Susan Layton

Biography

Susan Vanessa Layton is the youngest of 14 children born to Harold and Gertrude (Kelly) Layton. She grew up on a farm in the beautiful country side of Wheaton Settlement, just west of Moncton.
Music was not a great part of her upbringing but she loved to sing the songs she heard on the radio. Susan was only 12 when she lost her mother to cancer and felt very alone. Soon after, her father bought her a piano, where Susan, after only a few lessons, developed the ability to play by ear and spent many hours at the cherished instrument.
Her father died on Christmas day, just before her 20th birthday and again she felt alone. The following Christmas, her brothers and sisters pooled their resources and bought her a guitar. Her siblings got a great charge out of her reaction when she opened it and told her they expected great things from her. Between jam sessions, music books and parties, she was soon able to play the songs she loved.
Susan married, divorced and is now raising two wonderful boys, Kyle and Ryan. During this time in her life, she wanted something more and made the decision to go back to school. After considering many options, her love for nature made the choice easy; she would go to forestry school. Armed with a student loan, she packed her bags and headed to the Maritime Forest Ranger School in Fredericton.
The intense one-year course was grueling and life didn’t stop there. During that year, she juggled her home life with school but soon discovered her youngest son had Cerebral Palsy. Even with all of this was going on in her life, there were many late night studying sessions. Family support was her greatest strength and with their help, along with her instructors and a group of loyal friends, who kindly referred to her as “The Singing Ranger”, she made it to the end of the course.
Things were starting to look up when another setback hit her directly. After a visit to the doctor, she found she had cancer. Not being a quitter, she fought back and beat this deadly disease.
Things have gotten better for Susan. She has a new supportive partner that is 100% behind her music career. Mark Cripps and his two boys, Devon and Donovan, have been actively supportive of Susan. During the rebirth of Susan, she wanted to change some things beginning with weight loss regime where she lost 99lbs, a great accomplishment for anyone. She has full time employment on a farm in Sussex and enjoys it greatly.
Susan has competed in many singing contests, where she has performed her own written material. The inspiration for her lyrics comes from her son’s experiences as well as her own personal experiences.
She is a woman of great strength and dedication. Her new CD reflects her battles, victories, joys and the strength of family.