Mission resident Madeleine (Maddy) Engh wants everyone to know it’s never too late.
The 77-year-old singer recently signed her first record deal for a country western album called, ‘A Babe of Her Own.’
“It’s fantastic. It’s a realization of a lifelong dream. It’s pretty amazing. My head’s spinning,” she said.
Engh is a farmer who is known locally for her Christmas tree business in Mission. But she has also spent years renovating houses, and knows every aspect of running a farm.
Music has been a dear hobby her whole life. She has guitars strewn about the living room, as well as an accordion, mandolin, violin, and a mouth organ elsewhere in the house.
“I’ve written songs since I was 10 years old, and I’ve been trying to get them to people in the recording industry in all these years,” she said.
Engh was inspired to renew her effort to get her voice out there after seeing an older gentleman performing a song on TV for his late wife. She thought it might not be too late for her.
Her first album is “very down-home country,” she said.
“I sing about life experiences, things I’ve seen, sometimes things I’ve experienced.”
But she’ll also go on a whim and flip open a dictionary to write a song about the word that pops up, as she did with ‘Evergreen.’
This first album was intended to be a demo, but SMT Records liked it enough to release.
“I had no intention of being a singer. I was just bringing [the producer] my songs,” said Engh.
With hundreds of songs stacked away, Engh is already working on her second album, into which she is investing meticulous care.
Maddy Engh’s first CD, A Babe of Her Own, is available online through SMT Records.