Theresa “Bear” Fox RETURN to ARTIST DIRECTORY

NAME: Theresa “Bear” Fox Mohawk Name: Kenkiohkoktha CULTURE: Native American – Mohawk Nation GENRE: : Native American REGION: Adirondacks COUNTY: Franklin BIO: Theresa writes: “I grew up with musicians in my home. My mother played harmonica and piano. One of my sisters played guitar. Two of my brothers played guitar and sang traditional songs using a water drum and horn rattles. I always loved music, and I realized later that I had a gift for songwriting around the age of 29. When I look back and think about it, I always had this beautiful gift, but I didn’t realize what I had. I remember when I was riding the bus to school I could hear music coming to me. I look around and there was no radio playing. It was a melody coming that only I could hear. So I would hum the melody I was hearing. As I got older, I first began writing songs that were in Mohawk for our Traditional Women’s singing group called, ‘Kontiwennenhawi’, (Carriers of the Words). In 2001 my family had a house fire. After this house fire, my family was going through tough times trying to pay bills and trying to put money aside to build a house. One day, I got the idea that I should try and write songs in English. I can write songs in Mohawk maybe I can write songs in English too. The first song that I wrote in English was, ‘Broken.’ The second song that came to me to write was called, ‘Rich Girl.’ So, these are the beginnings of songwriting and singing for me. I began making CDs, and it helps to have them to make ends meet. When I write a song, I run it by my family first. I have five children; I have one girl and four boys. My husband is an Iron Worker. I remember when I sang them ‘Rich Girl’ for the first time—my kids loved it. It made my daughter cry. When my husband heard it, he loved it, too. I remember he had me sit in the car with him. He had me practice the song. Over and over he had me sing the song to him. He wanted me to memorize it without using the paper. I must have sung it about 100 times in a row that night...” Listen to an interview with Theresa on North Country Public Radio. DISCOGRAPHY: Gifts (Up North Music), 2005 LISTEN to a sample of “Oionkwaonwe (Tobacco Song)” WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/bearfoxmusic CONTACT: bearfox34@hotmail.com

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