Diana Mangano on Working with and Being Influenced by Other Musicians She’s Worked with in the Past – Edit by Keith Dion, August 9th, 2013.
I
love music but I never intended to become a professional, working
musician. I had a fantastic childhood –
I lived a very simple life with my large, beautiful family. I grew up in the country and never went
anywhere near cities and chaos. The
natural world was and still is what I resonate with and honor. Music was in my life due to my grandparents
all having musical talent. My father’s
dad started early as a working musician.
He began to play guitar and sing at age five and never stopped. He had perfect pitch, played many
instruments, didn’t read music and was a sought out bassist and vocalist during
the jazz years in Buffalo, NY. He had me
carefully listen to vinyl with him at age four, but I had been hearing music
since in the womb. Most musicians can
read music, study music history and know all the facts, names, genres etc – I
don’t. I cannot read music notation and
can often go days or weeks without even listening to it.
Due to genetics I suppose, I was born
with quite a voice and from an early age was prompted to use it by everyone
around me. Much to every adult’s
chagrin, I was (and still am) rather shy and uninterested in being a
‘performer’. I loved to sing and love
music, but the attention and demands of front and center stage, lead roles,
solos, photos, interviews, recordings, videos, all the focus – makes me
ill. I am forty five years old now and
still feel exactly the same way.
Everything I did – dance, gymnastics, singing, acting – just kind of
happened for me. I was guided by my parents
and teacher’s direction and dedication and I simply went with the flow.
I never had the desire to be famous,
nor the passion and drive to seek out a career in music – like so many of my
friends did. It is not surprising that,
when I began singing with ‘The Jefferson
Starship’, I asked Paul Kantnor
if I could stand and sing way in the back – instead of being out front. I somehow managed to make it through thirteen
years of touring the world with them as their lead vocalist and another ten
years or so, recording and performing with other musicians from around the
country and San Francisco.
Prairie
Prince was pivotal in my life. Not
only was he my lovely partner for fifteen years, he was my inspirational fellow
musician and we collaborated on many projects together. Over the many years I have experienced and
participated in the music world with all its glory, horror, fun and hard
work. I have dealt with every type of person
one could imagine. I have loved, hated,
enjoyed, tolerated, continue and discontinued many working relationships with
these people.
Growing up, I focussed mostly on
gymnastics for ten years and was a natural there, too. I loved dance the most, due to the fun factor
and the abandon and creativity involved.
No-one pushed me too hard in any direction with this. I just excelled in gymnastics for some
time. Dance and voice where what I could
still continue to do after gymnastics had throttled my body. Having a large family and living far away
from everything made it very hard to continue my gymnastics career. It was too much stress for all of us. So, dance and singing then took the
lead. In college, I was fortunate to
work with some of the best musicians I’ve ever met. Their talents were and still are for beyond
those of most of the famous people I ended up working with. For several reasons, I did not dig in my
heels and pursue singing for professional purposes. After college, I was going to enrol in school
for Massage Therapy and almost did – but then my friend Liz invited me to a ‘Jefferson Starship’ concert and my
entire life took a very different direction.
I was twenty five years old.
To make a long story short. I ended up speaking with the band after a
show in New York and a month later I was on stage singing with them. I never intended that to be the starting
point of continuously working with ‘The
Jefferson Starship’, or their various members. It all happened by chance and in the
following months, I half-heartedly offered them my services due to their lack
of a female lead vocalist at the time.
My taste in music was quite varied, so I didn’t expect to just end up
working only with them. I simply did not
want to limit myself to that one genre.
I moved to San Francisco and toured with them, but also began to sing
with other performers. I went from not
doing much in western New York state, to singing on the same stages with some
of the extremely famous musicians and groups that I had listened to all of my
life. Then I began to travel the world
with them.
I also started to do some studio work
for local San Francisco and international brands but live performing was what I
enjoyed the most, after finally getting over the pre-show anxieties I’d always
suffered. Prairie Prince and I began a relationship and he was pivotal in my
singing career due to his kindness, support and the endless musical ventures
and contacts he’d introduce me to. He
helped me explore and execute various singing styles, while we collaborated
together with many musicians. All of
this happened without me really applying myself too much. I was just going with the flow and having a
lot of fun while doing it.
Life happens, you roll with it and you
bump into folks for reasons and that’s what happened with Keith Dion and me. We knew
similar musicians and one day, we just started to all create together. Here we are now, due to Keith’s hard work and
consistent efforts – and superior attention to the business end of things and
all the details. This is what made him
stand out: his kindness, business savvy
and talent all rolled into one. It is
quite odd to find that combination in someone and even more odd to continuously
work with someone for years without having any money, ego, or personal problems
present themselves. I am blessed. My past experiences with at least 60% of all
the other musicians, producers, agents, managers (‘damagers’ to quote Billy Eckstein) etc. I’ve worked with
has proved to be less than enjoyable.
One manager in particular disgusted me so much that I left the band
after thirteen years and never returned.
Performing and working with Keith has been a joy and I am very grateful
for the opportunity. He and I both
understand the ups and more commonly, the downs, of the music industry and so
we resonate on that level. This makes
our foundation similar and our desire to dodge the bullcrap and get to the good
stuff, the ultimate goal.
I still have a hard time with the role
of being a front person/lead vocalist so I am enjoying my current collaborations
with Keith and other bands today, from more of a background vocal role. I have plans to record some of my own
creations in the upcoming years too. For
now, I am loving life as a childcare provider and professional massage
therapist, with a few singing gigs in between.
©
Diana Mangano, August 9th, 2013.
Sources – video
links etc.
#
1: Diana performing with ‘The Jefferson Airplane’ at their Rock
‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame induction, 1996.
#
2: Sound Check – ‘The Great American Robber Barons’ performing on the ‘Bruce Latimer’ TV show in Pacifica,
August 7th, 2013, as shot by Vivian
Vosu. Non-broadcast quality audio
though.
Current Music
Videos: ‘The Great American Robber Barons’ –
1: Reno Nevada:
Using
Keith’s father’s 8mm home movie clips from the 1960s of the Las Vegas and Reno
NV gambling strips. This is the classic
song by Richard and Mime Farina.
2: At the Hands of the Robber Barons:
An
expose of the financial criminals that run our world – to be used by the Occupy Wall St. Movement.
3: Too Big for Your Boots:
Done
in black and white, in a 1960s French TV style – reminiscent of Brazil ’66.
Web Site:
www.305am for all things
on ‘The Great American Robber Barons’.
Virtual Press
Kit:
From
Ariel Publicity for The Great American Robber Barons. To view the press kit with MP3s, YouTube
video links, press, photos and bio material:
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