- womeninmusic2002
The Daughters of Wanda Interview by Allison Robertson, President
Updated: Feb 23
The Daughters of Wanda are proof of the power of family and music. Their moniker is an homage to the matriarch who passed down a love for music, Wanda Sarratt, mother of guitarist and lead vocals of the group, Bernadette Sarratt aka BB Starr. Wanda played piano and the organ and provided her daughter with “a great inspiration for music, and introduced her to classical music, Beethoven, Chopin.” This musical genetic and appreciation were passed down to Wanda’s granddaughters, Tara (keyboardist and vocals) and Brittany (drums). Brittany joined the group in 2020 and made the group whole. Bernadette says she was “the missing piece” and that as the drummer she is the heartbeat of the band.
Bernadette has continued her mother’s legacy of teaching music with a private music studio that she ran in Sweetwater called “Ms B's Music Studio.” She hopes to have a new music studio at The People’s Plaza in Abilene.
They describe their sound as C.I.B.E.R (classical, indie, blues, electronic, rock). Bernadette states that they really don’t have a genre. The Daughters are “free spirits-were not owned by anyone.” The Daughters are not ones to be put in a box. “Creativity is impulsive. You just go with it,” Bernadette says.
Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart are “great storytellers” that have influenced The Daughters, Tara notes. Bernadette says, “When I saw Heart, I wanted to sing, play guitar, write songs.”
Currently in the works for Bernadette is a rock opera called “There is a Room for You” that she describes as a Horroemdy (Horror/Comedy). Bernadette is a finalist in Abilene Idol through Chorus Abilene. The finalist show is at The Paramount on February 24th.Tara, outside of her musical gifts, has other artistic talents. She paints stones called Faith Rocks that she sells at The Discovery Center and has a shop for her crocheted works of art called Threads of Creation.
Bernadette hopes with their music that they lift others up. She exclaims that “music is a message, a universal language of the heart” and they hope to “tattoo the hearts” of their listeners “with the beauty of music.”
The Daughters can be found in venues all over Abilene, including 1st Fridays at People’s Plaza, Play Faire Park, and every Sunday service at Bible Church (1002 Lillius). You can find out more about them and upcoming shows at their Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Thedaughtersofwanda) and at their band website (https://62dc55c3457c9.site123.me/).
Watch one of their recent performances here:
To Vote for Bernadette in Abilene Idol Contest, click below
https://checkout.square.site/merchant/E844M47BFEF6P/checkout/XZ2ANJOXJFDL4CMB3DWGJWVE
To Buy Tickets to Abilene Idol https://chorusabilene.org/idol/sponsorship/