I was asked by Danise to write a tribute to Wanda Day, a great drummer who was the original drummer for 4 Non Blondes. I've had a hard time finding a peaceful moment to write what I would consider a worthy tribute for such a great musician. But a deadline is a deadline and in this business you learn to just respond, so here goes.

Wanda lived, breathed, ate and slept music. She was a fan of and could play all styles of music. She loved disco and punk rock the most. Three Dog Night was the band that inspired her as a kid to play drums. She loved to listen to records and had a huge collection. She had a very dry wit and cracked jokes constantly. She had a great appreciation for the female species, loved to flirt and "cruise chicks" from the band van. We all did. She was very passionate about everything she did and left an indelible mark on anyone she came in contact with, musically or otherwise.
She grew up in Utah and began playing drums at a very early age, like 7 years old. Lore has it that she got a toy drum kit for christmas and by the end of the day it was beat to shit, so they got here a real one. She was a theatre student who won a scholarship to college by doing a Lily Tomlin monologue. She also played in the orchestra. She spent a lot of time in the Salt Lake City punk rock scene in a band called 004 that recorded for Rough Trade Records. They played Ska and punk rock.
She eventually moved to the bay area and met JaiJai Noire who formed the Lesbian Snake Charmers, which included me and Christa Hillhouse. When that band dissolved Wanda, Christa and I set out in search of a singer to front a new band. And 4 Non Blondes were hatched onto the SF scene in late 1989 with Linda Perry. Wanda and I and her brother Clayton all lived in a house during the 4 Non Blonde years. Clayton was her drum roadie.
I remember the first time I heard Wanda play - which was the first Snake Charmers rehearsal I participated in - and I thought 'jesus, is she gonna break the drums or just explode right there on the drum stool?' I remember the first time we rehearsed with Christa in the Snake Charmers. The whole day I was anticipating her reaction, knowing her mind would be blown. We finally played the first song, and we looked at each other with huge smiles on our faces like we finally had the keys to the kingdom because we were sharing the best kept secret in town. Wanda Day - the baddest female drummer we ever saw; this clean and sober punk from Salt Lake City who nobody knew. I miss playing with her. I miss her evil twin, Jaunita Chavez, who was neither clean nor sober. And I miss hearing her crack a joke, and the sound of her cackle. The laugh of a madwoman making herself laugh harder just thinking about the remark she just made. I miss her impressions of Lily Tomlin. I miss her mohawk dyed "blazing cranberry", and her red converse hightops - a staple feature of her stage wear. I miss her unique fashion sense. I especially miss her amazing t-shirt collection - Ashford & Simpson being a standout.
Wanda taught me a lot about life, about being a musician and not just a player. She taught me how to be mature in an immature environment, where to find the high road, and most importantly, how to forgive. When Wanda left this earth, I felt that those lessons were her legacy, as much as her music. One of my favorite memories is of a spontaneous road trip we took. She and I and our friend Kevin aka "Hagwood B. Hall", went to see Chaka Kahn at Kimball's East in Berkeley. As we were heading east over the bay bridge, we somehow decided that after the show we would go to Vegas. So we did. We arrived around daybreak and had to wait for a room to become vacant, so we went to the hotel restaurant to have breakfast. I fell asleep and awoke to the manager saying, "Hey, you can't sleep here, you are gonna have to leave." Of course I was angry and started to give the guy a bunch of shit, but Wanda diffused the situation and just got up and wheeled out. She was a peace loving person. We finally got our rooms and went to sleep and when we woke up, it was dark. I went out onto the strip and was like, oh my god!! I had never seen Vegas at night. We were like 3 little kids in awe. The memories remain. That's all we have. So, hang on to your brain cells, kids, you'll want them someday.
After leaving the Blondes in 1991 Wanda continued drumming with Malibu Barbi, and then Bad Dog Play Dead. In Late 1992, she had a bad accident and crushed her legs and broke her back, which made drumming very, very painful. She moved out of SF in 1995, spent sometime in Arizona and eventually went back to Salt Lake City.

Wanda passed away July 10, 1997. There was a service in a small town some hours south of Salt Lake City attended by 004 band members, good old friends, family including her brother Clayton and her Mom Carla. We all played a song for her. Wanda is buried in Tropic, Utah.