Dreams Do Come True Dreams Do Come True with her husband, Paul, and very near her parents. Talking with Story by her, she was dressed in dark denim pants and a black top that Charlotte emphasized her slender figure. Her blonde hair framed a face that often broke into a smile. Huntley Seated in her living room, over a cup of coffee, she recalled how her parents reacted to her taking racy Beck has been up the guitar. She explained that places. From Wisconsin at first, she just did it for fun. to Montana to Utah to "When I started on the guitar, I Oregon and back to started writing my own songs Wisconsin, Beck has right away because I wasn't good Tseen enough to know what she enough to play other people's likes. She likes the outdoors and songs. I wanted to play so bad, I she likes music. just started making up stuff. They "I've always been interested in weren't good songs or anything music, " she said. "I started like that. playing sax when I was in fourth "I'd invite my mom over and grade. " She has always been say, 'Mom, you have to hear this interested in writing, too-poetry song. ' " Beck said her mom would and short stories. "I always wanted say, 'Can we talk about something Tracy Beck's CDs are available at Deakin Isle in Elkhorn and at else?' or 'Can you put that thing to be a novelist when I was going her performances. to college, " she said. down for a second?' Beck grew up in Brookfield, "She wasn't interested in it but she is not a city girl. "I hate the because it was just so bad. " But Beck didn't give up and pulled CD and perform in venues totally different. You have to be city, " she declared. Her parents around the area, but that's what so perfect; you can't make one had a summer home near Elkhorn, out another song for her mom to hear. "Well, you don't like this happened. She started little tiny little mistake be-cause where she got her taste for living networking and one thing led to it will show up in the recording. away from traffic and concrete. one, listen to this one. ' " And she would launch into another song another. "I wasn't planning on So that was really hard. " After college, she moved to Park playing out or anything, but so She explained that they West, Utah, where the Olym-pics while her mother, "She's rolling her eyes, " Beck laughed. I'm happy. It just kind of wanted a live recording of "Beat- were held. "I was a ski bum there happened. I didn't think it would up Blue Chevrolet, " "but I had for a while, " she laughed. "My dad said, 'Well, just keep up at it, you'll get better. ' " So go this far; I was just doing it for to sing it seven times before we She continued to write poetry fun. " got a good take of it. " After that, and she kept up with her music. she did. "It takes time, " said Beck, and soon her own songs Now, she sees the difference all she could think was, 'I just She and her friends would go to between playing for herself and want to go home, ' " she laughed. the top of the mountain to play improved and she became good enough to play other artists' playing in a performance. "It's a But she succeeded in getting it guitar and bongos. "We'd make lot more work when you're down live, without one mistake. our own music. I'd play sax. " But songs as well. playing out live. Sometimes when "Beat-up Blue Chevrolet" is she realized she couldn't express Now Beck's mom comes over you don't want to play, you have still Beck's pick for being fun to anything she had written while she and requests songs. "What a to play, but that's all part of the play. It has a good beat and the was playing the sax, so it was only difference, " Beck said. sacrifice that you make. " lyrics flow. natural for her to take guitar. "When I need an opinion about a song, she's very hon-est. Her agent is the Ellis Inter- "There was a girl named Sandy national Talent Agency, which / had a real good time who played guitar and she has a I always come to her to give me opinions on what she thinks. helped her produce her newly With the top pulled down beautiful voice, so all that kind of recorded CD, Let the Wind Carry inspired me to pick up the guitar. She'll really let me know the The wind in our face truth. She won't sugar-coat it at Me. The project began in January Riding with you down the " She smiled. "I picked it up really of 2002 and it took 10 months to fast, she said. "The finger-picking all. " 101 highway. Beck didn't expect to cut a finish. Beck came to the recording Yes, I want to thank you came really easy to me; it just studio, The Band Center in came. " For a beautiful day Milwaukee, and worked for two or Cruising with you She eventually moved to three hours a week. She had Portland. But living far away In your beat-up blue performed live by that time, but Chevrolet. from family became a big she had never done any recording problem. Trips home were before. "It's costing her plenty; she could only afford to come home once a year. "I'm close to my family, so it just wasn't enough, " she said. She decided to move back to Wisconsin. Now back in the Midwest, Beck lives north of Elkhorn

Beck didn't expect to cut a CD and perform in venues around the area, but that's what happened. She started networking and one thing led to another. "I wasn't planning on playing out or anything, but so I'm happy. It just kind of happened. I didn't think it would go this far; I was just doing it for fun." Now, she sees the difference

Page 1 Dreams Do Come True between playing for herself and playing in a performance. "It's a lot more work when you're playing out live. Sometimes when you don't want to play, you have to play, but that's all part of the sacrifice that you make." Besides "Chevrolet, " there really got curious into that type come upstairs, and he has are four other songs on her new of playing. " to hear my songs over and CD. "My favorite one to listen to In Milwaukee, she met Jeffery over and over and over and is 'Let the Wind Carry Me. ' But Robinson, a blues player who is over again, " she chuckled. everyone out there has their teaching Beck techniques on the "He's very nice, very own opinion, " she said. Her guitar, like bottleneck and slide. supportive. " other songs are "Dreams Come "He's influencing me toward the She can see a bright future True, " "Rib-bons and Bows" bluesy side, but I'm still keeping ahead of her as her dreams and "Big Sky Montana, " which, my roots in the type of music come true. "I see myself Beck said, "talks a lot about that I've always been very playing out a lot more, maybe in being out of the city, " reflecting comfortable playing, which is different states and having a her love of open spaces. "I'm just expressing myself in finger following. Right now we are in an outdoorsy person, " she picking songs, light-hearted the embryonic stages and I'm said. "That's why I spent so stuff. But then once in a while, I trying to establish a following. much time in the mountains. " like to get down in the blues So in five years, I hope to have Beck continues to write as side, " she said. quite a big following, and then well as perform, and she She is described as having a just go around the world and continues to seek the road less "wonderful blend of folk, coun- play my music and have fun, " traveled. "The outdoors inspires try, blues and bluegrass and she smiled. me a lot, " she said. When it's roots music all intertwined into □□□ summertime, I'll take my bike one. " She has a clear voice, and I'll go on a 10-mile trek and but there is a touch of growl on I'll find a place where absolutely the underside. nobody is. I tend to write a lot Beck performs a mix of her of my stuff like that-when I'm own songs with other well-known outside. Writing seems to come ones. For example, she had a easier in the summer 'cause in list of 26 songs for her recent the winter sometimes you're date at Starbucks in Lake just too cooped up to really get Geneva. The list includes two in-spired by anything. Bonnie Raitt tunes, two by "Mother Nature inspires me Fleetwood Mac-"Landslide" and a great deal, " she went on. "Over My Head"-as well as "When I feel the need to think, "Mercedes Benz, " by Janis I'll go into the woods. " She has Joplin. I do a couple of fun written a song that reflects covers that I like to do, like "Ode that, called "Mother Earth. " to Billy Joe, " but the other ones "I've thrown out a lot of are my original songs. songs; I can tell if it's going to "Sometimes people like to be a good song, " she said, "I'll hear something they know so enjoy playing it. " If she doesn't they can sing along to it. " react to it, "I know it's just not Because Beck is fresh on the right for me. " She has re- music scene, most people don't worked some of the rejected know her songs. Her friends and songs, but, she said, "Some of family not only know the words, them are just not meant to be they sing along with her as she and you have to just disregard performs. But no one else does, them. " which Beck said probably When Beck first heard Joni causes other people to wonder, Mitchell, she thought, "Wow, I "How do they know the words?" wish I could play like that" I Her parents try to attend all like Bonnie Raitt, too. I have a her performances. "They've lot of new songs that I'm been really supportive. I've been working on that are more really lucky that way, " Beck bluesy than what's on the CD, said. "And I've been lucky to that were inspired by Bonnie have a husband that's very Raitt. When I first heard her, supportive, too, because he especially her newer CD, I doesn't mind when I'm down in the basement, where my studio is, for eight hours and I never

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