ION INDIE MAGAZINE October 2014, Volume 5 | Page 18

“My grandfather used to play ukulele and sing songs to me when I was a little girl, and he must have realized how much I
loved it because on my 12th birthday, he gave me a nylon string 3/4 guitar made of plywood from Kmart. I think it cost him 12
bucks and I loved that thing. It actually played really well. I recently donated it to THE GULF COAST MUSIC HALL OF FAME
and they have it displayed there.”
“My first professional gig was playing guitar with a band…I think we were called ZEUS and we were one of the bands in a
lineup at the “Winnie Rice Festival” in Texas. I remember we played lots of LED ZEPPELIN tunes. I was 16 and scared to
death.”
Who has been her biggest inspiration in the music
industry?
”This is a really difficult question, I guess because
my inspiration is always morphing, changing over
the months and years. Lately I’m really inspired by
great mixing engineers and amazing producers.
But, in the beginning, I think THE WHO probably
had the biggest influence on me. I started playing
guitar so I could be in that band.”
She proudly proclaims that while other kids were
hanging up pictures of DAVID CASSIDY or BOBBY
SHERMAN, that she had posters of THE WHO
plastered all over her walls. Becky’s love of music
is quite diverse. Among her long list of current
favorites is THE BLACK KEYS. Becky elaborates
on some of the other ladies that play on her stereo:
“I like a pretty wide variety of female artists as well,
from PATTI SMITH, BLONDIE to SIA, JANELLE
Photo credit: Yvonne Day
MONAE. I recently have become obsessed with
JHENE AIKO--she has such a unique vibe. There’s
not any genre I don’t listen to. To me, it’s like when you travel abroad. It’s interesting how you learn more about your own
country. When you listen to styles of music that seem completely unrelated to your own style, you learn something about
yourself.”
Who would be a part of your "Dream Band" for one night on stage?
“Wow! I think playing with KEITH MOON would be an amazingly fun ride. I’ve been fortunate enough to actually play with
musicians that I only dreamed of working with when I was a kid—MICHAEL JACKSON, RICKY LAWSON, LARRY TAYLOR,
HUTCH HUTCHINSON, JAMES GADSON--just to name a few. I’ve been so lucky and learned so much from some of the
greatest players on the planet.”
It’s an exhilarating response that you hear from people when they learn that Becky played guitar and toured with “The King
of Pop”, MICHAEL JACKSON. So I asked, what has been her favorite venue for a live performance and why: