Claudia Church stored up a treasury of fond memories growing up in rural North Carolina. There on her grandpa's farm near her hometown of Lenoir, she let her imagination run wild. She vividly remembers acting out her dream of country music stardoma dream that began taking shape when she was only five years old. "My grandfather had a junkyard in the back of his property where people brought cars that were wrecked or worn out," Claudia recalls. "So, my cousin Ricky and I would run through the woods and we'd climb up on top of the roofs and pretend the sea of abandoned cars around us was our audience. I always started the show with 'Stand By Your Man' and we would close with a duet of 'Running Bear.' "We had to pick light-colored ones that weren't too hot because we were barefoot all of the time," she adds with a laugh. "There is an art to it."
"Home In My Heart" from Claudia Church's self-titled debut on Reprise Records redraws this engaging and evocative scene. Claudia co-wrote the tune with her husband, Rodney Crowell, who produced the entire Claudia Church album and had a hand in penning half of the album's ten solid tracks. "Two days before we were set to record," Claudia says, "Rodney came to me and said, 'I have an idea.' By the end of the day we had written the song together. In the studio, the band felt the song was very special. They achieved perfection on the first take."
"Home In My Heart" is stirring because of its autobiographical detail. The verses describing tractor rides with Grandpa and eating cold baloney sandwiches, recreate intimate and happy snapshots of Claudia's childhood. The song also reflects more serious times: "Daddy's in the army/There's a war in Vietnam/Momma kept us going with her sewing and a prayer/It's hard to be a family when your daddy's missing." When the chorus chimes in and Claudia sings: "I'm lost on the back roads that run through my dreams of North Carolina home in my heart," she makes it clear that all of her memories are cherished both the good and bad.
Because her father, a Green Beret in the Army, traveled to remote places, his family was usually not allowed to accompany him and, consequently, Claudia spent a lot of time on her grandparent's farm. They didn't have a TV set for much of her childhood, which meant she and the family spent a lot of time listening to the radio, especially the Grand Ole Opry. "My grandmother taught me all about music," says Claudia.
Later in her father's military career, his duties changed and the family was reunited. Claudia recounts, "We were always close, but when you move every two-to-three years, you grow even closer to each other."
Both of her parents are country music fans. "My mom would make dinner and my dad would pick out the music to be played at dinner time. I think I must know every Marty Robbins and Tammy Wynette song ever recorded," says Claudia of her early country music education. "Hearing the honesty in the voices of Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton drew me into country music."
"Small Town Girl" is another song that rings particularly true for Claudia. "She pictures herself on Vogue magazine," goes the song, "Well, that mountain ahead ain't as high as it seems for a small-town girl with big-city dreams." Its universal message is that everyone needs to have aspirations and goals. "I have been 5'8" since I was ten years old, so everyone kept telling me I should model. That was always in the back of my mindas it is in almost every young girl's." Claudia reports that her parents taught her "to set high goals," giving her the strength and motivation she needed to become a successful singer and also a professional model.
After graduating from high school in Colorado, Claudia went to college in Dallas, Texas, and began performing at various Oprys on the weekends, including the famous Louisiana Hayride. After graduation, she made her first trip to Nashville with demo tape in hand. "The visit was so exciting, but I felt I wasn't ready to make the move yet. I needed to live a little more to actually feel what I was singing about."
Claudia returned to Dallas and began modeling, and was soon offered an opportunity to work in Paris. "I decided this was my chance to really learn about life. What an experience it was!" After returning from Europe, she continued modeling throughout the U.S., and between jobs, she honed her musical craft with the intent of moving to Tennessee.
In 1988, Claudia finally relocated to Nashville and began singing on demos and acting in various music videos; her childhood dreams were one step closer to being realized. She starred in Rodney Crowell's 1992 "Lovin' All Night" video after working with Steve Wariner, Ricky Van Shelton and other country stars on their videos. Claudia and Rodney instantly became friends, eventually began dating and ultimately tied the knot in September 1998.
With Rodney's expert songwriting and production assistance, Claudia set out to craft an album that would touch listeners deeply in a positive way. "I wanted to have songs that are not only fun for me to sing, but are fun for listeners as well. Songs that make people feel good after a hard day's work." The assembled tracks on Claudia Church unquestionably accomplish her goal. The album's lead-off single, "What's The Matter With You Baby," and other infectious songs such as "Home In My Heart," "Just As Long As You Love Me" and the cover of the Carole King/Gerry Goffin classic "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" attest not only to Claudia's vocal talent but to her intrinsic ability to communicate life.
Though she's been around the world, this small town girl is undoubtedly the real thing. Sharing memories and realizing personal dreams, Claudia Church is certain to find a home in listener's hearts with her endearing and auspicious debut on Reprise Records.
