David and Ann Ledgerwood: Bio
Songs for the Heart
Born only a year apart in the same town and even in the same hospital, Ann and David were in their 40’s before they met. And upon meeting, they found there was much they had in common, including an appreciation for the musical influences of the late 60’s and 70’s. Songs of The Beatles, The Eagles, CSNY and others were embedded in their memories of growing up and beyond.
This love for music has played a large part in shaping them both individually and now as a married couple. “He sings ‘Bob Dylan’ in the shower early in the morning” and “She can carry on a conversation and sing a song at the same time” are things you might hear them say of each other. One thing is certain:
they both love to sing and they love to sing together. Staying active with work and home, they also enjoy hiking, cooking, time with family and friends, involvement in their church music ministry, and performing out when they can. Ann and David reside in Emory, VA, along with chocolate labs Jodi and Benji, yellow labs Wally and Zena and an orange tabby named Chester.
Their relaxed style of performance has also been influenced by other types and styles of music such as traditional, gospel, blues, and folk. They also perform their own compositions. They seek to provide an interactive entertainment experience that provides a positive message . . . a time of pleasant memories
and hope . . . Songs for the Heart
Ann
Now that I am well into middle age, I seem to have more and more opportunity and need to reflect on my life. I was born in Bluefield, WV, while my father was in Germany serving in the Army. I had a stable, wonderful childhood, raised by parents who loved God and each other and had me in church every Sunday. My parents Neel and Iris Rich modeled God’s love to all they met. Their service to others had a huge impact on me as I watched them open our home time and time again.
My dad is still with me and continues to influence my life every day. My mother passed on to glory in February of 2008 after a lengthy illness that left her bedfast for over eight years. My mother taught my sisters and me to sing at a young age. Cathy, Carol, and I learned to sing harmonies as children and continue to sing together from time to time even now.
I was saved as a child at the First Methodist Church in Pulaski, VA. I cannot remember a time in my life that my parents did not see to it that I was in church. I am very thankful to them for that. God has been so faithful to me throughout the ups and downs of life. He has blessed me with two wonderful sons, Mark and John, and a precious four-year-old granddaughter Riley.
David and I have been married nearly three years. Every day is a pleasant adventure. We are very much alike and have not had a cross word or argument. We know that is rare; we are very thankful that God has brought us together at this point in our lives. We seek to use the musical skills that God has given us to touch others.
David
Ed Sullivan, The Beverly Hillbillies, Get Smart and a host of other television shows remind me of a childhood era that was relatively innocent and carefree. I could leave on my bicycle and be gone for hours and there was no concern other than what was for dinner when I got home. Life seemed so much simpler then. We played ‘army’ outside, ’kick the can’ at night under a streetlight, and spent countless hours in the woods building forts and swinging from vines. The electronic age had not yet sunk its claws into the children as it would in the years to come. The radio was AM (as opposed to FM, which was ‘easy listening’ reserved for the adults) and the sounds of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s ‘Carry On’ would send me to sleep at night. Of course, radio went ‘off the air’ at midnight in those days.
I got my first guitar at 9 years of age, my first electric guitar at 10 . . . & it was all over from there on. My father was a patient man, but when he sat and listened to my 8 track copy of The Who’s ’Who’s Next’, he could only shake his head. I can still here him shouting ’TURN IT DOWN’ from the kitchen upstairs. I complied for about two minutes and then turned it up again; can you relate? He called the basement room the ‘opium den’ - he wasn’t far off base.
My father developed cancer when I was 19 and lost the battle to his disease on February 10, 1977. I was left only with my mother who had her own issues. She was a wonderful person, but her personality was clouded by the incredible amount of daily medication that left her with little left to give to our mother/son relationship. Nonetheless, we carried on for two years when she, too, passed on as a result of a sudden heart attack.
I have never felt any bitterness about either incident but rather learned to accept my lot and move on with life. You have to build life with the blocks you are given and make the best of all situations - this was my philosophy. I came to know Jesus as my Lord and Savior in 1985. I was married then with two small children. I could write a book about my many blessings, good times and tough times, but my life was never the same after my conversion experience. There were many people who wondered what had happened to the ‘old’ David; I was wondering the same thing myself. Today, my understanding of God’s goodness and that life changing event only broadens and deepens with each new day. Honestly, the journey has been marked with triumphs and losses, with joy and depression, with laughter and heartache. I am daily confronted with things in my life that remind me of my need for His grace and mercy; I have made a pile of poor choices, both pre and post conversion. Subsequently, I have learned that in my incapability, He is totally capable - when I am weak (which is constantly), He is forever strong and continues molding me into the image of the godly man that He desires me to become (and we ain’t done yet). If I could point you in any direction of major significance, I could only point you to Calvary and the cross. The history of mankind will one day center itself around that place and time when our sins were borne by Jesus and our relationship with God restored. I know, because the Bible tells me so, the final chapter is in place and His kingdom abides forever - as it is written.
Middle age is being good to me. I have a princess for a wife (there isn‘t a finer woman breathing air), a wonderful family and many great friends, a home in the country where the night sky shines bright, food on the table, a place to lay my head at night, four dogs and a cat, a continued love for and opportunity to enjoy music, a great job working with teenagers, and a Savior that loved me enough to take my place, my nails, my sin . . . what more could I ask for; I enjoy many blessings! Have you been to Calvary?
Music Ministry
We seek to use the gifts we have been given to touch others. We are active in the music ministry at Abingdon Bible Church and often play at other churches and events.
Our love of music and of the Lord takes us to many places. We perform gospel music in a variety of styles, including traditional hymns, contemporary Christian, bluegrass, blues, and original compositions drawn from our daily walk and life experiences. Whether a few songs for special music or an entire service of music, scripture, and testimony, we love to spread the gospel wherever God sends us.
"Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." --Ephesians 5:19 (NIV)