Katy Brown Biography

Katy Brown passed away in September 2006. She leaves her loving handprints all over this book and music project. Katy was multi-talented, one of those good-natured, gentle souls who could slam a song against the wall with her perfectionism and professionalism. She freely admitted to having a bit of a "personality eccentricity" when it came to music. She told D.B. Pacini, "If I hear something I don't believe sounds right, if I think something should sound a certain way, I'll have strong feelings about it."

Katy was our deat friend. She was a vocalist, guitarist, songwriter, and musical arranger that we greatly admired and appreciated. Katy's greatest strengths as a musician was as a harmony vocalist and song arranger. "She could acutely hear things, subtle things" shares Pacini, "what she heard filtered through her creative mind to become a finished product many arrangers could only dream about." Katy worked with Pacini on Phoenix Rising in 2003, and she was one of the "five" friends who encouraged Pacini to turn the Emma's Love Letters short story into a novel.

A crowded schedule caused Katy to initially decline the invitation to become part of the novel's music CD, but she so loves the characters that she finally accepted taking one song. "The song, 'Young Girl with Flowers' is important," says Pacini. "I was thrilled when Katy agreed to record it. I knew her arrangement would be true to Maria, the female fictional character the song represents. Katy studied the characters almost as deeply as I did. She knew Maria; she gave us Maria in the song. She read and re-read the Maria sections of the novel before recording the song."

Since moving to the Coast in 1997, Katy focused her musical energies in a partnership with her friend John Donohue. With John she experienced steady growth in her musicianship. She performed with him as time allowed, and she was grateful to him for teaching her the rudiments of recording/engineering. She also enjoyed playing with other musicians, as well as working on her own compositions.

Katy believed life should be a musical, with people bursting into song at every turn. “Music brings so much joy to people. We should have LOTS more of it,” was one of her frequent comments. It was certainly her philosophy. Katy was raised in a musical and artistic family. She said that great music was always in the air in her childhood home. She said that if music wasn’t being played on the family stereo, it was being sung in multiple-part-harmony by her family of ten. Choral singing, aside from being highly pleasurable, also offered Katy excellent vocal training. Her sister Betsy taught her the rudiments of guitar at age fourteen, and Katy took it from there, developing a happy relationship with her new six-stringed friend. She also began composing songs at age fouteen.

Katy supported Guitars Not Guns (GNG) because she believed anything that gives children and young adults hope is critically important. She said about GNG, "Music has been my salvation throughout my life. It has been the one thread that has been continuous, consistent, readily comforting, joyful, and affirmative. With this project we can help music become a saving grace in the lives of young people, who need it more than we can imagine. I'm honored to be a 'voice' for GNG, and I hope that others will recognize and support this wonderful organization.”

In the last year of her life, in spite of her illness, Katy remained a courageous and enthusiastic person. Her first devotion, as always, went to her three cherished sons. Aside from serving as a consultant for Emma's Love Letters and recording "Young Girl with Flowers," Katy also served as a valuable consultant for Pacini's second novel, Loose End of The Rainbow. Katy has enriched both novels with her insight and her creative honing. When Katy passed away in September 2006, Pacini was only one-half finished writing Loose End of The Rainbow. She says, "I continued to talk to Katy. I continued to ask her for her opinion. She is still near. She will always be with those she loved."

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When Love Is Cast
(For John, Will, and Matt)

Lyrics by D.B. Pacini ©

Verse One:

Don’t ever cry, for things that might have been
Don’t ever sigh, for things that will not be
Go on and try, striving’s how we begin
Rejoice in life, each day have hope again

Verse Two:

Don’t live in the past, you’ll lose what you have today
Be free at last, each step forward stay
For life is so vast, take all it will allow
When love is cast, the return is all you need.

Bridge:

Every trouble you face, every pain you embrace,
Remember I’m a night shining star
Every burden you carry, every time you feel weary,
Take my hand … I will never be too far

Chorus:

The deep blue sea, I dance upon her waves
The forest green, I walk her groves in peace
The sky so high, my song is the wind
This is not goodbye, I will see you again

Verse Three:

Remember me, with diamond stars I shine
Be strong and good, take time to be kind
I’m never gone, I live inside of you
My spirit watches and it will guide you through

Verse Four:

As you grow, cherish the joys you know,
That come from holding on, and come from letting go
Stand tall and strong, a helping hand always lend,
Every time you fall, get on up again

Bridge:

Every trouble you face, every pain you embrace,
Remember I’m a night shining star
Every burden you carry, every time you feel weary,
Take my hand … I will never be too far

Chorus:

The deep blue sea, I dance upon her waves
The forest green, I walk her groves in peace
The sky so high, my song is the wind
This is not goodbye, I will see you again

Repeat Verse Two:

Don’t live in the past, you’ll lose what you have today
Be free at last, each step forward stay
For life is so vast, take all it will allow
When love is cast, the return is all you need
When love is cast, the return is all you need