KATHY CHIAVOLA

Saturday 21st April

It is indeed a pleasure to introduce Nashville-based  Kathy Chiavola to a local audience. Kathy makes her Downpatrick Folk Music Club debut on the super DOUBLE BILL concert in Denvir's on Saturday 21st April. Kathy is rated as the "Best Voice in Nashville" - praise indeed in the country music capital of the world. She's sung with Bill Monroe, Garth Brooks, Tammy Wynnette and played with Chet Atkins and other legends

Kathy Chiavola (pronounced "Key ah vo la") is one of the premiere singers in bluegrass and acoustic music. She is at home singing bluegrass, classical, swing, blues, country, and folk styles. In addition, she is a highly acclaimed session singer, voice teacher and recording artist.

Kathy's third CD, "From Where I Stand, A Personal Tribute," has just been released. "This doesn't fall under any genre--it's emotion, raw and rare. It's so beautiful I feel I may never hear anything so eloquent again. There are tunes Kathy and Randy cut before he left us; there are originals; there's one song I heard Kathy and Randy do on many occasions where we all laughed uproariously; but mostly, there's Kathy's voice and the feeling of loss......and unbearable beauty." Ginger Boatwright, recording artist

Kathy's second CD, "The Harvest" features her band, the late Randy Howard, the late Roy Huskey, and Brent Truitt with guests Chet Atkins, Emmylou Harris, Tony Rice, Bela Fleck, John Cowan, Bill Monroe, and Vince Gill. The Chicago Tribune hailed it one of the top five bluegrass CD's of '96. The songs span traditional bluegrass to the contemporary songs of Peter Rowan, Marcus Hummon, John Hartford, Bob Lucas & two originals. Her duet with Bill Monroe is believed to be his last vocal recording.

Kathy was voted 1995's Outstanding Background Vocalist in the Nashville Music Awards and has sung on hundreds of recordings with Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs, Tammy Wynette, Kathy Mattea, Garth Brooks, Emmylou Harris and Bill Monroe. She was the television voice of State Farm Insurance and Country Time Lemonade for several years.

Her country debut, "Labor of Love" gathered unanimous critical acclaim in 1990. It was London's Tower Records' No. 1 country CD for two weeks and reached No. 2 on the UK country chart. Kathy's recorded "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" for Mercury Records' A PICTURE OF HANK and "Won't Be Long" on Rounder Records CLASSIC RAILROAD SONGS, VOL 4.

Kathy continues to tour the US and Europe extensively. Before forming her own group, she toured with The Doug Dillard Band, Vassar Clements, The Country Gazette, Jerry Douglas & Mark O'Connor.

Kathy grew up singing folk, blues and rock in Kansas City, MO and was then awarded a scholarship to the Oberlin Conservatory of Music where she earned B.M. & M.M. in voice. She studied in a doctoral program at Indiana U. with Metropolitan Opera star Eileen Farrell and has sung opera professionally. She is a voice instructor at Belmont University and endorses D'Addario strings. She serves on the board of directors for the Nashville chapter of The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.

Awards

1997 Female Vocalist of the Year, contemporary /Society For the Preservation of Bluegrass Music,1997 Nomination for International Artist of the Year on an Independent label, British Country Music Awards, 1998, 1999 Nomination for Female Vocalist of the Year, contemporary /Society For the Preservation of Bluegrass Music