Charlotte Gibb

I grew up under watchful eyes in a small, Northern California town, the youngest of nine children (a good, Catholic family). My mother had a lovely voice and saw to it that her daughters and sons would also learn to sing. My first performance, at the age of 5, was at the local Elks Lodge where my sisters and I sang and played an odd variety of instruments (which included a Hohner Melodica, an autoharp, and a tambourine) for a polite dinner crowd.

We all took piano lessons, sang in choirs, and played instruments in the school orchestras. My older brothers took up guitar in their teens, and my sister, Karen, followed suit. She taught me some basic Travis-style fingerpicking, and I was off and running. For my fifteenth birthday, my mother traded in my sister's old (and unused) violin for a classical guitar. The first song I learned on it was "Helplessly Hoping" by Stephen Stills. Karen and I still love to sing it together.

I'd like to say that I continued down the musical path into adulthood, but after college, music gave way to pursuit of a career in graphic design. It wasn't until 13 years later, in 1998, that I met a woman who gave me the gift of music. She was a fingerstyle guitar player herself and with her encouragement I began to play again on a guitar that she lent to me.

My musical experiences have brought me together with people who have become the most important friends of my life. My husband and my children are my biggest and best fans. They give me confidence and support which keeps me going.

I hope you enjoy my music.