Yukon restauranteur Antoinette Greenoliph on music that feeds her soul
From Kool & The Gang to Kelly Clarkson, music has always lifted Greenoliph's spirits
This story is a part of a web series called Music that Matters with CBC Yukon's Airplay host Dave White. Dave sits down with Yukoners to talk about music that inspires them.
Music has always been important to Whitehorse restauranteur Antoinette Greenoliph.
It's lifted her up, supported her during difficult times, helped her find her way, and also scared off bears.
In fact, if you're out in the Yukon backcountry this summer and you hear someone belting out Climb Every Mountain from The Sound Of Music at the top of their lungs, chances are Greenoliph is about to come around the corner.
"It's crazy, but it's automatic," she said. "Belting that out is my go-to song, it lifts me up and tells me I can do whatever I need to do."
Greenoliph's next pick is a song rightfully considered a classic: (You Make me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, by Carole King.
"I spent a lot of time in my room listening to music, and of course I had a crush on Carole. I felt she was singing just to me."
Greenoliph said her next pick was something she can't get out her head right now, with all of the things going on in the world. She figures there are probably a lot of people with Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel in their heads.
"This was a song that inspired me and told me I was going to be okay, no matter what I was going through."
For her next track, Greenoliph went back to a difficult personal time for her: high school.
"Grade 12, and I'm on the school council and we got this juke box in the school cafeteria," she recalled.
"I'm the only black kid in the high school, and me and a couple of friends have discovered running away on the weekend and going to Toronto and these clubs, these black clubs, and I'm seeing a lot of black people together for the first time.
"We would put on Kool & The Gang on the juke box and the room would just split ... It was like this little mutiny, five against 500."
Finally, Greenoliph went pop with her final pick and chose Broken & Beautiful by Kelly Clarkson.
"I love that song because we're all beautiful, but there's broken parts to us. All those broken pieces put together make this beautiful mosaic," she said.
"I'd like to think of all of us as these beautiful pieces of art."