I started singing at the age of three. My dad taught me songs like "Good Ship Lollipop" and "Down Where the Sunflowers Grow". At the age of nine I sang "I Believe" at the senior prom of my older sister, Joyce (and was accompanied by her). When I was in grade school (Fruitland Park, Florida), I was often taken to Leesburg (FL) High School to sing for school assemblies.
When I attended Leesburg High School, I had the opportunity to sing in Chorus, Madrigal Singers, and a girls quartet. LHS had superb choral directors - Steve Bekemeyer, Shirley Howard, Janis Burrell - and each of the singing groups won a "Superior" rating in the Florida High School state musical competition every year during my high school attendance.
I entered the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, Illinois, the fall of 1963. During my first semester at MBI, I was asked to be the soloist on the Wednesday afternoon Telephone Requests call-in program on the flagship radio station, WMBI. I was also a member of the WMBI Radio Chorale that recorded the music for Moody Presents and other WMBI programming. The chorale also performed live at the MBI Sunday Night Sing programs under the direction of Sherm Williams.
In 1970, those of us in The New Creation began recording demo material, under the direction of John F. Wilson, for Hope Publishing Company of Carol Stream, IL. We (Phil, Myrna, Ray & Anita Nickel) did large recording projects for the Lutheran Church's Sunday School material - John Miller was director & guitarist - and continued for more than 25 years participating in studio work as part of the John Wilson Singers, Larry Mayfield Singers, Bob Krogstad Singers, Don Wyrtzen Singers, and various other studio sessions that included work for Beckenhorst Press and Shawnee Press.
After Phil and I spent several years traveling throughout North and South America with the Word of Life Ensemble and The New Creation, I was asked by Dick Anthony to become a member of the Discovery Singers on the television program, Day of Discovery, produced by the Radio Bible Class of Grand Rapids, Michigan and filmed at Cypress Garden, Florida. We became a part of that ministry the spring of 1971. After four years as a member of the Discovery Singers I transitioned to also being a soloist on the program for another eleven years. Many other TV opportunities included Chicago-based programming at Channel 11 (Chicago Evening Club), Channel 38 (with Jerry Rose), and the TV program (at that time) of the Back to God Hour, Faith 20.
Another avenue of ministry for me for 25 years was radio, as a regular soloist on the Friday evening Telephone Requests program on WMBI and as a member of the King's Karollers on the Songs in the Night broadcast from Chicago's Moody Church.
In 1974 I began a solo ministry in concerts and conferences that would continue for 17 years. In 1986 I asked three friends/vocalists to join me in a women's foursome called Just Four. We had thirteen wonderful years of singing together throughout the United States.