Virgil - The Center

CD by Kevin Wallace
Director of the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts

Singer-Songwriter Kevin Virgil Wallace’s Third Collection of All-Original Tunes!

Storyteller singer-songwriter Kevin Virgil Wallace shares The Center, his third collection of all-original heart centered tunes about who we are - this one focusing on leading with the heart and embracing love for all humanity. Master guitarist Ken Emerson joins the band.  For almost two decades, Wallace has been focused on his work as founding director of the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts in Ojai, California - which he often refers to as simply The Center. Caring for the legacy of Beatrice Wood, and the fascinating individuals who were part of her life, including those who created the Happy Valley Foundation, Wallace kept his work as a singer/songwriter secret from all but a small group of close friends. Recognizing that, to a large extent, he was in the inspiration business as much as the art business - caring for an individual who lived life on her own terms to the age of 105 - he decided that it was time to step up to the plate and debut his first collection at the age of 60. The Center serves as a continuation of Wallace’s storytelling skills and the distinct retro vibe that defines his first two albums Virgil and Waiting Home. Master guitarist Ken Emerson joins the band.

100% of the sale of this CD will go towards Educational Programming at the Center.

Our Work at the Center Concerns Inspiration
Caring for the legacy of Beatrice Wood, and the other fascinating individuals who created and cared for the Happy Valley Foundation over the decades, requires us to share their stories and connect with the spirit of possibilities for a better life, individually and globally. We share Beatrice Wood’s story of reinvention – from her pursuit of freedom, individuality, love and expression as a young woman, through her taking up ceramics at the age of 40, to enjoying the best years of her life in her 80s and 90s, becoming a published author and creating art until her passing at the age of 105. Every weekend, hearing her story, a visitor inevitably turns to a friend and says, "there is hope" – and indeed Beatrice Wood always told visitors that they should pursue their dreams, by embracing discipline in harmony with inspiration, a life-long love of learning, and a commitment to do the work.

I believe that people should practice what they preach, and that is one of the reasons why, at the age of 60, I decided to record albums of the songs I had written over the decades. There was also the fact that my wife Sheryl and I are responsible for raising the funds to keep the Center alive, and I felt that it would be a way of raising funds. While I haven’t worked out the details of a benefit performance or performances, if you order the CD from the Center, 100% of the sale goes to support our educational programming.

Cord International
Ojai native and resident Maryann Cord, is the Co-Founder & CEO of Cord International Media Group. Cord International's Hana Ola Records is known as the first name in vintage Hawaiian music, a music recording and licensing company passionately dedicated to preserving, restoring and releasing lost real Hawaiian music, with a huge catalog of recordings.