The artist born in March I have chosen to share is Vashti Bunyan. She was born March 2, 1945. Bunyan is an English singer-songwriter whose path to success was not easy. She began her career in the 1960’s and released a debut album, Just Another Diamond Day in 1970. The album didn’t take off and Bunyan was so discouraged that she abandoned her musical career. But by 2000, the album had a cult following, was released again and Bunyan began to record more songs. So she began phase two of her career thirty years after her first album. Her two other albums are Lookaftering and Heartleap.

Vashti was told she was named after her mother’s nickname, which was Queen Vashti of Persia. (Queen Vashti embarrassed King Ahasuerus or King Xerxes I so he replaced her with Queen Esther.) At age 18, Bunyan traveled from her home in London to New York City where she heard Bob Dylan and decided then she wanted to be a musician.

In the spring of 1967, Bunyan set off with a guitar and a dog to meet up with Robert Lewis, an art student with whom she would later have three children. They had heard that Donovan was hoping to set up a community on the island of Skye, comprised of singers, songwriters and poets. Bunyan and Lewis bought an old wagon and a horse from a Romany traveler and began the journey from London to Skye. The journey proved very harsh, and in 1968 they went to the Netherlands. Resuming the journey in 1969, they finally made it to the Skye only to find everyone had already left. There was nowhere for them to go, so they returned to London where Bunyan recorded her first album.

I fell in love with Vashti Bunyan’s voice when I watched the series “Patriot” on Amazon Prime. I was crazy about the series, and I loved hearing Bunyan sing “Train Song” at the beginning of each episode. I hope you enjoy the song, too.

Traveling north, traveling north to find you
Train wheels beating, the wind in my eyes
Don’t even know what I’ll find when I get to you
Call out your name love, don’t be surprised

It’s so many miles and so long since I’ve met you
Don’t even know what I’ll find when I get to you
But suddenly now, I know where I belong
It’s many hundred miles but it won’t be long

What will I do if there’s someone with you
Maybe someone you’ve always known
How do I know I can come and give to you
Love with no warning and find you alone

It’s so many miles and so long since I’ve met you
Don’t even know what I’ll find when I get to you
But suddenly now, I know where I belong
It’s many hundred miles and it won’t be long

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Christopher Hillman / Gram Parsons

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Jim Adam’s challenge: Last week we had No Place Like It where the theme was to find a song that reminds you of home. This week the theme is to find a song that was written or performed by someone who was born in the month of March.

March Music Birthdays