“She’s only five minutes older than me so she can’t boss me around,” said West Milford resident Priscilla Dane-Toye of her twin sister, Phyllis Garnes. But that’s where the sibling rivalry ends. The twins were born and raised in Keyport. They have one other sister and a brother and they grew up in harmony, in more than one sense of the word. “She has been with me in music all my life,” said Toye, the lead singer in the G.W. Toye and the Blues All Stars’ band. The twins sang and toured with a variety of bands in their early years including with Geoffrey (G.W.) Toye. Although they were all good friends since the age of 21, G.W. was known to fire the sisters on occasion. Each time they swore they would not join the band again. The expression never say never’ applies here. The sisters not only returned to the band, but 26 years ago Priscilla Danes married G.W. Toye. Garnes stayed with the band until health concerns sidelined her in 1980. Over the years their music changed to a concentration on blues and G.W. formed a new band, finding his musicians through magazine ads. In the past they have shared a stage with Chuck Berry and Buster Poindexter, among others. The band currently plays at pubs and inns in West Milford and the surrounding areas and their third CD will be coming out in September. “My husband is my motivator. He’s the leader of the band and he writes all my songs,” Toye said. Her sister supported her through all of life’s changes, babysitting when the Toyes had their children and the band bookings were frequent. The band now plays for the love of music and they all continue with their day jobs. Lead singer, Priscilla, is a call specialist at Chilton Hospital; G. W., band leader and bass guitar player is a construction foreman; vocalist Cactus Jac Fanning works at CNN; Stitch Stanford, rhythm guitar, is a well driller; John Seelbach, drummer, owns an oil company; Mike Ferrara, harmonica player, is a carpenter; Joe Brensinger, electric guitar, works in computer technology. Also jumping in to play with the band on occasion are Doc Corarro, guitar player and chiropractor and Boom-Boom,’ a drumming attorney. Swearing that her sister is the better singer, Toye is delighted that Garnes has started to sing occasionally with the band again. Joining her is her husband, Jeffrey Garnes, on harmonica. It’s a talented, happy family affair. “I love it. The older I get, even with a full week of work, being a wife and a mother, then out until three in the morning on a gig, yet I am so energized the next day. I am lucky to have the gift and so blessed to be able to do something with my husband that we both enjoy.” When not working or rehearsing in the studio that she refers to as the chicken coop, Toye is into exercise and holistic living. “I’ve used up all of my lives walking on Union Valley Road,” she said of her daily morning treks. A visit to the health food store, in Toye’s words, is like a shopping trip to Macy’s for other women. She is proud of her children. Rachel, age 25, is currently going for her master’s degree in English and 18-year-old Geoffrey will be going to William Paterson University this fall, majoring in environmental science, a subject close to his mother’s heart. Toye also lives a faith-filled life, saying that her religion and her church mean every bit as much to her as her music. She is a member of Saint Joseph’s Rosary Society and her sister is currently the organization’s president. They both attend Mass every Saturday morning to pray the Rosary. A visit to the band’s web site, www.gwtoyeblues.com , details their play dates and with a click of a button a sample of Toye’s talents can be heard. A faithful supporter of organic produce, Toye submitted a healthy recipe from her kitchen. Zucchini Relish 10 cups ground zucchini 4 cups ground onion 2 green peppers, ground Put in blender to grind, then mix together Add 5 tbsp. of salt and soak overnight Next morning, rinse in cold water and drain Add 2 ½ cups of vinegar 4 cups of sugar 1 tsp. tumeric 1 tsp. pepper 1 tsp. celery seed Cook for 30 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking Jar and seal