Introducing Yvonne Rowe

(photo taken 10/4/2006)

Yvonne Elizabeth Eads was born in 1954 at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, the 4th child in a family of 6 (4 boys, 2 girls), the first girl in the Eads family in at least a couple of generations. The 3 older boys were a gospel trio sponsored by the Blackwood Brothers with their mother as the pianist. Yvonne began singing on stage when she was very little (3 or 4) and began taking piano lessons at age 5 (from her mother), advancing through the National Piano Guild until she graduated in 1972 (taking lessons from Lois Trezevant the last few years). She began her band career in the 7th grade, being placed on trombone due to her prior ability to read music, especially bass clef. She graduated from Germantown High School in 1972.

In 1975 she moved to Big Sandy, TX, to attend Ambassador College. She attended college for 2½ years, at which time the college was closed. She then married Norman and they lived in the Nacogdoches/Lufkin area for the first 1½ years of the marriage. During that time, Paul Frederic was born.

The family moved to Memphis in December 1978. Braxton Edward was born in May 1979 and Jenetta Elizabeth was born in September 1981. Yvonne was a housewife/part-time typist during those first few years, up until Jenny was almost 2 years old, at which time she went to work full-time and Norman (already self-employed) became the primary caregiver for the children.

In 1984, Yvonne went to work for Blanchard E. Tual, a prominent attorney in Memphis, and the Guardian ad Litem for Lisa Marie Presley. It was an interesting job which lasted for 10 years, providing valuable experience in a variety of fields of law, as well as letting Yvonne speak to Priscilla Presley on the phone (a perfect lady), meet a couple of individuals who claimed to be offspring of Elvis (a little wacky) and deal with other celebrities (such as Cybil Sheppard and Toni Wine--an original "Chipmunk" with Alvin & the Chipmunks and the composer of "Groovy Kind of Love"). Also, due to Blanchard being involved with the Memphis Film, Tape & Music Commission, Yvonne was able to visit the set of "The Firm" while it was being filmed and watch some of the action. She has since worked for several other law firms in Oregon, California, and New Mexico.

Yvonne started getting involved in the River City Community Band (now the River City Concert Band) just to spend a little more time with her husband as he was beginning to get involved in lots of musical activities while she was at home in the evenings with the children while they were small. Once they were old enough to haul around (poor things), they were taken here and there to all sorts of musical activities -- providing them with a lot of musical influences during their formative years. Yvonne began playing tenor trombone in the band and then switched to bass trombone when Norman moved to oboe. She stayed on bass trombone while Norman moved here and there in the band, filling in gaps where needed. When the family moved to Oregon, she continued playing bass trombone -- playing in the Southern Oregon Concert Band, Rogue Valley Wind Ensemble (now the Rogue Valley Symphonic Band, the Southern Oregon University Symphonic Band (for a quarter), the Ashland City Band and the Rogue Valley Brass Choir. Yvonne began playing euphonium with the Southern Oregon Concert Band in September 1997 and, when Norman took over as director of the Brass Choir, Yvonne began playing euphonium. Yvonne also played in the State of Jefferson Community Band in Yreka, CA -- starting on trombone, filling in on odd things (bells, triangle, tambourine, etc.) in the percussion section and also euphonium. After becoming full-time RVers and moving around to various locations, she has participated in numerous other ensembles. See our Music Activities page for more information.

Yvonne learned how to play recorders at Ambassador College but had little chance to play in Memphis -- playing semi-regularly with the Early Wind Band and semi-occasionally with the East Side Recorder Ensemble. However, once she moved to Oregon, she had the opportunity to play regularly with several groups: the Rogue Valley Recorder Consort, Tutti (a recorder quintet), the Kammeroque Ensemble, the Myrtlewood Ensemble, Curry/Del Norte Orchestra, and some American Recorder Society chapters.