Melody Gardot greeted us in hushed tones, breathy, ethereal, and altogether far too French for me to comprehend. At the time, I didn’t realize I was encountering a woman who understood and lived my love of all things French, from Edith Piaf to the dark streets of Montmartre in the evening.
When she opened her mouth to sing those first life-changing notes, I felt like my soul rose up out of my chest to ride them through the air. She lifted her brandy snifter off the piano, took a sip, and started in again. I had no idea then that she had overcome anything. Hell, she was who I aspired to be in that moment… larger than life, magnetic, and magical.
Who could ever have imagined that just a few years prior she had been unable to speak, sing, or walk… let alone stride onto that stage and steal my heart?
But that is exactly what happened. In 2003, she had been hit by a car while riding her bicycle in Philadelphia. She suffered incredible injuries to her spine and head, resulting in a stay at the hospital of over a year. While there, an insightful doctor suggested (thank GOODNESS), that music often was used to reprogram and grow neural pathways. She began writing her music from her bed, while once again learning to brush her teeth, overcome pain, and cope with the overwhelming loss of both her short and long term memory.
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