When I was four my mother taught me to sing 'You Are My Sunshine', and she was my sunshine, a happy, confident, loving young mother, and when I sang it it was true, as every song has been since, at least while I am singing it.

When she was 70 I sang it again into a tape recorder, because I was half a world away from her big birthday party, and I sent it there. And they sent me back a video tape of all the rest of her family and her friends playing it at the party. And after the first line, they all joined in, in a rich, deep chorus.

I sing because songs are true, because it's the only way I have made people laugh and cry at the same time (except punning!), because when I sing with other people we are all transported together, because when I sing alone my being resonates with everything, because it gets through, because it's the gate to fairyland, and the key to the lock, because of the songs, because I am in love with anyone who can sing, while they are singing, because it pours out, because of other peoples' eyes, because the songs sing themselves through me.

My favourite song is a song I only sing for singers - 'Singing Bird'

"For there's none of them can sing so sweet, My singing bird as you, Ahhhhhh, my singing bird as you."