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Victoria Williams to Perform at Ramapo in Celebration of Disabilities Awareness Month

(PDF) (DOC) (JPG)August 27, 2002

(Mahwah) – In celebration of Disability Awareness Month, country/folk-singer Victoria Williams will perform along with Mark Olson and the Creekdippers, Friday, September 27 in the Sharp Theater at Ramapo College of New Jersey. The concert is sponsored by the Office of Specialized Services and the Office of Student Development at Ramapo.

Singer-songwriter Victoria Williams was born in Louisiana in 1959. As a teenager, she taught herself the guitar and joined her first band while in college. In 1992, while touring with Neil Young, Williams noticed a growing numbness in her hands, which was soon diagnosed as multiple sclerosis. Without health insurance and facing expensive treatments for her disorder, Williams’s musician friends recorded a benefit album to pay for her expenses. The 1993 compilation, Sweet Relief, outsold Williams’ own records and brought renewed attention to her work. Excess proceeds from the Sweet Relief album were used by Williams to establish the Sweet Relief Fund, a project to aid other musicians with health problems. I feel so blessed. And I want them to find inspiration,” said Williams. It’s so fantastic to play music, and I always hope it’s good for people.”

In 1994 Williams released an album of duets with Soul Asylum’s Dave Pirner and the Jayhawks’ Mark Olson. Entitled Loose, the album spawned the Loose Band, who backed up Williams on her next tour; the tour culminated in the recording of a retrospective live album, This Moment in Toronto.

In the summer of 1997, Williams toured with the Lilith Fair. And in 1998, her long-awaited album, Musings of a Creekdipper, was released on Atlantic. The album features contributions by husband and former Jayhawks member, Mark Olson. Williams’ latest album, Water to Drink, was released in the summer of 2000.

The Sharp Theater is located in the Berrie Center at Ramapo College. Admission is free. For additional information, call (201) 684-7844.

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About Ramapo College

Ramapo College of New Jersey is the state’s premier public liberal arts college and is committed to academic excellence through interdisciplinary and experiential learning, and international and intercultural understanding. The comprehensive college is situated among the beautiful Ramapo Mountains, is within commuting distance to New York City, was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America by CondeNast Traveler, and boasts the best on-campus housing in New Jersey per Niche.com. Established in 1969, Ramapo College offers bachelor’s degrees in the arts, business, data science, humanities, social sciences and the sciences, as well as in professional studies, which include business, education, nursing and social work. In addition, the College offers courses leading to teacher certification at the elementary and secondary levels, and offers graduate programs leading to master’s degrees in Accounting, Applied Mathematics, Business Administration, Contemporary Instructional Design, Computer Science, Creative Music Technology, Data Science, Educational Leadership, Nursing, Social Work and Special Education, as well as a Doctor of Nursing Practice.

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