Monica Ramey

"Now that the trend of aging rockers cutting albums of show tunes and standards seems thankfully to have run its course, were back to vocalists with a real feel for and understanding of the jazz tradition doing them justice. Nashvilles Monica Ramey is a shining example. Her excellent release Make Someone Happy offers resourceful, soaring and engaging interpretations of material from The Great American Songbook." -Ron Wynn, Nashville Scene This kind of reaction is a reoccurring theme in the case of Midwest native Monica Ramey and artists like Donna McElroy, Jim Ferguson, Denis Solee, Jeff Steinberg, Lori Mechem, Roger Spencer, George Tidwell, Sandra Dudley and Beegie Adair are just a few who are singing her praise. Monica is a native of Francesville, one of Indiana’s smallest towns. The youngest of three children, her father is a retired farmer and her mother a retired music teacher. As a child, Monica would sing and dance on stage with her mother’s high school show choir, and at the age of 3, she stood on the grand piano at the school’s cabaret and performed Tomorrow from the musical, Annie. By the age of 11, she had become well known in Indiana after starring in several local and professional Broadway musical productions. As a teenager, she studied at the Los Angeles County High School of the Arts, and in 1995, Monica was selected to become a member of the GRAMMY National All American High School Jazz Band and Choir. This break would become one of the most important opportunities in Monicas life. Being one of 12 selected nationally for the choir, Monica had little jazz experience, but while performing with some of the music industrys finest, she discovered the impact of jazz music in her own life and in our society. The responsibility all performers have to its preservation and authenticity left a profound and lasting impact on her. Monica studied Music Performance at Indiana State University and was a member of the ISU Jazz Singers. She became a favorite singer among many faculty members and even the President of the university. This led to many performances at university functions and sporting events. She interned for the NARAS Foundation in Los Angeles, where the preservation of jazz music became a focal point of her responsibilities. In 2000, she moved to Nashville to pursue her singing career, where she discovered the Nashville Jazz Workshop. NJW has given Monica the opportunity to study under some of Nashville finest musicians including Lori Mechem, Roger Spencer, Sandra Dudley, Beegie Adair, Jeff Steinberg, Rod McGaha, Jim Ferguson, Roy Agee, Annie Sellick as well as create a family away from home. On her debut album, Make Someone Happy, Monica is joined by the Lori Mechem Trio and special guest, Beegie Adair. This special project hosts many standard tunes with horn arrangements by Denis Solee and two original tunes by Lori Mechem, Beegie Adair and Hal Stephens. Produced by Lori Mechem, Roger Spencer and Sandra Dudley, the album captures the finest example of Monicas musical capabilities at this point in her career. Make Someone Happy is receiving international airplay on jazz radio, Pandora, Music Choice and DMX to name a few. Her much-anticipated second album, Monica Ramey and the Beegie Adair Trio, accentuates the undeniable chemistry of one of the world’s most successful jazz trios (Beegie Adair, piano; Roger Spencer, bass; Chris Brown, drums) with a vocalist (Ramey) who elegantly interweaves lush, lyrical sophistication to an already immaculate musical conversation. Produced by Adair and Spencer, the album also features on two of the trio and Ramey’s most endeared musical mates, jazz masters George Tidwell and Denis Sole, on several tracks. The result is the introduction and re-introduction of some of jazz’s most beloved and forgotten songs and the introduction of an original tune, co-written by Adair. Monica performs regularly in various venues, festivals and private events throughout the U.S. including the legendary Birdland, Nashville Jazz Workshop, F. Scotts and many others. When not studying or performing, Monica enjoys spending time with her friends, her family and volunteering for the Nashville Jazz Workshop. Monica also supports the Man & Woman of the Year campaign for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. - See more at: http://www.monicaramey.com/introduction/#sthash.Ty0YxY8m.dpuf