Ann Jones and Her Western Sweethearts.
Continued from Page 4
“I’ve got all kinds of music in here,”
Richards said.
Each song includes an introductory
biographical story explaining the origins
or inspiration for the song — and pro-
viding a glimpse into Richards’ personal
life. She does not avoid sharing intimate
thoughts on her family members’ lives
or her religion.
“(I thought) the kids would really
love that because they have their pic-
tures in there, the family history and my
songs,” Richards said, joking that her
living family members, including her
children, are “dealing with” being fea-
tured in the book.
The book begins with the first song
Richards wrote as an adult, “My Heart’s
a Marching Fool.” The “silly song” dates
back to 1955, the year she met her hus-
band, Ken.
At the time, she was a 19-year-
old musician touring with an all-girl
band called “Ann Jones and Her West-
ern Sweethearts.” Ken Richards went
to see the show at a dance hall in Carls-
bad, New Mexico. The two instantly hit
it off. It didn’t hurt that Ken, too, loved
music; he sang and played trombone.
“He was kind of a groupie,” Richards
joked.
The pair courted each other by letter
as Richards continued her tour. Although
the band mostly played at dance halls
and bars in the Western U.S., they also
performed shows in Canada, Japan and
Mexico.
The couple married in 1956 and
raised four children, all of whom shared
their love for music.
“Music was what we did for fun. It
wasn’t a job,” Richards said. “And we
raised the kids with that kind of love.
They all took band and they all sang.
Still do.”
The couple founded KD Properties
in Astoria and they built their careers as
property managers. But music never left
their lives. Outside of work, they found
time to play songs with their children,
often volunteering to perform at local
assisted living homes for seniors.
Equally important to Richards’ life
was her faith. A lifelong Christian, Rich-
ards said she finds plenty of musical
inspiration in her walk with God. Sev-
eral of the songs she included in the
book reflect that.
“(In) 1977 I thought that God was out
there. By 2005 I had grown in my spir-
itual life to discover that His hand was
indeed guiding my every move,” Rich-
ards wrote in the intro to her song, “His
Hand is Leading Me.”
“Music From My Heart” is Richards’
first book but she’s already working on
three other books, including a second
collection of music, an anthology of her
great-grandfather’s poems and a mystery
novel set at her daughter Diana’s Asto-
DeLores May Richards and Ken Richards.
ria butcher shop, Gulley’s Butcher Shop.
The latter is on track to publish by June
30.
Richards said she’s always been inter-
ested in writing but she never felt able to
actually publish until now.
“I’ve been wanting to get my music
down in some kind of book but I just
didn’t have the time,” Richards said.
Like it did for many budding authors,
the COVID-19 pandemic created an
opportunity to write and self-publish for
Richards. As the world closed up and
slowed down, she was able to finally put
pen to paper, she said.
The pandemic also inspired the
book’s subtitle, “Mid COVID-19
Drama,” and several of Richards’ more
recent compositions. The dedication
includes a note thanking her family for
“their assistance and patience” during
the pandemic.
“We all really missed playing music
together,” Richards said.
Richards plans to host a book signing
at Gulley’s Butcher Shop once pandemic
regulations allow for indoor, unmasked
gatherings.
THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 2021 // 5