Freddi Williams Evans grew up among extended family members in Madison, Mississippi. As a child and teenager, she studied piano and traveled extensively in the U.S. with her family. At sixteen years old, she continued her study of piano at Tougaloo College in Mississippi, where she earned degrees in piano performance and psychology. While at Tougaloo, Mrs. Evans participated in a West African study/travel during which she studied the traditional music of Ghana. After college, she studied at Hahnemann University, in Philadelphia, and earned a master's degree in creative arts therapy with an emphasis in music. After one year of employment in Philadelphia, she married and relocated to New Orleans. Growing up, Mrs. Evans frequently visited older relatives who told her stories about their lives. Her writing grew out of a desire to share those family stories as well as the untold and