But after straddling the
fence of high corporate stakes and artistic fulfillment, she turned her back on the 9-5
(although she claims it’s more like 7-7 on
a good day) and throw herself at the mercy
of the universe and pursue her dream.
With
the mortgage to be paid and the kitties needing to be fed, Corinda took on some marketing
consulting for a few of her
publishing pals, such as John Edward, Fern Michaels, Stella Cameron, and Jim Baen.
What
makes Corinda’s flight from
200 Madison Avenue so interesting, is that
because she took a leap of faith, she was available on that fateful day in September of
2001, where she would be able to devote
time to her troubled friends and neighbors.
As a result, she had the opportunity to sing
with one of the greatest American Icons of Music, Bruce Springsteen. Not only has she
performed almost 20 concerts with
The Boss, she also appears on The Rising.
Here’s
the full story…..
After a 20-year career in the book
publishing industry,aspiring
singer/songwriter Corinda Carford,
ditched her executive career and decided
to give her life-long dream one last shot
before the AARP started sending
her subscription offers.
In the five years since her corporate
escape, Corinda has managed to find
herself a new boss: “the” boss,
Mr. Bruce Springsteen.
But how did she get from the 14th floor of
200 Madison Avenue back to her
Jersey roots?
Referring to herself
as “self-un-ployed”
Corinda began promoting her CD and
working on some projects for
her publishing buddies, Fern Michaels,
John Edward and publisher
Jim Baen of Baen Books.
“I had to pay the mortgage and
feed the cats, so I tried my hand at
freelance marketing while trying to
promote my music.”
Then on September 11, as she
watched the smoke on the horizon
Corinda and several “neighbors” joined
their communities together to form
“The Alliance of Neighbors of Monmouth County”.— an all volunteer organization—
to bring compassion and unity to the local families and communities who suffered tragic
losses. The group decided to give a benefit concert, and the artists began to sign
on. Corinda never intended
to be one of the acts for the concert—-
she felt her talent for organization
would best serve the cause.
However, as co-producer of the concert, Corinda suddenly found herself with a
request for from Garry Tallent—
bass player with the E Street Band,
to find a few more singers like herself
and get ready to do some “back-ups”.
With only days left before the first rehearsal, Corinda went to a local church, pleading
with Jesse Moore, one of the choir directors: “You have to help me! I need
about 10 backup singers, and they all have to sound good with me!” And so an
amazing thing happened. She found herself on stage with many of the artists,
including
Bruce Springsteen.
Two months after the concerts, Corinda
and her fellow musicians—-now known as
The Alliance Choir—were asked to perform
at Springsteen’s Holiday Concerts in Asbury Park. Three months later they were
reunited and had the opportunity to work on Bruce’s new CD, The Rising, where the six
voices blended again—Mary’s Place;
Let’s Be Friends; and City of Ruins.
Corinda believes that had she not left her
corporate job she would not have been
able to work on the benefit concerts,
“I would not have been available if I still
worked at my previous job. I was here in Monmouth County with flexible hours so
it was possible for me to throw myself into the Alliance project. I never thought it
would bring so many rewards on so many levels! I really wanted to do it for my
community—my neighbors,
my friends…my fellow commuters who I
would never see again. It began as an act of sheer faith, then compassion and has
now turned into a miracle in my life.”
Still a native of the Jersey Shore,
Corinda spends her free time enjoying entertaining her friends (regardless of the size of
the audience), listening to music, watching quirky films, spending time with her cats,
practicing yoga,
and marveling at the sunrise over the ocean
and relaxing with the sunset over the bay.
To contact Corinda, email:
corinda@msn.com
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Bruce
Springsteen "The Rising".
Featuring The Alliance Singers on
Mary's Place, My City of Ruins,
Lets Be Friends and The Rising
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The Alliance
Singers.
Joined together by fate, The Alliance Singers came to being from the aftermath from September 11,
2001
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Corinda Carford
Cd
Purchase available through
Amazon.com
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