Laura Simms says, “She combines the warmth of Ancient Storytelling and the brilliance of New Vaudeville”

Biography of a One Woman Band

Angela Lloyd is a matchmaker of spoken word and music. Combining an eclectic listener's ear, a penchant for rhythm and a longing for harmony she performs for all ages sharing her constant companions, Rhythm, Rhyme and Melody. The daughter of a composer and an engineer, she was raised in South America listening to Carl Orff, Gian Carlo Menotti, Miriam Makeba and Mitch Miller. One of the unique performers on the national storytelling circuit today, she was featured at the 25th (1997) and 31st (2003) National Storytelling Festival, in Jonesborough,Tennessee and regularly appears at regional festivals and theatres around the country.

A virtuosa on Washboard, Angela's performances are a whimsical braid of poetry, story and song played on Autoharp, Tenor Guitar, Spoon and Bell.

The stories are selected from a variety of sources including traditional world folktales, the oral tradition, original works based on personal experience and the best in children's literature, i.e. (Carl Sandburg's Rootabaga Stories, the poetry of A. A. Milne, Naomi Shihab Nye).

The songs are drawn from vinyl record albums from her childhood: Mitch Miller, Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, Carl Orff 's Music for Children, contemporary singer/songwriters, folk songs, along with her original musical compositions based on the poetry of e.e. cummings, A. A. Milne, Pablo Neruda.

Angela's debut recording, Dreams and Other Realities continues to be a favourite travelling companion in people's cars and a delightful addition for your home and classroom. It has just been released in its second edition. Now available again in cassette and compact disc.

Her second recording, Sandburg Out Loud was released in October 2002 by August House Publishers. This collaborative venture of Story, Song, Poetry and Music features Angela with colleagues Bill Harley, Carol Birch and David Holt.

The California Arts Council funded her three years as artist in residence (2000-2003) at The Walden School in Pasadena. The school is committed to the Residency and has independantly funded the project for the 4th,5th and will again for the 6th year, 2005-2006.