Tillery first entered into the music business by auditioning for an r&b band called the Loading Zone in the late ‘60s. The kind of music the group performed was admittedly not her first love – she cites crooners in that regard – but their timely appeal allowed her to experience opening slots for everyone from Janis Joplin to Cream. Following that stint, Tillery spent much of the ‘70s as a percussionist/vocalist for hire, garnering studio gigs with everyone from Odetta to Richie Havens and more.

In passing her on the street, one might not realize just how many stories Linda Tillery has to tell in terms of witnessing history. Truth is, this 57 year old woman has sung with many legends – from Wilson Pickett to Cris Williamson to Carlos Santana – all while living through an era when she and her peers were fighting for equal rights on three different levels: as a woman, as an African-American and as a lesbian.

Tillery first entered into the music business by auditioning for an r&b band called the Loading Zone in the late ‘60s. The kind of music the group performed was admittedly not her first love – she cites crooners in that regard – but their timely appeal allowed her to experience opening slots for everyone from Janis Joplin to Cream. Following that stint, Tillery spent much of the ‘70s as a percussionist/vocalist for hire, garnering studio gigs with everyone from Odetta to Richie Havens and more.

Around the same time that Tillery was gaining increasing respect as a studio musician, a tiny, independent record label called Olivia Records was just getting off the ground. To any of you readers who take your queer freedoms for granted, imagine this: at a time when the word ‘homosexual’ still had to be whispered to avoid everything from ostracism to physical harm, a small group of lesbian women put their hearts, souls and life savings into a label that provided them the opportunity to record music that included songs about women-loving-women. Tillery recalls that period with much fondness. "I had never been in any situation where women were singing love songs to other women and expressing their longing and desire for a person of the same sex. I had never been to a concert although I certainly was becoming aware of people like Cris Williamson, Meg Christian, Holly Near." After watching the scene from a distance, it all changed for her when in 1976, an all-woman’s band called Be Be K’Roche asked Tillery to produce their next album. "I looked at them as if they had spoken to me in martian! I had never produced a record before, but I said ‘ok, this is how you start.’ So I met with Judy Dlugacz of Olivia, we set the date and I went about producing this record. It was really an incredible, moving experience to be in the presence of women who were dedicated, who set about to do the best job that they could possibly do, and nobody said ‘you play like a girl.’

Tillery admits that there were many highlights during her decade with the label, as an artist, producer and session player, but one of her favorite moments was being involved in a musical statement designed to counter-attack the extreme homophobia of that period. At the time, a singer named Anita Bryant – also famous for her series of commercials plugging Florida orange juice – reacted against a Florida county who passed a human-rights ordinance that prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. While Bryant campaigned loudly against queers who "recruit our children" the Olivia dykes created a protest-mixed-with-humour collection they dubbed ‘Lesbian Concentrate.’ The entertaining and effective disc included the songs "For Straight Folks Who Don't Mind Gays But Wish They Weren't So Blatant", "Don't Pray For Me", and "Ode to a Gym Teacher." "We made this in [Olivia founder] Judy’s living room," recalls Tillery, "and it was such a great time! We set up, started playing and it was the most fun I've ever had making a record. The label has an orange juice can with the words ‘Lesbian Concentrate’ on it," she laughs. 

Years later, after a host of studio work, Tillery’s musical focus suddenly changed when watching singing in a play entitled ‘Letters From A New England Negro’ in 1992, which introduced her to some field recordings of traditional African-American music. Led by her deep conviction, she decided to create a project that would help spread that history along, the kind of storytelling that she herself calls "survival music." Tillery dubbed the outfit The Cultural Heritage Choir. "I can’t emphasize how important black music has been in my development as a musician and human being," she explains. "The purpose was and is to present African-American roots music to as broad an audience as we possibly could. That we have achieved and continue to do."

With spirituality so integral to the music, the question can’t help but be asked; has there been any repercussion from the religious community as a result of her being an out lesbian? "I think that the African American community at large is still grappling with how to accept homosexuality. For a lot of people who consider themselves to be devout, homosexuality is not acceptable. What is not acceptable to me is someone who would call themself a Christian who might express hatred or disdain towards another person. To me, negativity and Christianity really don’t have a place together. I don’t consider myself any less black because I ‘m a lesbian and I don’t consider myself any less lesbian because I’m black. I am who I am."

To find out more about her latest projects, head to http://www.culturalheritagechoir.com/