Honky Tonk Girl

NEA Today, Feb 2004 by Zakim, Tamara

Listen to the uplifting harmonies and foot-stomping beats of Karen Collins' music, and you'll know that not all cowgirls get the blues.

COLLINS, A COMPUTER PROGRAMMING INSTRUCTOR at Blair High School in Montgomery County, Maryland, sings and plays fiddle for two country music bands that perform in the Washington, D.C., area.

Collins grew up a reluctant listener of her parents' country music. "I always played some kind of instrument as a kid, but I never liked country music back then," she confesses. "I guess it must have sunk in!"

The southwest Virginia native discovered the thrill of singing and fiddle playing 10 years ago when she and five fellow musicians formed Squeeze Bayou, an award-winning Cajun music band influenced by the traditional two-step dances of southwestern Louisiana.

After an impromptu night of singing with two friends, Collins decided to start a group of her own. Now, five years later, the three-woman Blue Moon Cowgirls boasts a repertoire rooted in early country and traditional bluegrass music.

Collins cites arranging rehearsal time into her schedule as the hardest part of her musical endeavors.

"The bands are a big time commitment," she acknowledges, "but they're also a lot of fun. There's nothing like getting the three-part harmonies really tight, and seeing people's reactions to our music, dancing and singing along in the audience."

-TAMARA ZAKIM