SAN DIEGO — Many people live their lives never knowing they've got a secret talent. In this Zevely Zone, I headed to Point Loma to meet a former police officer who found her voice. Carrie Zavala spent a lifetime busting criminals, but it was finally her time to face the music.
"That's me on patrol," said Carrie Zavala who wasn't just a cop for twenty-two years but a gang detective. "That's me serving a search warrant," said Carrie while showing me pictures of her career in law enforcement.
"That's me and my mom," said Carrie. Her mother was a police dispatcher who had three of her children grow up to become officers.
Although Carrie once sang the National Anthem at Petco Park in uniform, she did not consider herself a singer.
"I was not a natural performer. I did not like being in front of people," said Carrie.
But following a bad injury and retirement, the longtime officer who bleeds blue started singing the blues.
"Tell me baby, what's it going to be?" sang Carrie in the original song titled 'Let it Ride'. Her band Zavala Sol features, Bill Salisbury on bass, Karl Dring on harmonica, Jon Price on drums and Mike VanDuyn on lead guitar.
Their sound immediately caught the attention of the San Diego Music Awards. Right out of the gate Zavala Sol was nominated for best new artist by the San Diego Music Awards and Carries was surprised.
"Yes. Very." laughed Carrie. "I was shocked, and I was like, oh this is really happening."
Zavala Sol recently qualified to represent San Diego in Memphis at the International Blues Challenge that will take place in January.
That's where they'll battle it out with the best blues bands in world. When you have a lead singer who used to wear a badge, we figured a background check would be prudent before crossing state lines. I asked Zavala Sol
"Has anyone in this band ever been arrested?" Carrie said,
"I plead the 5th." But there was one hand raised.
"It's always the drummer," laughed Jon Price but because they need a drummer not wearing handcuffs, Carrie let him off easy.
I then asked which was a better feeling busting a bad guy or hitting the high note? "Oh, that's a good one, both?" laughed Carrie before diving into another original song titled 'Get Got'.
You've got to hear Zavala Sol in concert, it would be a crime not to. For more information about Zavala Sol and their upcoming concerts click here.