One year after the Chamber opened, the 1906 earthquake of San Francisco hit and thousands of people fled to Oakland and settled. I deliberately kept the music upbeat and shifted keys higher in every verse to create tension.

“Big Bang By The Bay” is Track 2 on Joyce Whitelaw’s album “A Musical Celebration of Oakland” composed specially for the 100th anniversary gala of the Oakland Chamber of Commerce. A fourteen year resident of Oakland, she chose local writers, also Oakland residents, to create lyrics about a city they know well and love.

On Friday, May 19, 2006 the Oakland Heritage Alliance is celebrating its 25th Anniversary at the beautiful Lake Merritt Hotel. Joyce Whitelaw will present some of her original songs about Oakland in live performance in the hotel at Madison’s, with the beautiful view of Lake Merritt as a fitting backdrop. Joyce and singers Mel Leroy, baritone, and Lisa Pan, soprano, are performing a number of the pieces from “Musical Celebration of Oakland”.

A big thanks to Joyce for allowing The Organic City to feature her wonderful music for all to hear. Stay tuned to over the next week for more posts featuring Joyce’s music.