Check Out Polly Windham’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Polly Windham.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born and raised in Wichita, Kansas. I grew up pursuing performing arts, the triple threat as they called it: singing, acting, and dancing. Musical theater lead me to a performing arts scholarship to Wichita State University (WSU), which lead me to a student exchange program at California State University Los Angeles (CSULA) to study film production.

All these experiences thus far were to collect tools. I knew I needed to be in a big city to gain traction. It wasn’t long before I became a member of an underground band formed in Hollywood, CA. After a year of playing around the city, we decided to hit the road and go on tour. However, this tour had no end date in sight. We had no plan and no booked dates. All we had was a four-door Buick, burned CDs, and an insatiable desire to perform the entire country.

For the next 12 years, we did just that. That chapter is thick and juicy. But another chapter was approaching, one I could not ignore. This chapter was all about taking my life into my own hands. No longer letting another impede on my independence or drain my strength. I decided to go straight from the road to basic combat training for the Army. After completing boot camp, I trained at the Army School of Music and graduated with honors. I am now a professional vocalist for the Army. I have just accepted The Vocal Instructor position to instruct all incoming Army, Marines, and Navy vocalists.

With reluctant patience and a strain to gain balance in my life, I have been able to combine my civilian musical artist self with my soldier self. I will be releasing a new album (and the first since leaving the road) American Daughter on January 14th, 2022. Some of these songs were actually written while I was in boot camp. This album encompasses the emotional journey I took to take control of my self-care, self-worth, and self-dedication.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I toured those 12 years with my then-husband. The marriage, the band, and the road lifestyle were all-in-one. There was no one without the other. It was all or nothing; 24/7, 365 days with your significant other displayed its challenges. I did find ways to get my “me time.” Venue/Bar bathrooms became my safe haven. I was always the first up in the morning, so I would use this time to do what I called “rest-area aerobics.”

After a decade on the road, we had worked our way from a car to an RV (many vans along the way). So, we would stay at rest areas and truck stops. The marriage was not only suffocating but it was filled with mental disease and co-dependency. I had re-filled my cup so many times that soon I had no strength to fill it up again. Don’t get me wrong, we had all the classic obstacles any young band would have on the road: How will we make it to the next town, how will we fix the van, how are we going to eat, how to get one of us out of jail, fights, hygiene, etc. However, it was the emotional turmoil that finally pushed me over the edge and into the arms of the Army.

I needed something that was stronger than the situation and people I was around. A contract with the government that would keep even me from getting in the way. After joining the military, a whole new set of struggles began. I performed and excelled well in training. But when I got out of training (and began Army Reserve life) I was lost! I had just spent the last 12 years living like a gypsy. A life of complete freedom. A life I could do on autopilot. A band that I had been performing with for over 13 years. I had never lived in a house as an adult where I could plant a garden or put up a Christmas tree.

Bills? Neighbors? A community? I was excited about it but not ready. I felt like a child moving out for the first time yet I was in my mid-thirties. Also, musically where do I begin? I can’t start where I left off. I knew it was going to be a transition but I didn’t know it was going to take a few years to mentally sort it out.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a performing vocalist. I am a singer/songwriter. I am a musician in the Army. A 42R with a specific skill in Vocals. A singing soldier is a rare breed. It’s rather new in the military compared to the other instruments such as drums and trumpets. I am a soldier first, trained to defend our country. I get a lot of surprise from folks when I tell them my job in the Army. Most have never heard of the role I play. But, you have actually heard us.

Army Musicians are at the Super Bowl and the Presidential Inaugurations. We also perform military ceremonies and we even perform at festivals, sports games, and parades. To break it down more specifically, I sing with a concert band, I front a rock band and I perform the National Anthem. I am so proud to be a part of the military that is all about connecting communities through music. It is the one language that is understood around the globe.

Being a Soldier and living the Army values has definitely had an impact on my music as a civilian. More so the message that I represent. I believe that we all have more perseverance and hope than we think we do. It’s amazing how adaptable we humans are and how much further we can push ourselves to accomplish goals and reach new heights.

I want to remind people that we can change our lives to live more fulfilling, happy, and healthy lives. With all the things going on in the world that we can’t control, freedom of choice is the one thing we can control.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite childhood memory is of my very first performance at age 4. I was “Polly Pink AKA Tickled Pink” in Rainbow Bright. I had my first line “Hi, my name is Polly Pink and I like Pink Pigs” delivered to an audience. It was the beginning of connecting with others through performance.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.pollywindham.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/pollyannwindham
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/pollywindhammusic
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/pollywindham
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/pollywindham

Image Credits
1) Photographed by Natia Cinco 2) Natia Cinco 3) Natia Cinco 4) Natia Cinco 5) Raquel Reyes Aguilar 6) Natia Cinco 7) Mark Kersting 8) Mark Kersting 9) Mark Kersting