We’ve all been there, out for a ride when the skies open up and it begins to rain. Now imagine, you’re on a country road with the oil and grease from several days of great weather bubbling to the surface. You know you’re going faster than you should, but what the hell. It’s been a terrific ride so far and you’re only a few miles from home.
As you approach a bend in the road your senses tell you your speed is too high. You tap the rear brake to slow down only to feel it begin to slide on the greasy surface. You make a quick correction, only this time, it doesn’t seem to help. The bike begins to fishtail and eventually you lose it. You go down. You and your riding buddies hear that revolting “THUD”. If you’ve ever heard that sound before, it sickens your stomach just to think about it again.
You open your eyes as they’re sliding your gurney into an ambulance. You can tell by the look on the paramedics faces that something is terribly wrong. You’re in and out of consciousness as the ambulance races to the hospital. It’s there that you find out you’ve fractured your skull in seven places.
But, you’re a tough bitch. Not only do you survive, but while you’re recovering, you instruct the mechanics to do a few things to your bike to make it faster. A few months later, you’re back on the bike and riding with the wind in your hair again.
That’s the story of Dilana. Born in South Africa, she used music to escape a turbulent household. While her parents argued at home, she took her younger brother and sister for walks and calmed them by singing hymns. By 15 she left home and at 16 dropped out of school to join a friend singing in bars and weddings.
She bounced around between South Africa and Holland pursuing her music. She worked her way through a series of life’s pitfalls dealing with alcoholic band members and the violent death of a dear friend. But, through it all, she remained true to her music. In some ways, all those troubles early in life made her tough enough to handle a fractured skull.
Eventually, she made her way to the U.S. and has been entertaining audiences in the Houston, Texas area for the past few years. She’s planning a tour of the U.S. later in 2006 with her musical soul mates Margaretha Klein and Jeff Zwart. They plan to travel all over the U.S.
That’s where all of you come into play. If you know of a place she should play, let her know about. If you’re a manager of a bar or other venue, or know a manager that should book her, tell them about her. I know the biker community takes care our own and this is one tough biker chick who deserves our help.
You can find out more about Dilana at her website at www.dilanarox.com. You can listen to some of her original music, see pictures of her performing, and find her email address there. Margaretha, or Marge, as she is called by her friends, also has a website at www.margarethakleine.nl. The site is in Dutch, but even if you can’t read Dutch, you can find your way around to hear some of her music and enjoy her pictures. So, go check them out and find these beautiful ladies some gigs.
Dilana is in the Middle East right now taking a vacation and will be in the studio in Holland recording a new CD with Marge and Jeff through the middle of March. After that, she’ll be back in the Houston area blowing away audiences there until they begin their U.S. tour. If you live in or near Houston, I highly recommend you check her out live and in person.
By the way, that repaired bike of Dilana’s is an H-D Super Glide with a Wide Glide front end, that she calls her Super Wide Glide. It’s been lowered 5 inches to accommodate her tiny frame. And, most importantly, she’s still riding today even after her horrific crash. She is one tough biker, one gorgeous babe, and one helluva singer!
