Joy for Life

After nearly 35 years of songwriting, Cindy McKenna has recorded and released “Joy of Life”, a CD of twelve original songs. All of the songs are written from real life experiences and tell the stories of her life and the lives of those around her.

Talkeetna, Alaska singer-songwriter Esther Golton says about the CD and Cindy’s performance “There’s a real energy in all the songs…a woman unafraid to sing out loud”.

As a child, Cindy learned to sing the popular folk songs in her home state of Vermont as well as learning to play piano. At the age of 16 she picked up her sister’s guitar and taught herself to play, and hasn’t stopped playing since. Her main influences on her singing and songwriting come from artists such as Kate Wolf, Joan Baez, and Judy Collins.

Cindy says “I will always be grateful for, and continue to sing, the songs others have written before me – if a song speaks to my heart, I will add it to my repertoire”.

In 1992, Cindy recorded her song “Welcome the Spirit Green” in a benefit project which produced the album of the same name. The following year, the band Trillium recorded her “Fields in August” song on their CD, “The Sun She Rises”.

Cindy’s performances include her original songs as well as covers, in a folk style laced with some country and bluegrass influences, and is often accompanied by other local musicians.