KELLI GRANT, THE QUEEN OF SWING™: Swings & Sings

Kelli Grant, the Queen of Swing™

Swings & Sings

© 2008 Kelli Grant (821137712327) (format: CD-R)

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The Swing Queen "rocks & swings" literally East & West in a wonderful & eclectic mix featuring covers of Judy Garland to Bob Wills, Goodman to Lymon.

notes

Kelli Grant, the Queen of Swing™
TEXAS STATE MUSICIAN NOMINEE

Kelli's new CD, "Swings & Sings" is a wonderful eclectic mix that "swings" East & West, with a diverse catalog, and career this CD focuses on Kelli, the musician. Recognized and Nominated by her piers for the coveted position of Texas State Musician, the CD demonstrates her versatility as a musician, swinging on several different instruments. She always plays on her CD's but this time we just sat back and turned on the recorder and let her play ... and play she did.

Included is a brand new cut on Kelli’s Texas tribute, “Don’t Mess With Texas” that meets radio format; shorter, 2:38. The previous version was dictated by the Texas Department of Transportation. With the release of this shorter version, Kelli has decided to donate all the proceeds of the “Don’t Mess With Texas” CD to the Texas Department of Transportation and the Texas Music Project. We hope you will add this cut to your play list. As it will stimulate the sales on the previous CD. And remember the PSA’s on your copy of that CD. “Let’s Keep Texas Beautiful.”

But the song everyone is talking about is, “Swing Me Back to Texas” which once again features the talents of a few Former Texas Playboys. Not only a former Playboy but President of the Steel Guitar Asso. is Albert Talley - Steel Guitar, Playboy “60‘s“; Johnny Patterson - lead guitar, Playboy ‘62-’63; Casey Dickens assisted on drums, Playboy ‘59 -’63; and George Uptmor on Fiddle. Although George never worked for Bob Wills, he is highly regarded as one of the best and has worked with a lot of the descendant bands including Leon Rausch and played on the Bi-Centennial CD for the state of Texas.

Of course, Kelli is playing her piano rhythm and left hand bassline which are the foundation to all of her recordings and the backbone of her band. You will also hear Kelli playing some of the most exciting piano rides I’ve ever heard. Not since her own rock-a-billy album, "Honky Tonk Rock" has she play such wonderful, exciting and gyrating leads. She has been known for her piano leads for quite awhile playing like that for other rock-a-billy artist: Mercury Recording artist & Rock-a-billy Hall of Famer, Roy Moss and the legendary, Groovy Joe Poovey. But that's not all she is playing; drums, clarinet, bari sax, organ, banjo and ... whistles on "Walking My Baby Back Home".
R&B legend, Carl Perkins, another excellent musician and Roy Moss took notice of Kelli’s unique piano style and tagged her, "the Queen of Swing," now a registered trademark. Kelli plays an unsurpassed left hand walking bassline coupled with an pulse driving right hand rhythm that “swings“ in the truest definition of the word; thus you have the one & only, "the Queen of Swing."

All of Kelli's CD's have a purpose or their own agenda:

"Softer Side of Swing" - showcases her low, sultry, passionate and extremely captivating vocals (Pop & jazz classics)
"Blues to Me!" / "Don't Mess With Texas" - her songwriting talents, each a completely different genre.
"Swing Like That" - is a salute to Texas Swing featuring several of Bob Wills’ Texas Playboys (Western Swing music)
"Swing 'n Blues" is a reflection of her original revue, "Swingin' the Blues" and as with most of her CD’s Kelli is very happy to showcase the musicians in her band, "the Swing Kings." (Pop, Swing, Jazz standards)
“Honky Tonk Rock” - an excellent presentation of Kelli as a vocalist, musician and songwriter (Rock-a-billy)
Kelli received an “Honorable Mention” from Billboard for her R&B original, “the Way Love Use to Be”

Kelli is on the Mid-America Arts Alliance touring roster with her performance fees subsidized by the National Endowment for the Arts.
http://www.maaa.org/rtp/artists

This is an original presentation by an original artist. I can remember when bands and singers, worked very hard to create their own style and sound. Unfortunately, that seems to have disappeared. Nashville, L.A., New York are all presenting cloned sounds with artist indistinguishable from one another. I’m very happy that we represent such a talented artist; that not only, dreams an idea; but is, competent and talented enough, and determined to produce it and see it thru. Ladies & Gentlemen this is …

Kelli Grant, the Queen of Swing™

Johnny Patterson, Pres.
Silverfalls Records

A note from Kelli:

I have really enjoyed working on this CD. I graduated in music receiving scholarships not only in voice; but also, Clarinet, Stageband (Alto Sax) and music theory. My Mom & Dad made a lot of sacrifices to buy a Buffet Clarinet for my birthday, which was very expensive. I am so glad that I finally took time to play, not only Clarinet but a few of the other instruments I have enjoyed playing in the past. My Mom would have been very proud. I played Eb Clarinet in high school & college concert band, a cute little miniature clarinet, covers the piccolo parts. I also play; guitar, drums, bass guitar, banjo, Alto Sax, Soprano Sax, Oboe and organ, which was my first professional playing job as a musician, church organist. Since I had rather play by ear, it was hard telling what I would play. One Sunday morning a sweet little ol' lady came up and said, "that was so beautiful. What was the name of that song?" I smiled and said, ""When I was Twenty-One" by Frank Sinatra." She never asked me again and neither did anyone else. ;o) One of my favorite instruments is the bari-sax. I once played Bari Sax for the Miss Texas pageant. My first singing job was in a nasty little beer joint in Kilgore, The Capri lounge, a Taco Bell now sits on the spot, 5 whole dollars. Needless to say, my Mom & Dad were not as impressed. Especially, when my name appeared in the local paper. ;o) My Mom’s exact words were, "Oh, honey don't let them put your name in the paper." Was she proud? ;o)
One of my, first purchases was a Farfisa organ which had the bass pedals on the keyboard, 2 octaves. This was perfect since this is the way my Mom had taught me to play because my hands were too small to reach the octave and 10th‘s she played. I have been playing the bass with my lefthand ever since. Who knew at 7, my Mom would give me a signature piano style that would bring such accolades. When I first realized that people were referring to me as a Swing musician, I really didn’t understand why. Like so many, I thought of “swing” as big band music and I normally worked a trio, add a Sax/Clarinet maybe but not a “BIG BAND”. And because of that misunderstanding; on my part, I did not even publicize the tag for many years. But in writing my original revue, “Swingin’ the Blues” I did extensive research. Mainly, for a clever and unique way to introduce the next song on the program. I wanted to know who had recorded the song and who’s who and why the title; Benny Goodman, the King of Swing; Bob Wills, the King of Western Swing; The Count, The Duke & the King of Jazz. With this research, I finally realized that “big band” was only a reference to the entity that performed the music. So … what is “swing”?
Well, I learned there are 3 major characteristics that separate “swing” from other musical styles such as: “the Blues”, a waltz, Cha-Cha, March … etc.
1. "Swing Beat" with the bass drum changing from a 2 to an accented 4 pattern
2. "Walking Bass line" in sync & amplifying the bass drum pattern
3. "riffs" (unison or harmonic rhythms used an accompaniment or lead)“
I have done so much research and written several shows about “swing,” and it’s descendents, which entwines with “the Blues,” that I am considered to be;
somewhat of an expert, receiving an invitation to be a “Table Top Speaker” at the Texas Arts Exchange Conference. With this research, I finally realized why my piano style and why musicians were tagging me, “the Queen of Swing.”
There are a couple of songs also included that are NOT swing but they are very special and personal to me. "One Heart to Give" is a sweet little waltz about my Mom & Dad's life; how they met, marriage of 50 plus years and the grief my Dad suffered; as we all did, when my Mom passed away. It took me along time to write this song as it did for me to record.
The other non-swing number is, "Stand Up for the U.S.A." which was written as a gift to my Dad who served aboard the USS Core Aircraft Carrier. My tribute recitation to the Greatest Generation and our troops, "I Wouldn't Go..." is a FREE download at my website and www.ThreeStarPromotions.net.

~ Kelli Grant ~

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