This first picture is a very, very young Micki Evans (Martha Evangelista) picking at her guitar. She told me she picked away at every opportunity. She was self taught. And she started on a small guitar when she was six years old. She left home at 14 or 15 and never went back. She supported herself with singing and waitressing and working in hotels as a check-in person. It was a difficult push for her to get as far as she got with her voice, her yodeling, and her guitar.
Mickie was a first-class yodeler -- I mean that woman could yodel! The yodeling cowgirl. And she told me she inherited it from her father. He apparently came from the Tyrolean region of Italy and was an excellent yodeller himself. He never yodeled for his supper, though, as Micki did.
This second picture is a picture of Micki in one of her many cowgirl costumes. She let me know that these costumes cost a lot of money. The car behind her was one of her prized possessions back in the 50s. I had a similar car to that one, but I bought it when it was 10 years old, not new. This is when she was working between Trenton, NJ (radio) and Baltimore, Maryland (TV). TV was a very young industry when Micki was getting started in her career, and she was in on the first wave of TV talk-show hosts -- I guess that's what you'd have to call her -- back then. She sang on her shows, of course, and talked with celebs that were brought in to meet her. All this I found out in my recent visit.
Micki is now 83 -- she says almost 84 and can't believe she's as old as she is. Well, Mick -- I can't believe I'm as old as I am, either. Life moves faster and faster the older you get. Watch for it!
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