Singer-songwriter Laura Love isn't yet a household name, but she's done pretty well for an African-American woman who grew up in abject poverty in Nebraska -- a place where other black faces like hers were few and far between.
She's got her own flavor of music she calls folk-funk, and has sold more than 200,000 records over the span of her short and very independent career. Her latest creative blast is a combination memoir and CD of songs inspired by the trials during her young life, You Ain't Got No Easter Clothes.
The Tavis Smiley Show producer Roy Hurst talks to Love about her music, her writing and her very unique story. Love's life story isn't an easy one, but her words and music convey a wry wit and deep sense of joy and humor.
Almost all of the songs on the You Ain't Got No Easter Clothes CD were composed at the same time she wrote her memoir. The book reveals Love's often shocking struggle against adversity -- her mother's mental illness, the family's deep poverty, her stays in foster homes and other setbacks.
But instead of hitting back, Love's words and music recall the gratitude, joy and sense of humor that characterize her outlook on life. The album's opening track, "Good Enough for Me," is a paen to the words of wisdom she absorbed from loved ones as she grew up.
Love is currently touring to perform her songs, and she's including a number of readings and book signings on her nationwide tour.
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