NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A downtown musician is known as the guitar shreddin' granny. Every time she takes the stage, she brings the house down. The guitar shreddin' granny's been presented with tough challenges lately. Hers is a story of resilience, longevity, and the people who stand with us through it all.
Sunday morning, the first song started up at Second Fiddle downtown. Performer Amanda Taylor took the stage. There's something she hears a lot; Amanda, your mom's cool.
"I'm like, 'she is? Okay! Cool!'" Amanda laughed.
That's because Amanda's mom is Paula Jo Taylor, the guitar shreddin' granny.
"[The audience members] come in and do a double take," Amanda said. "What's she doin up there? Then she shreds, and they go WHOOOAH!"
Amanda performed shows without Paula Jo for a while in recent weeks. Paula Jo has had a ruptured appendix and complications from an infection put her in the hospital for nearly two weeks. It was a lot, but there's something to know about Paula Jo.
"Your mom's tough as nails," I told Amanda.
"She is," she agreed. "She's a tough one."
"Music is my therapy, for sure," Paula Jo said from home before playing her guitar.
Playing guitar is what building back strength always looks like for Paula Jo. She's been dealt a lot, starting about ten years ago.
"I had a double mastectomy from breast cancer, 18 months worth of chemotherapy," she said.
Playing guitar actually helped with the neuropathy in her fingers from that.
"Since then, it's just been one thing after another," Paula Jo said.
Paula Jo believes she's had twelve or thirteen surgeries in the past decade. There's always a drive to get back on stage with Amanda. They've been performing together since Amanda was a kid and playing venues on Broadway for nearly twenty years.
"We've played so many that aren't here anymore!" Amanda laughed.
"There's nothing like playing with your family," Paula Jo said.
Paula Jo's been getting ready to go back downtown.
"I miss the energy of getting to play live," she said. "I miss the audience response and how it makes them happy. That always makes me feel good. I just want to be part of it."
How long would it be until Paula Jo feels ready to get back? There's no time like the present.
Sunday morning, Paula Jo walked onstage alongside Amanda and the band. The crowd smiled as Paula Jo began to play.
"We're not going to be able to play together forever," Amanda said.
"You value this time," I said.
"Yes. Yes."
"They'll probably have to scrape me up off the stage someday," Paula Jo laughed. "I hope to inspire people to know you can get through all these things. It doesn't matter how old you are. I came here for music. I came here to do this, and I don't want to stop."
Amanda, your mom's cool.
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
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