| Joni Bishop's introduction to
the world of music began when she got her first guitar at age 9 and discovered the folk/
roots music of singers like Mississippi John Hurt & Elizabeth Cotton.
Not only did the music captivate her, but the faces on the LP jackets as well. It was then
that she began to develop a love for both music & art and to discover her own gifts:
for writing songs, singing, playing finger-style guitar, and for sketching pencil
portraits of the musicians she loved to listen to. Since those early days, Joni's career
as a singer-songwriter has become well established on the American folk music scene. She
has toured extensively throughout the US and in Europe. Her distinctive
songwriting-vocal-guitar style won her recognition in many noted song festivals here
and abroad and landed her a staff-writing deal with Galleon Music Publishing Co. in
Los Angeles before arriving in Nashville in 1989. She was a New Folk winner in the
prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas, has recorded for CBS Records, BWE
Records and released 5 CDs on her own independent label Polestar
Records. Joni's songs have been recorded by other artists as well, among them country
singer Crystal Gayle, pop group 3T, Australian country artist Shanly Dell
and numerous folk artists and bluegrass groups, while her music continues to receive
airplay around the country on Americana, college & public radio.
As a visual artist, Joni had her first solo art show, "Roots, Rhythm &
Gospel", in Nashville in 1998, where she exhibited over 40 of her folk-art
Jazz/Blues/Gospel portraits of some of her most beloved subjects: the musicians and
singers whose music has influenced, uplifted and inspired her through the years –
Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Rev. Gary Davis, and the great gospel singer Mahalia
Jackson, to name a few. Her work has been shown throughout the Southeast United States in
conjunction with her concert tours in places like New Orleans, Memphis & Washington
DC.. Joni is based in Nashville where she continues to write music, record and paint.
Having just completed her 5th CD, Steal Away Home, a folk-gospel CD that
includes her art illustrations, Joni is currently busy working on a multi-media theatre
piece incorporating elements of art, music & film. |
Dan Brayall grew
up in a "Singin’ in the Kitchen" musical family in Maine during the 60s.
While most of his friends were into Rock and Roll, Dan was more influenced by
singer/songwriters such as Cat Stevens, Jim Croce, James Taylor, Gordon Lightfoot, Judy
Collins, Joni Mitchell, etc. He started writing in High School and used his strong vocals
to perform – in Rock and Country bands and as a solo performer
– from Maine to Florida. Throughout the years of being on stage as a singer, he
continued to dabble in writing. He took a long break from the road when he became a father
but continued to perform in local clubs as his kids grew up. He spent some time in
Nashville in the mid-90s, and immediately fell in love with the amazing creative community
of musically gifted people.
Finally, in 1999, Dan made the permanent move to Nashville. He began
to write seriously and after years of doing cover tunes enjoyed going out and singing his
own compositions to the listeners at writer’s nights and local clubs. With several indie
cuts to his credit, Dan continues to write and perform locally always seeking to
improve his ability to match words to music to move and entertain his audience.
Strong vocals are what you notice first about Dan’s music. Then
you’ll notice engaging emotional lyrics as well as good
humor. An ode to songwriting in Nashville titled "Maybe I Just
Suck" became a favorite of the writer’s nights. "The
Scent of You" is also a favorite of fans. A touching tribute to
intimacy. Whether it’s the humor or the thoughtfulness, Dan’s audiences come
away warmed and entertained.
|
Laura Powers sent a rather
brief bio: Her fascination with Celtic mythology led Laura Powers to the creation
of a three-CD series, "Legends of the Goddess," based
on the imagery of the Celtic goddess, released on her own Red Harp Records.
The music from this series has won several awards and her songs have been covered by over
15 artists and included on 7 Celtic compilation CDs.
Her music has been used extensively for the Nashville Public Television
ad campaigns for the last 5 years and "Television Worth Watching"
was nominated for an Emmy and won "Best Ad Campaign"
for Nashville. A recent ad also won "Best Ad Campaign" in a six-state area in
2002, and then won another ADDY award in 2006.
* * *
To add to that., it must at least be added that Laura is a writer of heartfelt and
spiritually centered music, and a master of her craft with something worth listening to.
Come out and hear for yourself! |
