About
For thirty years I was a keyboard player, guitarist, singer, and published songwriter.
As a musician, I performed for our troops in the Indian Ocean aboard the Aircraft Carrier Kitty Hawk, the DMZ in Korea, Subic Bay in the Philippines, Japan, the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, and throughout Europe.
My last USO tour was to war-torn Bosnia in the mid-1990s. I rode to those gigs wearing a full metal jacket and riding in an armored convoy. A soldier risked his own life by leading me down a hill through land mine-strewn turf just so I could use the only restroom facility in the area: an outhouse.
I have also lived and performed in Australia, Canada, China, and what I call the epicenter: Manhattan, the place where I spent ten years gigging and becoming a published songwriter. The CD I recorded at Unique Studios in the middle of Times Square is called State of Being (Lori Fogler) and can be found at https://store.cdbaby.com/
In 2011, at the age of fifty-two, I graduated valedictorian from Southern Connecticut State University. My education and bachelor’s degree in political science was inspired by my dog, Mr. Beebs, who’s also the reason I wrote my book, Mr. Beebs, and the tribute song, “Thank God for Dogs.”
I have since run for state legislature, become a State Council Member/District Leader for the Humane Society of the United States, and have lobbied on both the local, state and federal level for the humane treatment of animals.
As Chair of the Dan Cosgrove Animal Shelter Commission in Branford, I initiated an ordinance that would ban the sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits in retail establishments. That particular fight brought in a big-shot lobbyist from the pet industry and earned me my very first cease-and-desist letter, of which I am very proud. That fight led to wonderful media exposure and the passage of the toughest pet shop law in the country.
Today, I’m the founder of Bark to Be Heard, a not-for-profit organization that gives pet owners a voice. My memoir, Mr. Beebs: One Dog… One Woman… One Mission is our story.
Last year, I went back into the studio and recorded a song that’s a tribute to dogs. The project is coupled with another art form…photography and motion graphics. Together the melody, lyrics and images tell a story about the human animal bond. It’s my way of saying, “Hey look what they do for us …now don’t they deserve our best efforts?” He inspired me to take my love of art and of animals and try to do something really good. Mr. Beebs made me the person I am today.
