VANCOUVER -- Living with cerebral palsy and blindness, restricted to a wheelchair, 35-year-old Melanie Krishna does not fit anyone’s preconceived image of a singer-songwriter. But the St. Joseph’s, Langley, B.C., parishioner is not only a member of a community choir and an enthusiastic singer of hymns at Mass, she has also produced her own CD — one filled with joyous, life-affirming songs that she wrote herself.

Steve Bell was ready to face the music: his decade-long career as a nightclub musician was over.