'even the newest stars are honored'
Anna Fisher
Real Name:Nancy Fish
Birth Date/Place:February 28, 1960
Raised in Concord, Massachusetts Anna Fisher has taken all of her worldly experiences and packaged them on a sweet sounding album of innovative sounds. "Refreshingly inspiring!" is a comment she hears often in regards to her music. Her many years in the Caribbean (St. John) as an Elementary Music teacher (known as Mrs. Nancy Liburd) she decided life was too short not to record her sound with Reggae, Jazz, R & B, and Pop as she'd rarely heard oboe played outside Classical and Pop Orchestras. Her musical studies began with piano at age 5, recorder at 10 and oboe at 11. At 13, she was accepted into New England Conservatory, in addition to her studies at NEC she attended Indiana University School of Music, Boston University School of Music, North Carolina School of the Arts (B.Mus oboe and English horn '83) , University of the Virgin Islands Graduate School of Education (Teaching Credential) and National University Graduate School of Education (M. Ed in Instructional Leadership '99)
As a lover of Reggae, she's performed "Exodus" by Bob Marley with his band, The Wailers at The Roxy Theater in West Hollywood. She's danced onstage numerous times with Marcia Griffiths (Electric Slide Boogie and a member of the I-Threes, Bob's backing singers), Beres Hammond (Tempted To Touch), and Maxi Priest, she's blown her oboe and sung in performances with Judy Mowatt, Della Grant, Ras Michael, Third World, Alpha Blondy, Steel Pulse, U-Roy, Rankin' Joe, Winston Hussey, Sista Nancy, and the list goes on and on!
In Jazz, she's performed often with Barbara Morrison, Ralph Penland, John Hammond, John Bolivar, Quentin Dennard, Winnard Harper, Billy Mitchell, Justo Almario, Onaje Murray and John B. Williams.
Duets with Flutist Hubert Laws, Jr. and work with Seiji Ozawa, Andre Previn and Leonard Bernstein are part of her musical journey as well.
She is truly grateful to Third World Band for tributing one of her dearest friends and mentors, Joe Higgs. Joe was one of Bob Marley's greatest influences and those who spent much time around Joe knew how involved he stayed with Bob Marley & The Wailers.
After Joe's passing in December 1999, Anna traveled to Kingston, Jamaica with her keyboardist Jawge Hughes to perform for his memorial in January 2000. Jawge had been Joe's keyboardist for twenty years. She has been invited back to perform numerous times but has not returned due to scheduling at the inner city public school where she teaches Kindergarten full time to mostly second language learners. She chaired the Arts Program four times and procured close to one million dollars in Arts Funding for Wilton Place School where she taught ten years prior to moving to a new school last year to accommodate her family's schedule.
Anna (Nancy Fish - childhood name) studied oboe since the age of 11 and thanks to her mother found some excellent teachers. Her mother, Charlotte Fish was an elementary teacher most of her life and both taught together at Julius E. Sprauve School on St. John, US Virgin Islands. Anna (known as Nancy Fish Liburd) also taught at Guy H. Benjamin School in Coral Bay for the Government of the United States Virgin Islands Department of Education for a period of ten years. An avid student with certificates, awards and degrees from many learning institutions she is doing her best to keep the world focused on a peaceful world for the sake of the children. "They are most certainly the human race's greatest resource!"
One of her greatest honors is receiving the INTERNATIONAL ARTIST Joe Higgs Music Award at the First Annual Joe Higgs Music Awards Ceremony at Florida International University in Miami December 8, 2006. She was nominated in both Instrumental and International categories again this year for 2007. Joe Higgs was the teacher who coached, performed and toured with Bob Marley & The Wailers. Born in Kingston, Jamaica and raised in the ghetto community of Trenchtown, Joe was a Beacon of Hope for many. Joe was one of Anna's teachers and he had recruited her to help him with his publicity. Little more than a year later his body succumbed to cancer. He died in Los Angeles December 1999. Anna performed "A Child Is Born" from her album, "Renaissance In Formation" and when the rest of the family in Jamaica saw the video they insisted she come play in Kingston for his "Service of Thanksgiving" that his daughter Angela Higgs Barrett (wife to famed Wailers Band bassist Aston "Familyman" Barrett) was organizing.
In Kingston, she had the opportunity to meet many of the people who had been an integral part of his life. "To be honest, after listening to his music I thought the streets would have shut down for Joe Higgs. But alas, many he'd helped were too busy doing "other things" despite the family desperately trying to announce the program held at the All Saints Anglican Church on West Street in Kingston and inform anyone they knew who had known him. The family knows first hand what Joe Higgs used to do for Bob when they lived at Tuff Gong headquarters at Bob Marley's 56 Hope Road compound." The Who's Who of Jamaican culture were there. Thought I'd have met at least one of the Marleys but they all had 't'ings t' do.' The program was recorded and the family plans to release it on DVD soon. "Joe was my neighbor, DJ Sister Yasmin in Gualala, CA sent me to help him." Anna and her children used to sit long hours listening to his colorful stories of days ago with Bob Marley, the pioneers of Reggae and the direction of the music today. He loved for women to be involved in the music and had released an album, "Joe and Marcia Together : Roots Combination" with his daughter Marcia Higgs in the late 80's.
His anthems of Peace, Love and Unity are as appropriate today as ever as Joe was a standard for all others who entertained the thought of playing, performing or recording Reggae. Known as the "Choirmaster" he was a masterful soloist who loved to sing in church and was greatly influenced by the Jazz greats. He played the most beautiful collection of songs for Anna waiting to be mastered in Ireland he'd recorded with violinist/fiddler Sharon Shannon and the Hot House Flowers a crucial set of songs fusing pure Celtic, Roots, Rock and Reggae titled, "Black and Green" still unreleased. He'd signed a deal with Universal but something went terribly wrong and then he discovered his prostate cancer which had been in remission had returned. Anna carried him to his treatments and tried to help him get around with the $16,000 per year he said he was getting in royalties. Having used Joe's music to inspire her students especially the track, "Family" to encourage unity Anna vowed to help publicize his name. Moved by his song, "Unity Is Power" she has been on a mission to encourage the people to resist violence and resolve conflicts intelligently without malice.
Anna honestly wishes she could serve on the United Nations as she feels they could be more effective right now in protecting the rights of women and children but she is very busy making reeds and practicing two of what are considered to be the hardest instruments to play, the oboe and English horn. Moved by the founding father of Reggae, Joe Higgs, she has established herself as a serious artist over the past 14 years when she started her own independent recording label MOLIN MUSIC named for her two children, Monique and Lincoln. Her children are recognized scholars and they are her truly her greatest pride and joy and purpose for fulfilling her dreams!
This year, and last Anna was named in "Who's Who Among America's Teachers" in 2005-2006 and 2006 - 2007 anonymously by three former successful high school students(being awarded nationally) who listed Ms. Anna Fisher as the "one teacher who made the greatest difference throughout their entire academic experience in either high school or college."
Her song, "Morning Star" written by Vincent Licata was Number 1 on the American Idol World Charts last year! Her cover of "I Can See Clearly" has been Number 1 on the Soundclick Pop Cover Chart and in the top 20 over a year and a half!
Birth Date/Place:February 28, 1960
Raised in Concord, Massachusetts Anna Fisher has taken all of her worldly experiences and packaged them on a sweet sounding album of innovative sounds. "Refreshingly inspiring!" is a comment she hears often in regards to her music. Her many years in the Caribbean (St. John) as an Elementary Music teacher (known as Mrs. Nancy Liburd) she decided life was too short not to record her sound with Reggae, Jazz, R & B, and Pop as she'd rarely heard oboe played outside Classical and Pop Orchestras. Her musical studies began with piano at age 5, recorder at 10 and oboe at 11. At 13, she was accepted into New England Conservatory, in addition to her studies at NEC she attended Indiana University School of Music, Boston University School of Music, North Carolina School of the Arts (B.Mus oboe and English horn '83) , University of the Virgin Islands Graduate School of Education (Teaching Credential) and National University Graduate School of Education (M. Ed in Instructional Leadership '99)
As a lover of Reggae, she's performed "Exodus" by Bob Marley with his band, The Wailers at The Roxy Theater in West Hollywood. She's danced onstage numerous times with Marcia Griffiths (Electric Slide Boogie and a member of the I-Threes, Bob's backing singers), Beres Hammond (Tempted To Touch), and Maxi Priest, she's blown her oboe and sung in performances with Judy Mowatt, Della Grant, Ras Michael, Third World, Alpha Blondy, Steel Pulse, U-Roy, Rankin' Joe, Winston Hussey, Sista Nancy, and the list goes on and on!
In Jazz, she's performed often with Barbara Morrison, Ralph Penland, John Hammond, John Bolivar, Quentin Dennard, Winnard Harper, Billy Mitchell, Justo Almario, Onaje Murray and John B. Williams.
Duets with Flutist Hubert Laws, Jr. and work with Seiji Ozawa, Andre Previn and Leonard Bernstein are part of her musical journey as well.
She is truly grateful to Third World Band for tributing one of her dearest friends and mentors, Joe Higgs. Joe was one of Bob Marley's greatest influences and those who spent much time around Joe knew how involved he stayed with Bob Marley & The Wailers.
After Joe's passing in December 1999, Anna traveled to Kingston, Jamaica with her keyboardist Jawge Hughes to perform for his memorial in January 2000. Jawge had been Joe's keyboardist for twenty years. She has been invited back to perform numerous times but has not returned due to scheduling at the inner city public school where she teaches Kindergarten full time to mostly second language learners. She chaired the Arts Program four times and procured close to one million dollars in Arts Funding for Wilton Place School where she taught ten years prior to moving to a new school last year to accommodate her family's schedule.
Anna (Nancy Fish - childhood name) studied oboe since the age of 11 and thanks to her mother found some excellent teachers. Her mother, Charlotte Fish was an elementary teacher most of her life and both taught together at Julius E. Sprauve School on St. John, US Virgin Islands. Anna (known as Nancy Fish Liburd) also taught at Guy H. Benjamin School in Coral Bay for the Government of the United States Virgin Islands Department of Education for a period of ten years. An avid student with certificates, awards and degrees from many learning institutions she is doing her best to keep the world focused on a peaceful world for the sake of the children. "They are most certainly the human race's greatest resource!"
One of her greatest honors is receiving the INTERNATIONAL ARTIST Joe Higgs Music Award at the First Annual Joe Higgs Music Awards Ceremony at Florida International University in Miami December 8, 2006. She was nominated in both Instrumental and International categories again this year for 2007. Joe Higgs was the teacher who coached, performed and toured with Bob Marley & The Wailers. Born in Kingston, Jamaica and raised in the ghetto community of Trenchtown, Joe was a Beacon of Hope for many. Joe was one of Anna's teachers and he had recruited her to help him with his publicity. Little more than a year later his body succumbed to cancer. He died in Los Angeles December 1999. Anna performed "A Child Is Born" from her album, "Renaissance In Formation" and when the rest of the family in Jamaica saw the video they insisted she come play in Kingston for his "Service of Thanksgiving" that his daughter Angela Higgs Barrett (wife to famed Wailers Band bassist Aston "Familyman" Barrett) was organizing.
In Kingston, she had the opportunity to meet many of the people who had been an integral part of his life. "To be honest, after listening to his music I thought the streets would have shut down for Joe Higgs. But alas, many he'd helped were too busy doing "other things" despite the family desperately trying to announce the program held at the All Saints Anglican Church on West Street in Kingston and inform anyone they knew who had known him. The family knows first hand what Joe Higgs used to do for Bob when they lived at Tuff Gong headquarters at Bob Marley's 56 Hope Road compound." The Who's Who of Jamaican culture were there. Thought I'd have met at least one of the Marleys but they all had 't'ings t' do.' The program was recorded and the family plans to release it on DVD soon. "Joe was my neighbor, DJ Sister Yasmin in Gualala, CA sent me to help him." Anna and her children used to sit long hours listening to his colorful stories of days ago with Bob Marley, the pioneers of Reggae and the direction of the music today. He loved for women to be involved in the music and had released an album, "Joe and Marcia Together : Roots Combination" with his daughter Marcia Higgs in the late 80's.
His anthems of Peace, Love and Unity are as appropriate today as ever as Joe was a standard for all others who entertained the thought of playing, performing or recording Reggae. Known as the "Choirmaster" he was a masterful soloist who loved to sing in church and was greatly influenced by the Jazz greats. He played the most beautiful collection of songs for Anna waiting to be mastered in Ireland he'd recorded with violinist/fiddler Sharon Shannon and the Hot House Flowers a crucial set of songs fusing pure Celtic, Roots, Rock and Reggae titled, "Black and Green" still unreleased. He'd signed a deal with Universal but something went terribly wrong and then he discovered his prostate cancer which had been in remission had returned. Anna carried him to his treatments and tried to help him get around with the $16,000 per year he said he was getting in royalties. Having used Joe's music to inspire her students especially the track, "Family" to encourage unity Anna vowed to help publicize his name. Moved by his song, "Unity Is Power" she has been on a mission to encourage the people to resist violence and resolve conflicts intelligently without malice.
Anna honestly wishes she could serve on the United Nations as she feels they could be more effective right now in protecting the rights of women and children but she is very busy making reeds and practicing two of what are considered to be the hardest instruments to play, the oboe and English horn. Moved by the founding father of Reggae, Joe Higgs, she has established herself as a serious artist over the past 14 years when she started her own independent recording label MOLIN MUSIC named for her two children, Monique and Lincoln. Her children are recognized scholars and they are her truly her greatest pride and joy and purpose for fulfilling her dreams!
This year, and last Anna was named in "Who's Who Among America's Teachers" in 2005-2006 and 2006 - 2007 anonymously by three former successful high school students(being awarded nationally) who listed Ms. Anna Fisher as the "one teacher who made the greatest difference throughout their entire academic experience in either high school or college."
Her song, "Morning Star" written by Vincent Licata was Number 1 on the American Idol World Charts last year! Her cover of "I Can See Clearly" has been Number 1 on the Soundclick Pop Cover Chart and in the top 20 over a year and a half!
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RWW FASHION FEATURE - 'BRIDGET SANDALS'
Novia McDonald-Whyte - Contributing editor Jamaica Observer
Sunday, December 07, 2003
Sandals designer Bridget say "Bridget sandals" in Jamaica and fashion watchers, as well as lovers of sexy leather straps, will smile the smug smile of those in the know. It has been, for Bridget Brown, (known by thousands as Bridget), a journey of twenty-odd years. The fact is, the leather soles of her sandals almost left her barefooted on several occasions. "It took me three years," Bridget tells SunDay to get my feet off the ground. I paid the price for not going to school. I had to endure artisans not cutting the leather properly, bad work attitude, sabotage, you name it, I went through it."
A baptism of fire, some might be tempted to add for the former Playboy Bunny. "I was a bunny between 1972 and 1977 at the Playboy Boscobel Beach," says Bridget, flashing her signature toothy smile, and still conscious of that bunny poise.
"Playboy was forced to close (no tourists were coming to Jamaica). I was forced to come back to Kingston. I had to find some means of survival. My first stop was G's One of a Kind -- an upscale boutique that sold one-of-a kind Italian shoes and clothing. I left that in May 1981, after Bob Marley's death. I sold pound-cloth for Carmen Brown of Karmen's Corner. "There I was with my scale underneath my arm, and my cushions at my side. I really never wanted to make sandals. I also made skull caps and crochet bags."
Start she did and never looked back. Bridget even found the time and finances to attend school in Milan. "I went to school out of curiosity. I wondered if I was doing something wrong. Little did I know that I was in fact doing something right. My customers are happy, the sandals are fitting right, and I, too, am satisfied. I admire what I am doing."
No idle boast. Bridget Sandals were on the runway at New York Fashionweek, and Caribbean Fashionweek. Bridget Sandals are in Barbados, St Kitts, Antigua, Lincoln Avenue, South Beach (Miami), in the Village (New York) and at Controversy -- Battersea London.
Come next season, there's the possibility of a shipment to Japan, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, and Dallas.
"You have to be skilfull to survive. It has been a 20-year fight for survival. It's a struggle to maintain quality, confidence, style, craftsmanship. Finally, you have to have integrity in business."
As the chat comes to an end and Bridget does that Bridget walk towards her taxi, and there's a feeling that the very best is still to come from this beautiful sister.
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