tonya tyner

Don't we?  Don't we just assume the eye is going to blink, the heart is going to beat, the tear duct is going to moisten, whatever.  I mean, I know some of us have had health problems, but even then, the parts of us that don't have problems-- well, we just sort of wake up and do our thing and go to bed again and assume all those other parts are going to keep working, right?  We hardly even think about it, do we?  I don't.

These days, I've been a "little disappointed" (one might hypothesize, if one knew my…Read more

"I've seen my light come shining...
from the west down to the east.

Any day now...
any day now...
I shall be released."



For almost 4 years, I've been carrying someone else's debt... almost $50K worth (not exactly small potatoes). In uncertain financial status myself during a lot of that time, I had no way to escape from the delinquent tax collection letters and threats from the mortgage holder. My only legal recourse would have been to strike out at this person, but my heart could not take me there. And then God…Read more

Hey my friends,

I turned 40 today.  Yippee.  No really, I'm certainly happy to be alive.  I do treasure every day as a gift, and it's kind of fun seeing what direction the gray hairs sprout out from my head.  It looks like I'll have a silver afro before it's all said and done.  The wrinkles, the slowing metabolism, the gray-- I'm not really bothered by aging at all except for the whole 'I don't have a husband or children, and at this point, that's looking highly unlikely" part.  As I wrote in my song…Read more

I've been out of touch mostly, and I realize that you may have wondered if I have dropped off the face of the earth. There were days, when honestly, I felt like I had. So real talk: I've been going through some challenging transitions. Between losing love, leaving Austin and financial worries, my heart has been heavy, so I've been taking a break from my music.

When your life is topsy turvy, it is hard not to focus on yourself: What did I do wrong? What could I have done differently? Is this right…Read more

This past Saturday, I had my official debut CD release party, here in Austin, TX. I had pre-release shows in California and in South Carolina last year that were well-attended, but would you believe me if I told you I was terrified to have this party?  I've only been living in Austin a little over 2 years and have spent the majority of my time with one of many 'day jobs.'  Sure, I've made some friends at my church and at the Austin Songwriter's Group (ASG) events, but more often than not, I've been a…Read more