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Management: Tunnell International - 208-921-4179
BIO
DENAE GARDNER’S THIRD SINGLE
SET FOR RELEASE ON JANUARY 30, 2012
4D recording artist Denae Gardner’s music is Country, is very fresh and current sounding, and her love and respect for Traditional Country is obvious. There’s no doubting that. Take a listen to her recent radio single “Heartache Train” or her latest, “My Love Will Not Change,” and you can hear how unique her talent is. But, at the same time, the Idaho-based singer has a deep appreciation for what has come before her. She feels that’s important.
“You have to appreciate where music came from,” the stunning 20-year-old songstress says. “That’s a really big thing with me. That’s why I listen to so much of the old stuff. It’s all related. Music, as we know it today, came from Country and Blues. Obviously, I know they are different sounding, but I just love it all.”
Her love of the “old stuff” goes back to childhood.
“I listened to Classic Country at my grandparents’ house, but also grew up on Classic Rock with my parents. So I kind of have both of those influences. I listened to a lot of the Beatles when I was very young. I also listened to a lot of older Traditional Country, which is a lot of what I listen to now,” she says, with the passion echoing in her voice.
It was the legendary band Led Zeppelin that was one of her biggest influences growing up, as she recalls.
“What really inspired me to want to get involved in music as a career was that I watched a live DVD of Led Zeppelin when I was in the eighth or ninth grade. Watching that really inspired me, and then, I heard the music of Etta James. That’s when I knew that’s what I wanted to do the rest of my life.”
Gardner blends those sounds all together into a style that she calls “Rockin’ Country with a Blues/Bluegrass twist.” That style is very much in evidence on such tracks as “My Love Will Not Change.” She began perfecting that sound while a pre-teen, while living in California. Her father booked her to perform the National Anthem at car and motorcycle races. After moving to Boise with her parents, she formed a band that played many events in the Idaho area, including several High School events, as well as clubs.
Denae’s management company, Tunnell International, introduced her to producer David Z. She was thrilled to be able to join forces with the legendary and highly-respected David Z in the studio. As a producer, David’s credits speak for themselves. He’s sat behind the glass on projects by such artists as Prince, Eric Clapton, Jonny Lang, Tim McGraw, and even Etta James, one of Denae’s all-time favorites. She’s well aware that’s not a connection that one makes every day, and is grateful for the opportunity.
“Having David Z as a producer has catapulted my career, and helped me so much,” Denae said. “He’s such a great producer, and has all these wonderful contacts, and that’s why I’m able to get all of these wonderful players. That’s what makes it so great.”
One of those players is the legendary Al Perkins, who has played with Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, and the Eagles, as well as another huge Rock band that Denae knows well.
“I’m a huge Classic Rock fan, and he played with the Rolling Stones. He told all these old stories. That just floored me. I thought that was so cool!”
Gardner has been out and about during the first half of 2011, putting names and faces together on her first radio tour to promote her first single “Runaround.” The tour, which took her to forty radio markets in a two month period, is a vital part of getting an artist noticed by radio. Denae says the importance of getting to know the Music Directors and On-Air talent can not be underestimated.
“That was very important to me. I had a blast,” she said. “I’ve never actually been able to travel throughout the Country, particularly in the south. People were really nice, and they seemed to enjoy what we were doing. Having that opportunity to go out and to meet programmers, it’s kind of old school, but I think it’s really important. You’ve got to get out on the road, and make those connections.”
She definitely made quite an impact on the listeners and radio stations, as her “Runaround” picked up several additional adds due to the exposure. In some cases, live performances of songs she did on the radio tour, like “Sky Is Crying,” also netted airplay, as well.
Her second single “Heartache Train” rose up the Country Charts to #87. As “Heartache Train” move across the Nation on Country radio she performed a number of outdoor shows over the summer including The Boise Music Festival which drew 75,000 people and featured Joan Jett.
With a new single “My Love Will Not Change” set to impact radio, Denae is in this career for the long haul.
“I know it’s cheesy, but I just want to be successful. I just want to continue to build. I don’t expect to have an outright, huge hit, but I just want to keep building in a positive direction, developing a fan base, and getting a little more popular with each single. I just want to get out and inspire people with my music.”
After all, that’s the way that artists like Blake Shelton and Country Music Hall of Fame member Reba McEntire built their careers, and she admires that blueprint that they chose for their careers.
“I think that is true longevity. I would rather take the smaller steps, but always in a more positive direction. I would love to have a career like either one of theirs.”
Denae wants to carry the torch for artists such as McEntire, Loretta Lynn, and Connie Smith, who kept the ‘twang’ in their music.
“It’s really important to me that we keep Traditional Country flavor in our songs. I grew up with Traditional and Classic music, and I really want to keep that strong.”
If you ask her about her biggest influence, you might be surprised. When asked what performer she would most love to sit down and seek their career advice, she said
“Hank Williams, III, hands down. I would love to sit down and have a conversation with him. I love what he stands for. I would love to ask him about how he has kept his sound so traditional.”
She also hopes to bring out the emotions in her music to the listeners, and if her music inspires them, she knows the feeling.
“That would mean the world to me. I have wanted that for so long,” she says.
Denae says that as much as she loves recording, she really wants to take her music out on the road to the people. That’s where she feels right at home.
“Being in the studio is a blast, but to really see me, you’ve got to see a live show. I feel music rushing in my blood. I just let it all out on stage. I move around a lot, and I know that as long as I am having a good time, I know the audience is having a good time. I know that when I go to concerts, I love it when I can forget about the world for about two hours. I want to create that for people, where they will forget about anything that is troubling them.”
So, when listeners hear “Heartache Train,” on the radio, what exactly would Gardner want people to think about her?
“I want them to think that this girl has genuine talent, and really feels what she is doing, and that’s she is sticking to her roots. I just want them to appreciate it!”
