The Two of Hearts
Linda Cory
Musician, Singer, Naturalist
Music has always been a part of Linda's life starting with daily music in her family's California home.
To keep the children busy, mother Carol would play John Philip Sousa on the phonograph and have her 4 children (and sometimes the neighbors' kids) march through the house clanging pots and pans to the band.
Carol taught piano to Linda as soon as she could reach the piano from the bench.
Father Howard was an audiophile, taking delight at playing stereo recordings in the family living room. He would assemble the family and play stereo recordings of trains rumbling past, planes taking off and marchings bands passing by.
These records included the first stereo album that Dave Brubeck released. He would challenge Linda and her siblings to keep clapping time from beginning to end of songs such as Take Five, Blue Rondo and Unsquare Dance.
Linda cherished those times and later saw Dave Brubeck in concert four times and got to meet him once.
Along with music, Linda learned to appreciate nature as all family vacations involved camping. Trips in the California redwoods included great experiences and opportunities to learn about nature from caterpillars to trees, birds, snakes and more.
As a small child she would drag around the heavy family binoculars that helped her find her first Mountain Bluebird, Western Tanager and a Bald Eagle.
Her parents pointed out that each bird has a unique bird song which she uses to recognize them. This love of nature continued when she moved with her family to the mountains of Virginia.
During her teen years, Linda branched out to other types of music. Knowing piano led her to the enjoyment of her mother's accordion, the family ukulele and her father's guitar and harmonica.
Her mother got a secretary job at the local rock station (WROV) where Linda would spend time soaking in the vibes. At this time, she joined her high school choir and met with friends to listen to some new and interesting types of music.
Her horizon was being broadened by the likes of the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Simon and Garfunkle and the Moody Blues and, of course, the Beatles. Linda's transistor radio brought in Cousin Brucie's Rock and Roll Station from WABC in New York City where she heard the latest and greatest.
College years at Virginia Tech were a time she discovered live music at coffee houses and other venues.
Big at the time were Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Joni Mitchell as well as offbeat music by Dan Hicks, Frank Zappa and others. Next in Linda's life was a series of rock festivals, just narrowly missing Woodstock.
At a weekend festival in Chapel Hill, NC, she heard a young man in a worn flannel shirt singing alone on a stage with one microphone, a folding metal chair and his guitar. She has been a James Taylor fan ever since and loves to sing his songs with her Two of Hearts partner, Mary Lou.
After college, Linda used her Forestry Degree to work for the USDA in Athens GA. She met friends along the way that enjoyed music and nature which enjoyed campouts with sing-alongs.
Athens had a lot of music venues where she had wonderful experiences seeing Bonnie Raitt, Asleep at the Wheel, John Prine and Janis Joplin. A memorable experience was watching the Dave Brubeck Quartet from the cat walk of the UGA auditorium.
After a few years with the USDA, Linda took a year to travel in her Ford Falcon, camping along the way and birdwatching. Highlights were the Everglades, a meandering path through New Mexico and the SW, then up through the Rockies and Yellowstone.
After landing at her sister Annetta's in northern California, it was time to meet Hawaii. While backpacking on 4 of the islands, she was introduced to the local culture including their music.
After her travels, Linda settled back to Roanoke and took a career in, not forestry, but banking. Having a steady income allowed her to travel whenever possible, often to Hawaii where she hiked and participated in ukulele circles as well as annual Christmas bird counts.
Hobbies back home included joining the UU choir, playing in a handbell group, involvement in the Roanoke Valley Bird Club and the local radio reading service (25 years) and of course going out to hear music. At this time, she met Mary Lou Richardson who she would eventually play music with, forming The Two of Hearts Band.
In 2012, Linda married Tom Ohmsen, musician and owner of a local recording studio. Together, they played together at an annual luau, Linda with her ukulele and Tom with his mandolin (the fancy ukulele, LOL).
Nostalgic for playing her uke with friends in the Hawaiian style, she reached out to friends to form the Star City Ukulele Circle. To promote the circle, Linda demonstrated playing the ukulele on local TV and at the Jefferson Center.
Partner Mary Lou was in the original Star City group where Linda and she especially enjoyed harmonizing and playing a variety of heart-felt tunes.
Today Linda and Mary Lou are growing as a duo with new songs and expressions every day as The Two of Hearts.
