She was always ready, ready, ready, to rock and roll. She'd experienced some bumps in the road before she got to the valley and did a short bit in some joint, which she sang about in her hillarious 'Bull Dogger Blues'.

Her drawings and paintings are full of feeling and expression that are right up front, hiding nothing. What you see is what you get.

She was as generous as could be. For a while her place was known as Li'l Dawn's Heartbreak Hotel, where the walking wounded, limping along from bad break-ups and divorces could find refuge and stitch themselves back together.

Last few years she had a hard, hard time. All by herself, moving down the road, trying to find a way to get along.

She deserved recognition, and suffered, like so many artists do, when that recognition turns out to be elusive. But she knew the essential thing that artists need to know, that being, 'keep on making art'.

All told, she gave a lot more than she received.

She deserved better.