"Amazing Grace" - Sung at Mother's Tavern by Sunshine and accompanied by Matt Johnson and Scott Page of Pink Floyd

When I was almost 14 years old, in 1969, I wanted to go to a music festival everyone was talking about that became known as the legendary Woodstock. I asked my mother if I could go and she said no way, because I was too young! Well I was very upset because I loved music so much so I kept at her for a while, but she never relented. I was very sad about that, but I would not let it deter me. I know that one of my brothers, Ralph by name, who was eighteen, had plans on going. I asked Ralph how he was going to get there, and he said he was going to hitch hike. I thought that was so cool that I asked him if I could go with him and he also told me no. I asked him why not and he also said I was too young! He was looking out for me, I realized that later, but at the time I just wanted to go. So, I decided to run away from home and hitchhike all by myself… so I did! I got there too. I remember that a lovely guy driving a big truck picked me up. He asked me my name and I told him it was Jennifer Jo Johnson, which was a name I made up whenever I did not want to use my real name. He drove me all the way to where the concert was in Bethel, New York and waved good-bye. He never laid a hand on me. Now those were the days, when you could hitch hike and no one would hurt you.

When I heard the music start playing, I knew I had made the right decision. That experience changed my life. I remember an instance when I heard a guy singing a song called Jennifer. I ambled over to where he was and started grooving to the song. The singers name was Bert Sommer. This post is not about him, but I will say that about forty-five years later I was looking through YouTube for Woodstock music, and I actually came across Bert Sommer singing "Jennifer." It was the same time I was there! I know this because I’m about two minutes into the video! If you want to see that video it’s here. That experience is where I realized I wanted to be a singer. I had already been an actress and a model in California, where I was born and raised, until my father passed away in 1965. After that, my mom remarried and we ended up in Cleveland, Oklahoma, Indianapolis Indiana, Kentucky, Arizona, etc. I believe we were in Cleveland, Ohio at the time I ran away and went to Woodstock.

As time does, it moved forward, and I recorded a CD, all a capella, called Sunshine Sings. I submitted it to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to a lovely girl there whose name was Amanda. She loved my rendition of "Amazing Grace." She accepted the CD happily, and it resides to this day in the archives of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in Cleveland, Ohio.

I was singing Karaoke at that time in Cleveland, as well as acting in current projects. My husband and I left to Cleveland, went to Florida for about a year, then moved to California. It was 2005.

I started getting acting gigs out there, and then I ran into the lady who had become my best friend out here, whose name was Dian Van Patten, cousin to the late, great, Dick Van Patten. Dian and I realized, after she became my agent, that we had worked together on many projects on television before my dad died. With that connection, and having so much in common, we three have remained friends ever since. We have attended many functions together, but this one here, immortalized in video, because Dian recorded it while I was on stage, was by far, the BEST!

I was invited to this wonderful biker bar by my best friend, Dian Van Patten, who went to school with Pink Floyd band member, Scott Page and another amazing band member, Matt Johnson. Dian had gone to high school with Scott Page. Scott and Matt both invited me to sing "Amazing Grace" with them, it was a total improv thing that was supposed to be a capella. I guess the crowd liked it because they all sang with me—it was exhilarating! I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!

Who knew, all those years ago, that the influence of Woodstock and the music of the sixties, would culminate with the experience of a lifetime!