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Katie Eagleson has been singing in the Philadelphia area for over 25 years. Her varied performance experiences have led to a diverse repertoire, but it is in her interpretation of the Great American Songbook where she truly shines. She has the ability to sing with great attention to detail coupled with emotional depth. Fellow musicians, as well as listeners, comment on Katie’s great pitch, diction, and ability to swing. At the same time, her voice has been described as “soulful” and “as though she truly means every word.” As one reviewer put it, “She displays a stunning vibrato that she uses for touching emotional impact.”
When Katie sings, it is clear that she has great respect and appreciation for the composer. Performing songs by the Gershwins, Cole Porter, Stephen Sondheim, the Bergmans, etc., she delivers the lyrics, whether sad, romantic, or funny, with great sincerity. “A song is likely to become a favorite of mine if the words express something I can sing with emotional honesty,” said Katie. “When those words are combined with well-crafted music, I think the impact of each is intensified. And that to me is magic.”
Although Katie studied music and voice at Temple University, Neupauer Conservatory, and privately, her real training began in the family station wagon. “My earliest memory is riding in the car with my mom, singing along with the radio, to a Patti Page song called “Let Me Go, Lover,” except I was singing “Ging Ging Go, Gover” because I was two,” recalled Katie. “My mother taught me and my sisters a lot of songs that we could sing in harmony.” Katie’s early influences include the great singers of American popular song, such as Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, and Nat King Cole. Starting in her teens, she listened to contemporary folk singers such as Joni Mitchell and James Taylor, and later to the eclectic choices of Linda Ronstadt.
Katie began her professional career with a band that did private functions and she continues to work with several local bands in that capacity. She has also been the featured vocalist with two Big Bands. Along the way she has done recording work, singing background vocals, jingles, and demo versions for local songwriters. In the mid-eighties, Katie met her husband, Lenny Pierro, while playing in a band together. A few years later they began working together as a duo and in small ensembles at hotels and restaurants in the Philadelphia area, most notably a two and a half year run at “Between Friends” restaurant at the Wyndham Hotel. It was there that they cultivated the repertoire that eventually led to the recording of her first album.
In May 2007, Katie released her debut CD, “Once Upon A Time” recorded at Grammy Award-winning MorningStar Studios. “Making a record has been something I’ve wanted to do for about 30 years,” stated Katie. “It’s really a milestone in my life and my career. It’s been challenging, and fulfilling, and exciting to record my interpretations of these songs with such great musicians. I appreciated every minute of the experience.”
In October 2009 Katie released her second CD, "On the Other Hand" which is 16 songs by 16 different composers of the Great American Songbook.
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