Austin songwriter wins festival contest

A spunky Texas tornado named BettySoo was the recipient of the 2009 Dave Carter Memorial Songwriting Contest, and its $750 award, against a strong group of finalists at the Sisters Art Works Stage on Saturday.

The festival's songwriting contest has been a showcase for emerging and under-recognized singer/songwriters since its inception in 1995.

This year's outstanding crop of contestants competing for first prize were: Ashleigh Flynn of Portland, Oregon; Cary Cooper of Dallas, Texas; Judith Avers of Weirton, West Virginia; and Shaun Cromwell of Los Angeles, California.

Clad in a colorful dress and cowboy boots, BettySoo charmed the crowd and judges with her beaming smile, heartbreaking love ballads, and the crystalline purity of her voice. The gentle songs have a quiet grace laced with a bittersweet honesty that was infectious.

"I was so excited to win. I've loved my whole experience here at the Sisters Folk Festival," she told The Nugget.

Born in New York and transplanted to Spring, Texas, as a child, her inate songwriting abilities were something that came later in life, and as somewhat of a surprise to her.

"Up until about five years ago I'd only sung in church," she said. "I had a normal life path - college, job, husband. A mentor and friend of mine told me that everyone knows what you're supposed to do except you. I thought she was nuts. My husband, Dave, said "I think she's right."

Her upbringing was well suited to her career path, with nurturing and loving support.

"My whole family is musical. My dad raised us with a lot of music in the house," she said. "He is the kind of person who can instantly identify any classical piece playing and the particular movement and conductor. I remember we would sing The Beatles and Paul Simon songs together.

"My mom was an alto singer and she had us girls - there are four sisters - all take piano lessons. Not to develop into a career, but as exposure and to experience. My parents were all about education in any form. Opening doors to let you explore."

BettySoo moved to Austin, where she joined a popular songwriting group.

"They had weekly critiques and they had these great people, legends in music, to give you feedback. For free! Austin is such a great city for music. The music community is so supportive. We are each others' cheerleaders and champions."

Soon afterwards, she had written her first songs and started playing coffee shops and restaurants.

"I hooked up with musician Stephen Dorster, who played with Nanci Griffith, and we made a record together and released it in the summer of 2005," she said. "It was 10 of the first 12 songs I'd written. After that, things moved really fast, and it's been pretty much non-stop since last spring."

She brings her English Literature major's familiarity with words and story directly to her songwriting.

"All literature that moved me was about the broken human condition, and I try to instill those ideas into my music," she said.

There is an inner peace and strength to her songs that is immediately absorbed by her listeners.

"I think you need to write what you know, taking things from experience. You must be trustworthy and earn a sort of believability that your audience can feel," she says.

After the Sisters Folk Festival, her next stop is the Americana Conference in Nashville next week as a performer and songwriter showcasing material from the new album.