Sing along with Anna Banana

Anne Leslie Tijerina of Marshall sang in Nashville and Carnegie Hall.  She has recorded albums of her upbeat music. 

“I call it family gospel country,” says the talented musician.

She sang and recorded for years with her dad, Bill Monigold, calling themselves The Daddy Daughter Duo.  The lyrics to one of their songs go like this: Daddy’s still fishing with a cane pole and he’s still bringing them in.  They wrote much of their music.

Two years ago, after a career as an occupational therapist, Ann started entertaining children, singing the songs she learned as a child.  She gets the kids singing all verses of familiar tunes like this one:

“Row, row, row your boat gently down the lake

Don’t stand up and rock the boat.  That’s a big mistake.”

When she performs, she wears a pair of yellow overalls and calls herself Anna Banana, a name she acquired while doing volunteer work in Houston wearing a pair of yellow overalls.

“We were mostly working with Hispanic young people, and - since my name is Ann - they started calling me Anna Banana.

She also performs wearing a blue Hawaiian shirt with a banana design pattern.  When she’s on her way to a gig, people notice her.

“Try wearing it in the airport going to New York this past summer.  It brought a lot of smiles.  That’s really what it does.”

In her appearances at museums, libraries, and schools, she fits the songs to the audience.

“While I was doing an educational experience with some urban kids in Houston, one of the songs was She’ll be Coming ‘Round the Mountain.  The curious youngsters would ask, ‘why was she coming around the mountain,’ and ‘why was she driving six white horses?’  One said his grandmother did not have a wagon and horses.  I asked him what his grandmother drove, and he replied, ‘a red Camaro.’  I asked how she got to his house, and he said, ‘the Beltway.’  So, we sang, ‘she’ll be coming ‘round the Beltway when she comes.’  We made it, so they could relate to it.”

Anna Banana has written about 25 songs and is working on more. She sings and plays the piano and keyboard and is trying to learn to play the harmonica.

I asked Anna where she got her yellow overalls.

“Goodwill,” she said with a smile.