Dubbed “the poetess of the blues,” Michele D’Amour* was steeped in music in the womb and has maintained her love of the blues genre throughout her life, bolstered by her father’s extensive record collection. At the tender age of six, inspired by a now-forgotten incident, the precocious youngster penned her first song, “My Mom is So Mean.” Growing up in rainy Seattle in such circumstances with two older sisters to boot, the blues gave Michele an outlet for transcending life’s trials and helping others as well.