Raised by a family 'pack of musicians' so a lot of influence there. Others: Cheryl Wheeler, Patty Griffin, Carole King, Stevie Wonder, Linda Ronstadt, Alison Krauss, James Taylor, Dolly Parton (can that woman write a song or WHAT!), Ruthie Foster, Mary Gauthier, Rob Wolf, Pierce Pettis, Aerosmith, Independent performing songwriters who write their own songs, sing them and change the world with their music. SUPPORT INDEPENDENT MUSIC! Thanks!
A REALLY GOOD INFLUENCE: Karen proudly supports
Sounds Like
Most frequent comparisons: Cheryl Wheeler, Linda Ronstadt, Trisha Yearwood, Alison Krauss. But all with a southern lilt.
"AN AMERICANA SINGER SONGWRITER IN THE REALM OF CREATIVITY AS CHERYL WHEELER, MARY CHAPIN-CARPENTER, JAMES TAYLOR AND CAROLE KING"
-MetroPulse, Knoxville, TN
"HEARTY VOICED TROUBADOUR...WOW'D THE CROWD...INSTANTLY A FAVORITE"
-Creative Loafing, Atlanta, GA
When asked what she does, Karen E. Reynolds will always answer,
"I'm a singer songwriter. I write songs and sing them. Occasionally I find time to record a few tunes and release a CD."
Her statement is a bit misleading. True, she does write and sing songs, but it's safe to say that Karen E. Reynolds has made her distinctive mark in the music industry. A staunch independent, Reynolds owns her own label; operates a booking/management agency for independent artists; has national credits to her name as producer, publicist or vocalist; teaches songwriting and music business for the University of Tennessee; is a Mentor/Instructor for the Country Music Hall of Fames prestigious 'Words and Music in Schools' program and is host/program director of Writer's Block, a radio program that airs ONLY independent artists. If that's not enough, she started a concert series like none other in Knoxville, Writer's Block LIVE, as a spin off of her radio program. In short, Karen believes in what she does.
But while this Knoxville native wears many hats (she insists that ballcaps are more her style), she is first and foremost a performing songwriter. She has performed at some of the most prestigious festivals in the Eastern United States, is a regular at premier listening rooms and has shared stages and performance billing with some of the best in the business, establishing herself as one of their peers.
The press labels her with various and sometimes, conflicting descriptions, calling her "hearty voiced" and then claiming her to have the "voice of an angel." Here's the thing...they both fit. Truth is, Karen is a bit different. From heartbreak to humor, her live performances have been likened to an emotional roller coaster, bringing you to tears one moment and hysterics the next. While Reynolds is a consummate entertainer and can command any audience, her lyrics often have a message mixed in amongst the tears and laughter. Her songs level the playing field of human differences, addressing everything from social issues to private demons and cross boundries as mainstream and alternative in the very same moment. Never one to settle for the status quo, Reynolds clearly enjoys the diversity of her audience.
Karen signed a publishing deal in early 2007 which brought attention to her songwriting from both independent and major labels. Now, as a 'free agent' she has a variety of publishing arrangements with other publishers in Nashville. She also freelances as an independent career management and radio promotion consultant for independent artists and major publishers. She has 2 releases to date and is currently working on her third.
To ask her directly, Karen will describe herself as a simple southern girl...and she smiles a lot.
AWARDS, ACCOMPLISHMENTS, ASSOCIATIONS:
WINNER-Out & About Awards-Favorite Musician;
WINNER-Americana Highway HEMI Awards;
"Convince My Heart" Nominated Best Folk Album, JustPLainFolks Music Awards, LA;
Featured Artist: "Cumberland Avenue Revisited-A History of Knoxville Music";
BOARD MEMBER/INSTRUCTOR-ProMusicU; MEMBER-Nashville Songwriters Association International;
LIFETIME MEMBER-Indiegrrl;
MENTOR/WRITER-Country Music Hall of Fame, Words & Music In SchoolsProgram;
MEMBER-Knoxville Arts & Culture Alliance;
PERFORMING MEMBER-Nashville Independent Music;
PERFORMING MEMBER-Just Plain Folks;
Anthem Vocalist: Tennessee Smokies (17 years);
Anthem Vocalist: 1996 US Olympic Baseball Team;
Anthem Vocalist: Immigration Naturalization Ceremonies, Knoxville, TN
APPEARANCES/VENUES:
Eddie's Attic, Decatur GA,
Blue Bird Cafe, Nashville TN,
SOHo's, Washington DC,
Frank Brown Int'l Songwriter's Festival,
Cape Fear Folk Fest, Wilmington, NC
Southern Womyn's Festival,
The Blue Plate Special,
Bristol Rhythm & Roots,
Underground Folk Series, Greenville SC,
Knoxville Pride Festival,
WDVX Camperfest,
Haybarn Rendevous, Dixon IL,
Women's Week, Provincetown MA,
The Moonlight, Birmingham AL,
Charles & Myrtles, Chattanooga TN,
Prodigal Son, Hyannis MA,
Down Home, Johnson City TN,
Malaprops, Asheville NC,
The Mews, Provincetown MA,
Segment of Society Conccert Series, Indianapolis IN,
Atlanta Pride, Atlanta GA,
French Quarter, Nashville TN,
Converse College, Spartanburg SC,
Come OUT Knoxville Festival,
BMI Acoustic Roundup, Nashville, TN
Flora Bama, Perdido Key FL,
The Sutler, Nashville TN,
Women's Night OUT, Northampton MA,
Nashville Songwriter's Festival,
Broken Spoke, Nashville TN,
Millennium March, Washington DC,
Oprah Winfrey's Oxygen Network Nat'l Tour,
Indiegrrl Nat'l Tour
well, it has been a long and winding road, and an even longer time coming, but my debut CD, I Remember, is FINALLY HERE!!! YAY!!!!!
to celebrate, American HeartBeat Records(tm) has arranged a FREE DOWNLOAD of Now Is The Time in exchange for a valid email address. Now Is The Time is a brand new, upbeat song I wrote: we are living in turbulent times. suddenly it is okay to be greedy and heartless? no way! a song of hope for our future, a new vision of America and the world.
we have a bunch of exciting things planned to kick this whole thing off, and we need to get a better picture of who our friends are, so the FREE DOWNLOAD form will ask you a few questions, like, what is your country and nearest major city. it all takes maybe 15 seconds.
Hey Karen - hope all is well over on your side of the screen. We were able to put together a new "music video" to one of our songs, "This Is Love." We're having a lot of fun with it over here and thought that you might enjoy getting to see it, too.
I didn't get a chance to talk to you at The Commodore Tuesday night, but I wanted to tell you, "YOU ARE AMAZING!" Janice Gilbert and I were awe-struck..
New CD: RIPE - THE DIXIE BEE-LINERS' highly anticipated sophomore release, produced by Bil VornDick (Bob Dylan, Alison Krauss, Ralph Stanley) for Pinecastle Records, featuring the #1 single "Down on The Crooked Road."
