Check Out Lily Isaacs’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lily Isaacs.

Hi Lily, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I have been performing for most of my life. I grew up in New York City. My mother and father were Polish-Jewish Holocaust survivors, and I was born in Germany after World War II. My parents were in a French relief camp in Munich after being liberated from the concentration camps. That’s where they met, were married, and where I was born! We migrated to America when I was two years old. We came via ELLIS island and our lives began in the Bronx, New York. We became American citizens in 1955. I was a young girl, but the memory has stayed in my mind to this day!

I was always involved in all of our school musical plays. I took dance lessons, voice lessons, acting lessons – my dream was to become a Broadway actress someday. In 1968 I landed a recording contract with Columbia Records with a friend of mine. The album is called Lily and Maria. It was a folk album, and we had written all of the songs. It was a great time to be in music, especially in New York City and the album had a little bit of success. Due to that exciting adventure, I met my husband at a nightclub we were performing at in Greenwich Village called Gerdes Folk City. We got married in 1970 and moved to Ohio. My husband was also a musician, but neither one of us pursued our careers after we married. In 1971 he lost his brother in a car accident. That was the first time I ever went into a church in my life.

Soon after that, our lives changed, and we started attending church regularly which is quite unusual for a Jewish kid from New York. But it was a beautiful experience, and I embraced every bit of it! We started singing together in church just for the fun of it. Soon people started asking us to come to their place of worship or to a party and we would take our two guitars and sing. My children were born between 1972 and 1975. It seems as if the minute they could talk, they started singing harmony and picked up instruments. By the time they were young teenagers, they were playing on stage with us. It was never our plan for us to be where we are today.

It just evolved into who we are today. It’s hard to believe that my life turned out the way it has. But I’m so thankful for my family and the opportunities that we’ve had to do things I would’ve never dreamed of.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As everyone knows, life is full of ups and downs. I’ve had my share of health problems which has been a challenge. I was recovering from major back surgery in March 1983, and five weeks later discovered I had breast cancer. I had three small children at home, and I was devastated. It felt like a death sentence at the time. But 37 years later, I am still here. I had another bout with cancer about four years ago which turned out to be very minor. So, I dealt with that on a constant basis – trying to take care of myself and stay as healthy as I can.

Being on the road is not always easy either. It is a lot of work and planning. I handle all of our daily planning stuff. It’s always challenging to coordinate everyone’s schedules together because they have families of their own now. But as always, we always manage to work it out.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am most proud of my children. Of course, every mother would say that, especially a Jewish mother! Their talent, their songwriting, their kind hearts, their spirit, their work ethics, and their love of God and country. I am proud that even though when things were not going our way, we all stuck together and plowed through all of it.

The American Face” is the first Americana/country style album we have ever recorded. Several of the songs are original and some are cover songs. We tried to pick songs that people would remember and sing along with when we were in concert. There are many songs on there that will pull at your heartstrings as well. I’m especially excited about the song, “The American Face.” It was written by my daughter Sonya, her husband Jimmy Yeary and Tom Douglas.

It talks about the America we are in today. All cultures, religions, races, denominations, etc. We are a blended culture, and we may not always be pretty, but we are the “American Face” and we are proud to be Americans. My children are first-born Americans. And looking where we came from, this country gave our family a chance at life. We don’t take that lightly.

So, we like to say we’re living the American dream.

I feel like this album will have songs for everyone to enjoy. All walks of life!

We have been big supporters of The Bridge Ministries for a long time. Candy Christmas, the founder, is our pastor. She and her husband Kent pastor the Regeneration Nashville Church. We have visited The Bridge Ministries many times and have helped pass out food and sing and help with the homeless people that come to get food, clothes, and supplies. Just watching this amazing ministry has given us such a passion for helping the homeless. Of course, we feel a connection with people that would be hungry and homeless. My children nor myself have ever known what that felt like. But my parents did and many of my family did. So, we feel like this is a way of us giving back by supporting The Bridge Ministries.

Therefore, we have decided to team up with The Bridge Ministries and some of the proceeds from this album will be donated to help the homeless. We also have a nonprofit organization called The Isaacs Foundation, where we bless Holocaust survivors and orphans in Israel as well. It seems like it’s a blessing to be of help to people that are less fortunate than we are. That is where the hearts are today, and we are all THE AMERICAN FACE!

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
My advice to up-and-coming musicians in Nashville would be don’t give up! Most importantly, be yourself. I think transparency is a very important thing in any type of artform. A lot of times we can show our true heart in a song or dance or a painting. Being a good musician is awesome. But being a musician with passion and heart seems like the most important thing to me. It shows true humbleness and seems to connect with your audience the best.

It will set you apart and people will always remember two things when leaving a show. One, when you laugh, and two, when you cry. Those are the memories that stay with people the most. And a true musician is definitely capable of executing both of those emotions.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.theisaacs.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theisaacsmusicofficial
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheIsaacs
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/IsaacsMusic
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/qXCH2uM0qwU
• Other: https://ffm.to/ti_taffull

Image Credits
Frederick Breedon, Frederick Breedon, and Chris Hollo.