Miriam McKee

I was born Miriam Faith McKee in October of 1961 in Longview, Washington. I was the youngest of 10 kids, and we grew up poor. I used to go door-to-door selling blackberries at 75 cents a quart. At 17 I graduated early from high school and worked as a nurses aide and got a job as a nanny for 2 small children, room and board plus $25 a week. Then I joined the US Navy and went to Naval Intelligence School, studied radio communications and advanced to Petty Officer 3rd class. I became a Mess Management specialist and worked 16 hours a day aboard the U.S.S. Dixon. At age 19 while still serving my country, I went to modeling school and for a short time to Chef school. I married Edward Ordaz at the age of 21. We had 3 children. I’m a spiritual person and had accepted Jesus as my savior when I was very young. As a teenager I started my prayer life and began to read the Bible daily. After I left the Navy I had trouble finding a job. I had no job skills, and I relied heavily on God. He gave me a sense of peace. Every night I’d pray to the Lord to help me find work; God just kept giving me these songs. And then one day when the words wouldn’t come, I prayed giving God my writing talent, and God, in turn, gave me poems and songs. I finished a book of poetry and have been writing songs for 20 years now. Hopefully, I will release my own album of songs within the next few years. It was a lifelong dream to write and record my song, AMERICA. It’s dedicated to the people of America, to our veterans and our troops.