and be more creative with it.”
It’s no surprise that McNeil would pursue a singing career. She comes from multiple generations of musicians. Her three older sisters sing, her grandfather sang opera, and her mother played piano and taught McNeil breathing and technique and passed on the confidence to sing in front of large crowds.
McNeil said she’s also able to imitate a lot of artists, such as Shania Twain and Jewel, but she prefers to sing songs by Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra.
“My grandpa used to play them on the radio when I was a kid, and I used to listen to those songs, and I just picked up on them,” she said.
Performing in the high school choir and jazz band furthered her love of that genre.
Though she’s got her singing preferences, she most enjoys performing in general and entertaining the audience.
“I really like to please others and take their requests and sing what they want,” she said. “And their requests make me want to be better and better.”
As McNeil settles into the Central Coast, she’s pondering her future in music—but cautions that she’s a little afraid of fame. She’s got five children, so she said her heart is with her family—she’s first and foremost a mom. Instead, she hopes to collaborate with a writer who specializes in LDS music in the way of Kenneth Cope or Hillary Weeks.
“I think I have a desire to inspire people and teach,” she said. “I really want to connect and reach out to people.”
Arts Editor Shelly Cone is not one bit afraid of fame. Bring it on. Paparazzi can contact her at scone@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jul 30 – Aug 6, 2009.