The Whitsill Scrapbook
Donation protected
When Wesla Whitfield died, I knew I wanted to do something enduring to honor her memory and her life achievements. Originally I thought of a scholarship in her name, but the more I looked at that option, the less attractive it seemed as a long term memorial.
Before her death, Wesla and I were working on a book about our lives, to be called "The Whitsill Scrapbook". "Whitsill" is a portmanteau word derived from combining a portion of each of our last names. Wesla didn't want a serious biography, but something fun to read and look through with lots of pictures, newspaper articles, reviews, etc., like a "coffee table" type book. We had both written our individual stories up to the point when we first met, but now I would really like to complete the assignment and tell the story of our musical and personal lives together. And as a remembrance, I think it is a good idea...I am imagining some kid 50 years from now picking it up in a second hand bookstore and saying, "They seem interesting, maybe I should check out their music". Ta-da! - mission accomplished.
We were also planning to do a "Best of Wesla" CD culled from some of the early self produced records that have been out of print for ages. So this money will cover the myriad costs of publishing the book and producing the CD which will, of course, be included in the book. It's going to be a lot of work, so I'm trying to free up some time to do this... this means not working as many gigs. Which explains why I'm writing to all you rabid fans in order to raise a little money, duh!
I'm looking to work on this project in April and May, and my calendar looks pretty loose at the moment, so this fundraising effort will enable me to sail through without worrying about hustling too many gigs!
If this is successful, it will be a wonderful tribute to the talent and life well lived of Wesla Whitfield....well, there will be some bits in it about me too :)
Of course anyone who donates will get a book! And if you want to make a larger donation, say above $500, you can also get me to come and play the piano for you.... if you have a real piano :)
If you're interested in what the book may look and sound like, here's an excerpt from my bio BW (before Whitsill). Click Here.
If you have questions or want to reach me personally I'm at - [email redacted]
I can't tell you how weird I feel asking for money, but I've been assured by many people that it's just fine....everybody does it!
Here's Wesla singing "My Foolish Heart" to remind you of her warmth and passion.
Before her death, Wesla and I were working on a book about our lives, to be called "The Whitsill Scrapbook". "Whitsill" is a portmanteau word derived from combining a portion of each of our last names. Wesla didn't want a serious biography, but something fun to read and look through with lots of pictures, newspaper articles, reviews, etc., like a "coffee table" type book. We had both written our individual stories up to the point when we first met, but now I would really like to complete the assignment and tell the story of our musical and personal lives together. And as a remembrance, I think it is a good idea...I am imagining some kid 50 years from now picking it up in a second hand bookstore and saying, "They seem interesting, maybe I should check out their music". Ta-da! - mission accomplished.
We were also planning to do a "Best of Wesla" CD culled from some of the early self produced records that have been out of print for ages. So this money will cover the myriad costs of publishing the book and producing the CD which will, of course, be included in the book. It's going to be a lot of work, so I'm trying to free up some time to do this... this means not working as many gigs. Which explains why I'm writing to all you rabid fans in order to raise a little money, duh!
I'm looking to work on this project in April and May, and my calendar looks pretty loose at the moment, so this fundraising effort will enable me to sail through without worrying about hustling too many gigs!
If this is successful, it will be a wonderful tribute to the talent and life well lived of Wesla Whitfield....well, there will be some bits in it about me too :)
Of course anyone who donates will get a book! And if you want to make a larger donation, say above $500, you can also get me to come and play the piano for you.... if you have a real piano :)
If you're interested in what the book may look and sound like, here's an excerpt from my bio BW (before Whitsill). Click Here.
If you have questions or want to reach me personally I'm at - [email redacted]
I can't tell you how weird I feel asking for money, but I've been assured by many people that it's just fine....everybody does it!
Here's Wesla singing "My Foolish Heart" to remind you of her warmth and passion.
Organizer
Mike Greensill
Organizer
Saint Helena, CA
