- [Announcer] Funding for Georgia outdoors has been made possible in part by The Imlay Foundation and from viewers like you.

(soft music) - You often hear about the sounds of nature but you seldom hear about the voices in nature.

A lot of performers like to practice out among the trees.

In fact, two people you're going to meet say they get a certain creative freedom when they sing out in open spaces that they don't necessarily find in a studio.

- EG Kite is a blues singer.

She sings solo or with her band, the EG Kite Trio.

Here's a little taste of her music.

♪ When a man's in trouble, everybody put him down ♪ ♪ Looking for a good friend ♪ ♪ One can be five ♪ ♪ You better come on ♪ ♪ Into my kitchen ♪ ♪ 'cause it's gonna be raining outdoor ♪ - I met EG at her place in Dublin, Georgia where her thoughts turn into songs.

It's where nature inspires.

- We have bonfires here.

We hadn't had one in a long time, as you can see.

But yeah.

- So this is your church.

- This is my church right here.

- Man, I can see why.

- I love it.

I love it.

It's the place I come to find peace and calm.

It, it just, it does your heart good.

It just revives you to come out here.

- Well, and I know you had some serious health issues years ago and you came up with the three G's, what's that mean?

- The three GS.

Yeah, I had encephalitis with meningitis with it.

And they think it was from mosquito bite.

And then I got attacked by some dogs a couple years ago.

And the three G's people, well, my fans ask, they say how did you get through all this?

And how do you do as well as you do?

I say the three G's, God, goats and guitars.

(Laughing) - I can do the God part, but I don't have a goat and I don't have a guitar.

- So the three G's, you know, I, I get to the point, I say, oh, I have to go to the pond or I have to go to the goat pen or let me grab my guitar.

And it all three of 'em, you know just have a positive influence on me and just calm me down.

- EG assured me that I would be laughing before I left.

When you see us with her goats, you'll see why.

But she gets serious when talking about the impact nature has on her songs and spirit.

- Nature has a lot to say, and it talks to me all the time.

- What's it saying?

- Well, if it's, if it's thunder and I hear a a little bass guitar in music, you know or if it's even the lightning sounds like a drums like the cymbals crashing, you know.

Or like what we hear now, the breeze coming through the trees is a, is a sweet little tune.

And like, I don't know.

You could just go on and on like the birds.

I mean the birds singing.

- Oh - How, how sweet is that?

- Then she gave me a treat.

Baby goats.

- Hey babies!

What you doing?

What you doing?

- Oh, they're going to look.

Cash!

Little sip!

I told you they're hunting something to, to chew on.

Come here, come here.

I want you to meet these people.

Hi, Sharon, this is Little Sip, she's named after her mama, Sip.

- Little Sip.

Cute as you can be.

- Yeah.

Usually they just run and run and run.

We'll get 'em running.

Okay.

Let see.

Come here, Cash.

- Yes.

- Come here, baby.

- So Little Sip's a girl and Cash is a boy.

- Cash is a boy.

He's named after Johnny Cash.

The man in black.

- Oh look, he's got little horns.

- Oh, he's got little horns.

- Look at you.

- Okay.

Let me see if I can get 'em to run.

Usually they just run and run and run.

- Come on children.

- When EG brings out the bottles, we get some action.

- What was that?

Was that a run or a bounce.

- And now as predicted, I'm laughing.

These baby goats are just silly.

- Come on!

Let's go!

Let's run!

- Come on.

- Come on - Come on.

- Look here what I got.

Look here what I got.

- The way they jump and twist their whole little bodies.

- They jump.

They do flips and twirls.

Come here.

- Should we sit down?

Or hold 'em up?

- You just do it like this.

- They have to be bottle fed because their mother didn't make it after giving birth.

- I guess you were hungry.

Little Sip here is not having any trouble at all.

Tail wagging.

- They wag their tails, when they, when you know they nursing on their mama, they do that.

They'll get every drop.

- Well, I just got some on your face.

I'm sorry.

- Well, I think, I think she took care them.

- There's a little bit.

You wanna try a little bit more?

- I am picking up on the goat thing.

You can't be serious or sad around these animals.

And we haven't even gone to the big goat pen where EG will sing to her goats.

No kidding.

In the afternoon, we'll head to the goat pen.

And if all goes, as planned, EG will sing to the goats.

- How, how are they taken to the guitar?

- Not too well.

That little goat you'll, you'll see him in a little bit.

He tried to eat it.

He and his sister tried to eat the guitar until I would play it.

Then they would kinda run off.

But soon as I quit playing it.

They would come back wanting to wanting to bite the guitar.

And sometimes I can go to the goat pen with it and they'll act they'll come around and act like they're interested.

Then the next time they run.

Yesterday, I went, I went down there and I played the guitar for 'em and they just was nonchalant out there.

Just grazing over there, didn't pay me a bit of attention.

It varies.

- So we don't know what we're gonna get.

- We don't know what we're gonna get.

We may not get much.

- Well, tell me about goats, something that a lot of people might not know.

- About goats?

Well, one of the reasons that, that, to me they're stress relievers.

They're comical.

You cannot be around a goat without smiling.

Goats have their own personalities.

They have their own voicing.

I, I recognize their voices.

They, they don't like to be by themselves.

They go through depression if they are.

- Really?

- Yes.

And, and goats are very observant.

Like a, I can go in the goat pen and have my glasses on.

Well, they don't particularly care for that.

They notice that I have my glasses.

Or if it's cold and rainy, I might have my hoodie on with my hood on.

They don't like that at all.

Or I can take an umbrella in there.

They sure don't like that.

- Well that, what are they gonna make of us?

- Well, we'll find out.

We'll just have to give 'em a little time and let 'em calm down a little and we'll see what they do.

- Time to visit the goat pen.

She has a wide variety of goats and they didn't seem bothered by us.

EG is in her element.

(Blues riff) ♪ Riley B Riley B ♪ ♪ You're just as cute as can be ♪ ♪ Riley B, Riley B ♪ ♪ You're just as cute as can be ♪ ♪ The best thing about it ♪ ♪ You belong to me ♪ Yes, yes.

(Blues riff) Oh.

Pick it.

Pick it Riley B.

- At this point, the goats were calm enough for introductions.

- All right.

All of these have names.

This is?

- That is Cream.

Her sister was Peaches, Peaches and Cream.

And she'll soon be 14 years old.

- Wow.

You pretty old girl.

Yes.

And let's see little black.

- That's Skipper.

This is Cotton-Top.

This is Sweet Pea, she's getting ready to have a new baby.

This is her babies.

This is her Honeybee.

This is my special needs goat, Hank.

He's named after Hank Williams Hank Williams had these lanky legs.

- Yeah.

- And Hank has had really a lot of problems with his legs.

He was born that way, but he's, he's a survivor who works really hard at walking and running and getting by.

He's just been a real inspiration to me and blessing.

- I can see why you love having these.

This would make me laugh every day.

- Oh yeah.

They, they, they just lift you up.

I mean, if you feeling down, you just come down here and they just they'll love on you and, and and you rub 'em and they're just, just absolutely precious.

- Hey, Cream.

- They bring a lot of comfort.

- EG even wrote a book about her goats, 'Things I've learned from a goat'.

Things like be kind and always keep a song in your heart.

And here's a new song from EG.

♪ I been through some tough times ♪ ♪ But found peace of mind ♪ ♪ with a help of three things ♪ ♪ dear to my heart ♪ ♪ They are ♪ ♪ God, goats, and guitars ♪ - Whoa, windy.

- Yeah.

- Oh God.

- God was windy there.

♪ God hears my prayers ♪ ♪ I know he's always there ♪ ♪ My goats have lifted me up ♪ ♪ when life was hard ♪ ♪ and strumming my guitar brings light out of the dark ♪ ♪ Everyone has to find their own way ♪ ♪ Whenever they face their darkest days ♪ ♪ What works for me may not work for you ♪ ♪ But God, goats, and guitars have helped me get through ♪ ♪ When I start feeling down ♪ ♪ I remember how blessed I am ♪ ♪ To have these things ♪ ♪ That have played a big part ♪ ♪ In getting me this far ♪ ♪ God, goats and guitars ♪ ♪ God, goats and guitars ♪ (Goats bleating) (Clapping) - Thank you.

- You may me drop a tear.

- Oh, I just wrote that.

So I was hoping I'd remember the lyrics.

- That was one of the best days I've had.

Entertained by goats and EG, but there's someone else I want you to meet.

She sings opera to cows.

I met Leah Partridge at the farm she lives on, about 30 minutes from Athens.

- I have been singing opera for about 20 years and just I guess in the last 10 years added on the the teaching component and teach out of teaching Atlanta and online now.

So I kind of have more of a reach, which is awesome.

And then I've always loved gardening.

I started working in my uncle's flower shop, when I was 12 years old in Lincolnton, Georgia.

And so I put myself through school doing floral design and doing that sort of thing, weddings.

And as I started traveling for opera.

I would go to the great gardens of the world.

And I just love doing that.

- When you sing, do you think the cows even know what you- - I think that they're all, you know, I have played around with the cows at, from time to time when I'm out there just in the morning time when I'm harvesting in the garden we're out there at the same time.

So having them, you know kind of be a part of the whole process.

It's, I don't know, we're on the same time.

It's like I get up in the morning to harvest my flowers before sunset.

And so I'm watching the sun come up and they're there and then they go off and then I go off during the heat of the day and I do something else.

And then I come back in the evening and they're.

Here they are again, watching the sunset in the same field.

And the that's when I'm kind of doing something else whether it's, you know doing something with bug maintenance or but we're kind of on the, in the same sinking path.

So you- - You and the cows.

- I'm always, yes.

I'm always aware of them.

And they like to chime in from time to time.

They kinda, I heard 'em out there today.

I said they must be warming up knowing what I was getting up to - Mooing.

- Mooing.

- No mooing today just a crystal clear voice ringing out across the pasture.

(Opera demonstration in German) - I think the rhythm of nature and the, the the complete togetherness of nature and that it's always going to function.

Like there's a balance out here.

I think you can find that in your art.

I think if you respond well to what's going on in, in nature, you can apply that to your music 'cause you have to have a balance and you have to have a focus and you have to have kind of a note to note aspect.

I come out here and I have learned thousands of pages of music out here.

And I'm able to do that better here than if I were, you know in a busy apartment somewhere because I can just center in.

I can kinda get into a very focused present place to focus intently for about 45 minutes and then go take a walk.

And then the system and the presence of nature, the, the the way in which everything's just unfolding.

So like when the cows come in in the morning, they're here, they're doing their thing.

They're gonna go away, out of the heat of the pasture during the day.

And then by the end of the day they're back and you know, you've you've completed your own cycle in some way.

That's similar to that.

So there's a patience and a timing, you know, and there's it's such a contrast from being in the city.

Which I love too, but to come out here and to be able to have this place to kind of nurture a creative component to myself and also, you know dig into the difficulties of the music and have that just kind of shut the world out has been just an enormous treat.

You know, I think in some ways opera found me and I know that sounds kind of, you know, esoteric for sure but I grew up singing in church and singing gospel music and country music.

And I loved pop music on the radio.

If I could have been Whitney Houston I would've loved to have done that but I didn't have that style of voice.

So I went off to Mercer university thinking that I would just teach music or I didn't really know, you know.

I didn't grow up going to opera or even to the symphony.

So I didn't really know what there would be there but I had the right people come into my life and say, 'Hey, you should try this'.

And then once I figured out that opera was, you know.

It's like being a vocal athlete.

It's like being a really, you know strong interpreter of like what the voice can do.

Like as a machine, as a expressive part of all of us.

Like I was just so moved that, you know a voice could be heard over a 40 to 50 piece orchestra.

And then once I started to study that I was hooked on the stories and then of course I figured out, well people get paid to go all over the world and do that and dress up in fun costumes.

And I was like, Hmm, I wanna do it.

- So tell me about this little dog who has chosen my lap.

- So this is Bingo.

And Bingo has had a, a wonderful career himself.

He appeared in the Atlanta opera's production of La Boheme, as Musetta's dog in act two.

And he actually had his own little dressing room and his own spotlight.

And he has been a Div-o ever since.

- Oh, I'm I mean, he, he didn't ask permission.

So Bingo?

Bingo, you are quite the hand.

You did not ask permission to sit on my lap.

You just hopped right up and now you made sure that you were gonna get on camera.

I, I, I got your number.

I'm like.

Oh, I just, let me lay down here.

- Settling in.

- Yeah, you've got a great life out here.

I tell you.

Bingo camera left.

(Soft music) When there weren't many opera productions because of the pandemic, Leah developed a garden of flowers to sell.

- This is called jewels of opar.

It's just a wonderful filler to put in your garden.

And you know, it turns these berries.

And then if you wanna dry them, they turn a little dark but you could spray paint them gold and they look really good in a Christmas tree.

- Oh, wow.

- Yeah.

- I mean, so this is just stuff you picked.

- I just picked them this morning.

What we have left coming into the end of the season, some of the celosia feather, which is just so pink and beautiful this year.

And I've got a couple of dahlias coming in down here And this is lemon eucalyptus and that smells so good.

So just a handful of things that are still blooming, but it's, it's, a huge passion of mine to grow.

- So you teach students how to sing.

You grow flowers and sell them.

And you are an opera singer.

- Yes.

Multi-passionate entrepreneur is what I like to call- - I would, I would agree with that.

That's I mean, it, it is so funny.

I, and then with the cows in the background, it's, it's fun.

- It is fun.

- It is fun, very fortunate but I think your dog wants to go home with me.

- Probably.

I think I'm gonna have to have a talk with him - Like EG Kite's land, this farm is a place of peace.

Watching Leah practice with the cows is hilarious and understanding that, just like EG, this is her inspiration.

A place she can sing to the sky, the flowers or the cows.

There is a sense of freedom, when you can develop your skills alone in an open space under the sky - What you sing, what a lot of people sing relates to what we're seeing right here.

- What?

Oh, well.

Think about songs like blue, tall trees in Georgia.

- There's lots of songs.

- Oh, so many songs.

Sunny side of the street, rainy night in Georgia, just so many.

Look.

What about Louis Armstrong?

What a wonderful world.

I see trees of green.

You know, it's just so many songs that, that nature has influenced - In a way, Mother nature is music.

Those are words from Tom Horner.

Part of the EG Kite Trio, he wrote, "It could be said that each of the overtures of our seasons are like a grand natural orchestra playing never ending, medleys and movements.

They are bombastic, soothing, gentle exciting, beautiful, moody, even mad.

That's why performers who watch and pay attention are inspired to sing to mother nature."

- This show has made me think of things a little differently.

In a recent storm, the thunder was so loud, it made me think of cymbals crashing in an orchestra.

Now EG and Leah always connect music and nature.

I'm just beginning to.

I'm Sharon Collins.

We'll see you, next time.

(Soft lo-fi music) (Goat bleats) - Funding for Georgia outdoors has been made possible in part by the Imlay foundation and from viewers like you.