Sunshine Becker (born Sunshine Flower Garcia on July 1, 1972) is an American
singer
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
who performed backing vocals for the band
Furthur.
[ Despite her maiden name, Garcia, she is not related to ]Jerry Garcia
Jerome John Garcia (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995) was an American musician best known for being the principal songwriter, lead guitarist, and a vocalist with the rock band Grateful Dead, which he co-founded and which came to prominence ...
, an incorrect assumption made by some because of her involvement with Furthur, a post-Garcia incarnation of the Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...
. Similarly, despite her first name, Sunshine, she is not to be confused with Sunshine Kesey, daughter of Ken Kesey
Ken Elton Kesey (September 17, 1935 – November 10, 2001) was an American novelist, essayist and countercultural figure. He considered himself a link between the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the hippies of the 1960s.
Kesey was born in ...
and Carolyn Adams (aka Mountain Girl or MG), Jerry Garcia's second wife.[
]
Early life
Sunshine was born in Oakland, California
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
, to Gabriel Garcia and Juddee Kawaiola (née Watrous). Her father, who is of Hispanic descent, is from New Mexico and is a musician, playing primarily tenor saxophone, but also guitar, bass, piano, and drums. Her mother, who is of Dutch, French, and English descent, is from San Francisco, and studied theater in college. Sunshine's parents met and married in Oakland, CA. She has a brother, Sean Gabriel Garcia, who is 4 years older, and who selected the middle name, Flower, for her when she was born. She grew up in the East Bay
The East Bay is the eastern region of the San Francisco Bay Area and includes cities along the eastern shores of the San Francisco Bay and San Pablo Bay. The region has grown to include inland communities in Alameda and Contra Costa countie ...
area in Oakland, CA and attended James Logan High School
James Logan High School (also known as JLHS or Logan) is a public high school located in Union City, California. It is part of the New Haven Unified School District in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Awards
In 1994 and 1998, Logan was recognized as ...
in Union City, CA, where she graduated in 1990.[
]
Musical career
In the sixth grade, at 11 years of age, Sunshine learned to play the recorder and flute. As a freshman in high school, she joined the school's prestigious marching band, eventually becoming the flute/woodwind section leader and in 1988, they won a competition at the Fiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl is an American college football bowl game played annually in the Phoenix metropolitan area. From its beginning in 1971 until 2006, the game was hosted at the Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Since 2007, the game has been playe ...
.[ Following high school, Sunshine attended ]California State University
The California State University (Cal State or CSU) is a public university system in California. With 23 campuses and eight off-campus centers enrolling 485,550 students with 55,909 faculty and staff, CSU is the largest four-year public univers ...
in Hayward, CA from 1990 to 1992, majoring in Expressive Arts. Having left Cal State, she moved into a house in San Francisco with several other aspiring musicians, including Jeff Pehrson
Jeff Pehrson (born Jeffery Vernon Pehrson on February 21, 1967 in San Francisco, California) is an American singer-songwriter who performed backing vocals for Furthur, a band that included two former members of the Grateful Dead. Pehrson also c ...
, Jim Brunberg (of Box Set) and Jay Shaffer (of Passenger). Over the next few years, Sunshine worked variously as a vocalist with Oakland Youth Chorus' touring a cappella ensemble Vocal Motion, jam bands Passenger and Box Set, the funky drummer Ziggy Modeliste
Joseph "Ziggy" Modeliste (born December 28, 1948), also known as Zigaboo, is an American drummer best known as a founding member of the funk band the Meters. He is widely considered an innovator in the funk genre and New Orleans style drumming. ...
, and as a studio session singer.[ She ultimately concentrated her efforts in 1995 with SoVoSó (meaning "from the SOul to the VOice to the SOng"), a highly acclaimed improvisational a cappella group which evolved from ]Bobby McFerrin
Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. (born March 11, 1950) is an American folk and jazz singer. He is known for his vocal techniques, such as singing fluidly but with quick and considerable jumps in pitch—for example, sustaining a melody while also rap ...
's vocal ensemble, Voicestra.[ She remains very active with SoVoSó and continues to perform on occasion with Passenger. She also functions as an instructor for Young Performers International, a nonprofit children's performing arts company in San Francisco, leads ongoing workshops teaching the art-form of CircleSinging, and provides private vocal coaching.][
In late 2009, Furthur decided to add backing vocals to their newly formed band. Zoe Ellis, a well-known Bay Area vocalist who has been a member of SoVoSó since 2005, was initially approached by the band, as she had previously been a backing vocalist for ]Phil Lesh and Friends
Phil Lesh and Friends is an American rock band formed and led by Phil Lesh, former bassist of the Grateful Dead.
Phil & Friends is not a traditional group in that several different lineups of musicians have played under the name, including g ...
, having performed on the 1999 album, Love Will See You Through.[ Zoe, who is the sister of Dave Ellis, former saxophonist for ]Bob Weir
Robert Hall Weir ( ; né Parber, born October 16, 1947) is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the group disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with The Other Ones, later known as The Dead ...
's RatDog
RatDog is an American rock band. The group began in 1995 as a side project for Grateful Dead guitarist and singer Bob Weir. After the Dead disbanded later that year, RatDog became Weir's primary band. They performed some Grateful Dead songs, a mix ...
, accepted the offer to join Furthur.[ However, her friend and former singing partner, Caitlin Cornwell, who was also approached by Furthur (and who also provided backing vocals for Phil and Friends and who is a former member of SoVoSó), was not able to commit. As an alternative choice, Zoe recommended Sunshine, her friend and singing partner from SoVoSó (and a longtime fan of the Grateful Dead), who readily accepted. Sunshine's and Zoe's audition for Furthur occurred at the ''Philharmonia'' benefit concert in San Francisco on December 20, 2009, where they performed with Lesh, Weir, and ]Jackie Greene
Jackie Greene (born November 27, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. He has a solo career and became a member of The Black Crowes in 2013, though the band broke up in 2015 before he could contribute any studio work.
Early life
...
.[ The backup vocalists' debut Furthur show was on December 30, 2009 (although they also performed at the live rehearsal sessions at the Mill Valley Masonic Center on December 27 and 28). Zoe toured with Furthur until March 12, 2010; Jeff Pehrson subsequently joined Furthur as a backing vocalist on May 24, 2010.][
On November 21, 2008,][ December 26, 2009,][ and January 28, 2011,][ Sunshine sang the national anthem before the Oakland ]Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...
basketball games, and on April 6, 2010, before the Oakland Athletics
Athletics may refer to:
Sports
* Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking
** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport
* Athletics (physical culture), competi ...
baseball game.[ On December 12, 2010, she performed, along with Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Jackie Greene, and Jeff Pehrson, at the annual ''Philharmonia'' benefit concert in San Francisco.][ She also appeared on December 3, 2011, at ''Run for the Roses: A One-of-a-Kind Musical Evening'', a Rex Foundation benefit show, where she, along with ]John Kadlecik
John Kadlecik (born June 28, 1969 in Council Bluffs, Iowa) is an American guitarist. He was a founding member as the lead guitarist for the Grateful Dead tribute band, Dark Star Orchestra, in 1997. From 2009 to 2014 he performed with original De ...
, Melvin Seals
Melvin Seals (born 1953 in San Francisco, California) is an American musician, best known as a longtime member of the Jerry Garcia Band.
Early life and career
Melvin Seals began playing piano at age eight and began his musical adventure playin ...
, Greg Anton and Robin Sylvester
Robin Sylvester (1950 – 29 October 2022) was an English musician who was best known as a member of the American band RatDog. Although primarily a bass player, he played several instruments, including the guitar and keyboards, and did extensi ...
, performed a Jerry Garcia Band
The Jerry Garcia Band was a San Francisco Bay Area rock band led by Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead. Garcia founded the band in 1975; it remained the most important of his various side projects until his death in 1995. The band regularly tour ...
tribute set.[
]
Personal life
Sunshine attended her first Grateful Dead show on May 25, 1992, at Shoreline Amphitheatre
Shoreline Amphitheatre is an outdoor amphitheater located in Mountain View, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The venue has a capacity of 22,500, with 6,500 reserved seats and 16,000 general admission on the lawn. When the parking lot ...
in Mountain View, CA
Mountain View is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. Named for its views of the Santa Cruz Mountains, it has a population of 82,376.
Mountain View was integral to the early history and growth of Silicon Valley, and is the ...
. She first met her future husband, bass player-turned-executive salesman Bill Becker (who played in Passenger), that same year, and then reconnected with him in 1999. They married on September 29, 2001, and had a son, Geddy Becker (named after Rush bass player, Geddy Lee
Geddy Lee (born Gary Lee Weinrib; July 29, 1953) is a Canadian musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Canadian rock group Rush. Lee joined the band in September 1968, at the re ...
), on June 8, 2009.[ When not singing, touring, and teaching, Sunshine spends her time writing her own songs, exploring the outdoors, experiencing live music, and enjoying her family at home in the Bay Area.][
]
Discography
SoVoSó
*"World Jazz A Cappella" (1997)
*"Truth & Other Stories" (1998)
*"Bridges" (2000)
*"Seasonings" (2002)
*"Crack The Nut!" (2004)
*"Then & Now" (2005)
*"Snowflakes" (2009)
Awards
SoVoSó
*1997: National Champions, Harmony Sweepstakes A Cappella Festival[
*1997: Winner, Studio Album of the Year - "World Jazz A Cappella", Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards][
*1999: Winner, Izzy, Outstanding Achievement In Music - "Mother May I" (for score, with Robert Moses' Kin Dance troupe), Isadora Duncan Dance Awards][
*1999: Nominee, Best Jazz Album - "Truth & Other Stories", Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards][
]
References
External links
The Official Furthur Website
SoVoSó Website
Passenger Website
Young Performers International Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Becker, Sunshine
1972 births
Living people
American jazz singers
American contemporary R&B singers
American women rock singers
Musicians from Oakland, California
Singers from California
Furthur (band) members
Jazz musicians from California
21st-century American women singers
21st-century American singers