By Marilyn Miller

“If you’re going to say the word, ‘Can’t’, put the word ‘Yet’, behind it.” Cynthia Sandidge

Writing feature stories all begins with one thing – the subject. Sometimes the subject may center around music – playing it, teaching it, writing it…The instrument: bass guitar, rhythm guitar, mandolin, ukulele. There are all kinds of instruments.

There are those times when the subject centers around painting, perhaps with a focus on abstract art, folk art, pen and inks, portraits; maybe with the type of paint used, for instance oils, acrylics, water colors. Home decorating is yet another talent that’s worthy of the written word and most certainly, photographs. And then there is creative art, like how to make a windchime out of a wine bottle.

It’s wonderful to find this talent. And it’s unusual to find a person who is multi-talented.

For instance, Cynthia Sandidge, a professed “Minden girl” who resides in a hip house on Buchanan Street and is the daughter of late musician Bud Sandidge is such a person.

Let’s see, her “paid” gigs include playing for the Praise Team at Minden First Methodist Church, teaching guitar, ukulele, and piano, teaching yoga both online from her house and at FMC, selling for the WP Journal, and, oh, there was a time she mined for gold in the Yukon Territory in Canada.

However, the mining wasn’t worth it, she said, especially when you could only drive so far before having to get out and hike to the claim. If the bears were otherwise engaged at the nearby city dump, they’d be less likely to view hikers as dinner. And, the hikers could leave the safeties on their guns. Besides, she received more gold nuggets as tips during her music-making sessions.

“I’m going to sell that gold now and finally say I got something for my efforts,” Cynthia said. She spent 10 years in Alaska, so maybe her tips will be worth something today.

Cynthia is foremost a musician. Did she start music because of her dad?

“Oh, absolutely…absolutely,” she said. “Daddy started music at 16 years old…found a mandolin and taught himself how to play it. He and his two cousins, who were brothers, were picking cotton. They would get 25 cents for however many pounds they picked. They got a gig one night and they got paid $25 for having a little three-piece band. So they quit picking cotton and started playing music. They were good, they used to be on the radio.” The trio got offered a record-making deal, but Bud was in love. He married Cynthia’s mama instead, and became a tow boat captain on the Mississippi River, working two months on and one month off.

“I have his guitar, that he bought at W. D. Roberts Music (in downtown Minden) in 1972. I told him at that time ‘daddy I want that guitar. It’s mine.’ (I didn’t even play at the time). And before he passed away (in 2016), he gave it to me.”

Laying claim to the guitar was gutsy, since Cynthia had a sister, Kathy Sandidge, and has two brothers, Kevin and James Sandidge. And Kathy was the “singer” in the family. “I had to learn more things – sewing, art, macrame, piano, twirling the baton – I had to learn all that stuff to be as good in others’ eyes as my sister was,” Cynthia acknowledged thinking.

Did Cynthia and her dad ever sing together?

“Growing up, he was gone a lot. He and my brothers and my sister and I would sing at different things.” But it was nothing organized. It would be a get-together or a family thing. “We would play at the Bluegrass Festival, and he would come play with me. I sing a lot with Nancy Collins, and he would bring his mandolin and play. And I have his mandolin.

“My mother gave my father the mandolin for an anniversary in March of the year I was born (in April),” Cynthia recalled. So, Cynthia literally grew up with guitars and mandolins and singing in the house. And at the age of eight, she started taking piano lessons from Mrs. Hazel Rankin, a well-known pianist in Minden. Cynthia got her first rhythm guitar for Christmas at the age of 15. Her friend, Steve Roe, taught her how to play it.

Years later, she married a musician, and they moved away to Alaska. Her ex-husband taught her more about the guitar and about music in general. “I started my music career in Anchorage,” Cynthia disclosed.

When she moved to Sacramento, CA, she started painting, using pastels and water- colors. She also loves to draw. Today, this artist creates macrame designs and windchimes (lighted or non-lighted). The chimes include a “pour” stylized by artist Chris Broussard. All are unique and for sale.

She does have one big project she’s working on in her backyard. She’s creating a tearoom at the shady rear side of her garage. Artist Broussard has volunteered to teach her how to paint a mural on the garage wall.

That will be something to see, and a fine place for some singing and picking…and REST!

Oh, but she’s also taking up golf.