About WinderWinder Monroe Lyons began playing folk music professionally on Bourbon Street in his hometown of New Orleans, La in the early 1960's while still in high school. Coming from a semi-musical family (his mother a concert pianist, and his father an avid, though tone-deaf, music lover), he quickly veered from classical training to the world of nightclubs, hotels and concerts. After being drafted in 1966 and serving almost three years with the US Army Corp of Engineers in the U.S. and Vietnam, Winder founded an ecological organization in New Orleans: The Ecology Center of Louisiana. At that time and for many years after, he plied the musical waters of New Orleans and the South playing folk and bluegrass as a single and in bands. Along the way he wrote a music column for the local New Orleans newspaper: The Times Picayune. Although he stopped playing professionally in the late 1970's, music has always remained an important part of Winder's life. His new album "If Ever I Cease To Love," inspired by his sister Maryann's amazing life journey, and his support for the saving of the Louisiana wetlands, is a return for Winder to his roots in two areas: music and ecology. About Byron
Byron's professional career reads like Who's Who in the music business as he has performed with or recorded with so many notables. He has led or been a member of the following bands : Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys, 1966 - 67; Dillard & Clark, 1969-1970; Dillard Expedition, 1970-71; Country Gazette, 1971-75; Sundance, 1975-85; Berline, Crary & Hickman, 1978-90; L. A. Fiddle Band, 1978-93; California, 1990-96; Byron Berline Band, 1996- Present Byron is one of the most sought after session fiddlers and his long list of recording credits are proof; The Band / The Byrds / The Eagles / The Rolling Stones / Manhattan Transfer / Bob Dylan / John Denver / Elton John / Olivia Newton-John / Burt Reynolds / Linda Ronstadt / Rod Stewart / Kay Starr / Hoyt Axton / Alabama / Susie Bogus / Mary Chapin Carpenter / Joe Diffy / Vince Gill / Arlo Guthrie / Mickey Gilley / Emmylou Harris / Kirs Kirstofferson / Johnny Lee / Willie Nelson / Red Stegall / Doug Stone / Tammy Wynette / Jethro Burns / The Dillards / John Hartford / Bill Monroe / Nitty Gritty Dirt Band / Don Reno / Earl Scruggs / Mason Williams and numerous symphony orchestras. Byron has extensive movie and commercial sound track credits including work with Henry Mancini, Jerry Fielding, Johnny Williams and Lalo Schifrin. Byron scored his first major motion picture in 1975, STAY HUNGRY for director Bob Raphelson. He has appeared in STAR TREK, BLAXE, BACK TO THE FUTURE III and BASIC INSTINCT. He has been interviewed by major city newspapers and music magazines throughout the world, and has toured the United States extensively, Europe often, China, Japan, Australia, Northern Africa and the South Pacific. In his spare time Byron enjoys producing albums for his friends and himself. Byron was inducted into Oklahoma's Musicians Hall of Fame, named Oklahoma's Ambassador of Goodwill, been featured artist at the international convention of the Violin Society of America, and conceived and planned the Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival since it's beginnings in 1997. Byron Berline has been touted as "one of the most inventive fiddlers ever ...". His skill, versatility and artistry continue to be recognized by his peers, the press and audiences world-wide. He is a witty, charming personality and his music is evidence of that. About MaryAnn
My big sister has become my hero. On January 9, 2009, she announced with one of her words, “no,” that she would no longer take her medications. Lynn, my wife and an RN by training, said she would probably feel better without taking them. Lynn was right. I realized, though, that Mary Ann must be very tired to make this decision. Tired of living in her body, tired of medications, and just plain tired, period! And it may have been a signal that she was ready to leave. So I thought, ‘well, I need to do something to show her how much I love her.’ I wanted her to know that I understood how much she has done, I know who she is, and I respected her deeply for it. I also wanted to give her something to enjoy. Last Thanksgiving I was able to see her, and I played some music for her. When I played, tears welled in her eyes. She laughed, and cried, and fluttered her hands as if she meant to clap. She loved it. So to pay her tribute, I decided to make her a record; this was on a Friday. On Saturday and Sunday I went to a small basement recording studio in Branson, where we live, and recorded some songs for Mary Ann. I played to her; as I sang I imagined her next to me, and when I was done I mailed the CD overnight for her to hear. Since then, the collection of songs I recorded for my sister (which has now become an album) has managed to take on a life and purpose of its own. This new-found purpose began with the title song of the album, which is “If Ever I Cease to Love,” the theme song for Mardi Gras. Our family is from New Orleans, and this is a song we have sung all our lives. Lynn and I wrote a few new verses, and our friend Linda Lewis and our friend Linda wrote the verse on Hurricane Katrina. Katrina was devastating to us, and to our family. It was such an enormous disaster because politics and money took precedence over people. That has not changed. Currently, the largest ecological disaster in the world is taking place, with twenty five plus square miles of Louisiana wetlands disappearing into the Gulf of Mexico each year. The technology exists to fix the situation. We know what to do, and we know how to do it, but because the public at large is unaware of the problem, we lack the public will to begin the work. My point is this: if my sister can overcome the challenge of a lifetime, together, we can do anything. |
Twenty years ago, my sister, MaryAnn, had a stroke. From then until now her body has begun to deteriorate so severely that she can no longer move, and can barely speak. With less than a handful of words at her disposal, she chooses most often to say “I love you.” After two decades of struggling inside a broken body, she has distilled herself into a joyous human being, filled with love, appreciation, and humor. Buddha-like, she savors every moment. When she eats institutional food of processed meat, vegetables, and juice, it’s as if she has the finest gourmet chef in the world, and every bite is a miracle. 
