Life and Rhymes

A lifetime expressed through poetry and song lyrics
About the Author: Sandie Thurston is a native of Lorton, Virginia, one of ten children born to John and Hazel Alvey. She grew up listening to and loving all genres of music, and developed an early talent for creative writing. One of her first jobs was as a teen correspondent for the local newspaper, the Potomac News. While in high school, she started writing poetry and dreamed of being a songwriter, but never acted on those dreams. It wasn't until the approach of her fiftieth birthday, or as she likes to refer to it, her forty-tenth, that she decided that she would always regret not trying, so she joined NSAI and set about learning to become a songwriter. Undaunted by her total lack of performing skills, Sandie found a wonderfully talented and kindhearted musician/songwriter/studio owner, Ken Smith, at Lighthouse Studio in Lorton, VA. Ken was able to interpret her off-key mumblings well enough to record her demos, and she started attending Symposiums and Song Camps, learning the craft of songwriting and making wonderful new friends. Although she has written many poems and songs on her own, Sandie has been fortunate to couple her lyrical skills with several very talented co-writers, most recently Frank B. Jones, Jeff Hudson, Sandra D. Williams and Bob Clay. Sandie and Frank B. Jones' song, "He Was", has been performed by Nashville recording artist Shelly Rann at several Memorial Services honoring fallen law enforcement officers, including the 2006 National Police Week Memorial Service held on the grounds of the US Capitol Building in Washington, DC, and the 2007 Fraternal Order of Police National Conference in Louisville, KY. It was also featured at the 2006 Virginia State Fraternal Order of Police Conference Memorial in Charlottesville, VA. Their song "Light A Candle" was played at the 2010 Virginia State Fraternal Order of Police Conference Memorial Service in Richmond, VA. Sandie's first professional cut, co-written with Sandra D. Williams and Bob Clay, was "If It Hadn't Felt Like Rain" recorded by Australian recording artist Billy Bridge and featured on his CD, "Doin' OK". Supporting her through all this is her husband of 25 years, Jerry Thurston. In August 2007, Sandie and Jerry formed their own publishing company, Possum Point Publishing, (BMI). Sandie and Jerry make their home in Dumfries, VA, where they have raised three daughters, Lissa, Ginger and Christa, and a son, James. They have nine grandchildren, Justin, Desiree, Heidi, Cheyenne, Sydney, Morgan, Lauren, Jase and Miranda.