> Back to the 'Legacy' page
 |
|
Adrienne Kirkey |
 |
www.eaglecanyon.com
|
|
Adrienne's love of music goes back practically to birth.
Indeed, her parents originally met because they shared the
same voice coach. Her father was a choir director, and her
mother a member of the original Orange County Choraliers.
Adrienne began singing with the local children's choir when
she was six. As a teenager, she taught herself how to play
guitar, and dreamed of becoming a recording artist one day.
The realities of raising her daughters and earning a living
put those dreams on hold.
Through it all, music remained an important part of her
life. It gave her a way to cope when times got tough. By the
late nineteen eighties, Adrienne was back on-stage as a choir
member and a big band soloist, with a desire to write and sing
her own songs. That dream was very much alive.
With urging from family and friends, she began writing songs
and performing at local coffee houses on "open microphone"
nights. It was here she began to develop her unique
storytelling style. |
After a year of live performing, Adrienne was surprised to discover that
she had a core of enthusiastic fans. Paid engagements began to follow,
while local charities sought her talents for fundraising events, and fans
clamored for an album. She teamed up with husband David and formed Eagle
Canyon Music, an independent recording studio located in Coto de Caza,
California.
David set to work on Adrienne's first collection of recorded original
songs. Drawn from street violence, world news, and the confidences of
friends, these songs cover the breadth of the human condition.
Her listeners frequently remark on her sensitive and passionate
interpretations of music, commenting, "You made me cry - I really felt
that song inside." Adrienne's response is remains the same - a smile,
heartfelt thank you, and the quiet response, "Well, if the music spoke to
you, then I did a good job."
In her first CD project Colors of Survival, Adrienne sings these stories
in a style that is both introspective, and also universal. Since the
release of Colors of Survival, her unique storytelling style has developed
to include subjects ranging from patriotism to personal faith in God. In
her new Eagle Canyon Music release, The Child In My Heart, David and
Adrienne brought together a creative group of musicians to help interpret
her stories in song. In her national award-winning song Sally Ann Adrienne
tells the poignant story of a young mother waiting for her husband to
return home from war. Sally Ann is just one example of the outstanding
music found on The Child In My Heart.
The Child in My Heart includes nine original songs written by Adrienne.
Included on this CD are two songs written by legendary Canadian Folk
artist, Stan Rogers and one by Steve Gillette & Rex Benson, along with the
perennial traditional Danny Boy.
|
|
In Her Own Words...Thoughts on Stan Rogers' Songs |
Several years ago, a friend of ours named Richard came to hear me sing. He
said, "Boy, I sure like your stuff. You know who you would like? You would
like Stan Rogers - you would do a great job with his songs." Richard
loaned me all of the CD's he had, and I was hooked! "Another Candle" and
"Lies" Immediately became part of my playlist.
In another part of my life, I am a Quality Management professional. One of
the “tools” we use to measure how well things are going is called
“benchmarking,” in which something is compared to a standard of
excellence, known as a “benchmark.” Stan Rogers is one of my “benchmarks”
for good song writing. He tells stories well. His stories have a
beginning, middle, and an end, yet they are timeless, universal, and
cyclic. Stan’s songs draw the listener into the story, wondering what will
happen next. Above all that, they are strong, rich and colorful musically.
I see his characters – I know what they look like. I smell the Canadian
sea, though I have never been there. I feel the wind in the movement of
the instruments. Stan Rogers has given a great gift to those of us who
strive to write great songs, because his songs are wonderful to sing, and
wonderful to learn from.
When choosing songs for my New CD "The Child In My Heart," we decided to
include "Lies," because it fit with our themes of hope, family, and
strength. Then we heard "Lock-keeper" and knew it was another wonderful
story that had to be on the project. Our goal was to capture the feelings
that we heard in Stan's live performance recording, maintaining that Live
Concert feeling with our versions of "Lies" and "Lock-keeper." Listen to
the samples here and let us know what you think.- Adrienne Kirkey |
 |
|
Audio Downloads: |
|
Lockkeeper
Lies |
|
|
Back to the 'Legacy' page
Home |
|
|
|
|
|
|
More Fan Stuff! |
|
Looking for downloads, trivia, and other goodies? Check
out our fan page! |
|
Get more fan
stuff |
|
The Music of Stan Rogers |
Stan's recorded legacy continues to teach us of the
Canadian experience and entertain us in the process. |
|
Songs & albums |
|
