Date: 5.30.06, Tuesday
Time: 12:00p
Note:This is my personal letter to ya'll.

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

I have temporarily taken down my site with the exception of my calendar. Upon my return from San Francisco in February, it’s come to my attention that so many people know me as the Janis chick. I sing her stuff too well I suppose. I am proud of it. However and unfortunately I’m not taken seriously enough as my own person in what I have to offer. Sunday, July 9th , at d.b.a. on Frenchman Street will be my break out show from the haunts of Janis. Don’t get me wrong. I’m honored when a stranger walks up to me on the street and says “hey aren’t you that chick that sings Janis? Man, you’re awesome.” Or when tourist visit & seek out my shows asking almost every bar on Decatur if they know where that ‘Janis chick’s performing tonight?’ My name changes from Big Pearl to Big Mama. Believe me that’s fun shit to hear from them directly once they find me and from friends whom were asked working the bars. It’s just that fans don’t book the band and that’s a shame. However, industry people for some reason don’t have the same feeling. It amazes me how performers receive so much recognition sounding like Louie Armstrong, Dr. John, The Meters, Billy Holiday but, God for bid, there should be a chick that may sound similar and may dress in a similar fashion to Miss Joplin. Quite frankly I love dressing like Tina Turner on stage but who can afford that? What a lot of people don’t know is that Janis is from Port Arthur, TX and went to San Francisco, CA and frequented New Orleans a lot in her formative years singing Dixieland Jazz and early New Orleans blues. I’ve lived my life opposite of hers. I’m originally from San Leandro, CA outside San Francisco, CA. At age 7 moved to Los Angeles, CA. and moved to New Orleans, LA. I’ve been a performer singing and entertaining since that age if not younger. Always loved the hippie dippy clothes even through the 80’s when we were all forced to where that ridiculous new wave fashion. I remember always scouring thrift stores at age 12 looking for those perfect bell bottoms.

Today I celebrate being a New Orleanian resident of 6 years. This is my true home. My soul aches for this place all the time. While I was laid up in San Francisco with a sliced up hand from the hurricane, I ached to come home to New Orleans. So what if I lost 5mons of my life although it equates out being a year. Some people lost their lives by the way of death or by the way of their world as they once knew it. My most personal painful lost was losing Father Le Doux at St. Augustine church in the Treme. Since the Armstrong festival 2001 I was baptized by Father, have been in the choir and am a parishioner of this amazing church. It makes me sick to have watched Father Le Doux lose his world that he thought he’d have until his dieing day. Archdioceses Bishop Hughes needs to be yanked from his position. He is not true to his religion. We, I needed, Father Le Doux. He has been an integral part of life and was the soul reason I did not return to San Francisco to continue with therap y treatments and booked gigs. It’s hard for me to write about this subject. So I will leave ya’ll with this note. To my fans and friends thank you for being supportive of my vision in my journey. Thankyou for the inspiration. I hope and believe ya’ll will love my new CD, and with any luck, hurricanes will not stand in my way. We will prevail. I love you all and God bless you. I look forward to seeing ya’ll in the future,