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"Kim Person & Lana Puckett write music in the key of life. Their songs speak of ordinary things: relationships, family, love... yet it's the way that Lana and Kim put words together that is earning them recognition." (The Daily Press). Based out of Yorktown, Virginia, four time Kerrville New Folk Finalists Kim Person and Lana Puckett have won many prestigious awards for their vocals, songwriting and musicianship during their fourteen years of performing together. Their music journey together began in 1982 when they won the First Place Country Vocalist Award in the American Song Festival/Columbia Recording Artist Search. This award gave them national exposure, $2500.00 and an all expense paid trip to New York for the video taping of the winning vocal performance. In 1984 they were presented with yet another vocal award for the Best Traditional Female Country Vocalist in the state of Virginia.
But it wasn't until 1985 during a much needed break from the club scene that Kim & Lana began to write songs together. During that break Lana pursued a degree as a graphic artist and Kim worked on staff as a recording engineer at Alpha Audio in Richmond, VA. ...but at night they worked on songwriting. In 1988 those evening sessions proved successful when they were selected as Kerrville New Folk Finalists for renowned Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas. Both performers loved the creative environment that prevailed for singer/songwriters at Kerrville and since that time been selected to appear in the New Folk Concerts again in 1993, 1994 and 1996 as well as being selected for the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Singer/Songwriter Showcase in Hillsdale, NY and The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, TN. In 1986 Kim and Lana formed Cimirron/Rainbird Records, an independent record label specializing in singer/songwriters and acoustic music. Kim continues her engineering work at Wistaria Studio a division of Cimirron/Rainbird, Inc.
In 1993 Kim and Lana recorded and produced their CD Windows of Life with some help from friends Rickie Simpkins on Fiddle and Viola and Brian Wood and Stephen Bennett on guitars. Reviews from Windows of Life can be accessed through Kim & Lana's NOMA home page. Since its release, songs from Windows Of Life have won First Place honors for songwriting from The Austin Songwriters' Group, The Fort Bend Songwriters' Network, The Virginia Organization Of Composers and Lyricists and the West Texas Songwriters' Group, as well as awards from The Louisiana Songwriters' Guild and the Songwriter's Association of Washington. This debut recording has received airplay in the US and overseas. Quotes from radio Dj's can also be accessed through their home page. Their songwriting has taken on many new forms since the release of Windows of Life. Lana and Kim's musical compositions can be heard on radio and TV jingles and soundbeds as well as in documentaries and videos. Their original music score for The Ways of Our Fathers an historical documentary on the Pumunkey Indians won a Telly Award and a Gold Award in the Houston Film Festival. In addition to their vocal and songwriting abilities, Lana and Kim are also recognized as multitalented musicians. Kim is well known for her acoustic guitar playing as well as keyboards and banjo. Lana is one of a handful of female pedal steel guitar players in the country, she also plays acoustic and electric guitars.
There is perhaps no greater honor for a songwriter than to have an established
songwriter perform and record one of your songs. Steve Gillette,
well known and respected for his own songwriting, has recorded for a 1997
release Lana and Kim’s song Cornstalk Pony.
Before he launched a career as a singer/ songwriter, Ron Fetner spent fifteen years traveling the country with various bands and as a solo performer. Ron says "All the travel gave me a wide appreciation and love of American music."
The early years were spent playing guitar, saxophone and piano. As a multi-instrumentalist, Ron was able to perform many styles of music. Originally from the Washington, DC area, Ron spent time at Berklee School of Music as an arranging and composition major before heading off on his musical travels. This included a seven year stint with national touring, Washington based, "Cherry Smash". "Smash" was often an opening act for groups such as the Dire Straits, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Nighthawks, Hall & Oates, and others.
With "Smash", Ron got to know Randy Bums, a New England folk singer/songwriter. "We were both managed by the same guy. I had always looked at songwriting as a group thing. Randy's songs were written for the sake of the song, just a voice and a guitar." That was just the push and direction Ron needed.
After "Cherry Smash" broke up, Ron left the performing music world for a couple of years. Shortly after moving to the Williamsburg/Yorktown area of Virginia and hearing the pure sounds of a local bluegrass band, Ron started writing and performing again. In a short time he started to see some rewards of his craft. Ron won first place/country and finalist/folk in the Mid-Atlantic Songwriting Contest sponsored by Songwriters Association of Washington, DC. Ron started performing again, playing consistently at Nashville's famous "Bluebird", at festivals, coffeehouses, and clubs throughout the country.
With the insistence of fellow songwriters, Ron recorded and released This Box I'm Looking Through a CD project on Yorktown's Cimirron/Rainbird label. The title track was also included on Oasis' Oasisacoustic Series compilation CD. Ron has also had radio airplay success with the songs Chevy Blue, This Town, The Old Man and In America. The Old Man was also demoed in Nashville by up and coming artist, Billy Montana.
It was a long musical journey before Ron Fetner settled in on the joys of songwriting, but it was a road he would gladly follow again.
At forty-four, having recently completed his initial studio recording, you might say that Sam Motley is a “late bloomer.” But what is more interesting is that he had not plans or inclination in that direction two months before the recording project began.
“No one is more surprised about this CD than I am. It’s been over twenty years since I did any serious playing and had never done much writing. Over the few months prior to recording, the Lord had given me a couple of songs that I was happy with and other folks seemed to like. But then He strongly impressed me to record the, so I said ‘Okay, just guide me through it.’”
Sam’s music covers a wide variety of musical styles froms blues to bluegrass, with an emphasis on street-level lyrics, laced with humor and empathy that makes biblical concepts more accessible to Christians and non-Christians alike.
He lives in Gloucester, Virginia with his wife Mary Claire and daughter,
Courtenay.
Bob GramannAlso take a look at Bob Gramann's Web page that contains information about performing at Fredericksburg Songwriters' Showcase
122 Laurel Avenue
Fredericksburg VA 22408
| 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
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January
February March April May September October November |
January
February |
Los Angeles, CA, Songwriters Showcase
Global Music Outlet Songwriters Showcase
The Edinburgh (UK) Songwriters Showcase
Atlantic Community College Singer-Songwriter Showcase Songwriters Showcase
Songwriters, Composers, and Lyricists Association (Scala)Links Page
Send rants/rave
to above mentioned Ackermann at ernie@mwc.edu
FROM the fortune list ...
Poor is the man whose pleasures depend on the permission of another. - Madonna