Member Since: 9/2/2006
Band Website: JuliaKentMusic.com
Band Members: Me.
Influences: My influences go all across the board -- from Prince (best concert ever), Chopin (visited his grave), Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles (I cried when he died), Elton John, Carole King, Jill Scott, Patsy Cline, Michael Jackson, The Jackson 5, J.S. Bach, James Jamerson, Eminem (has the courage to speak the unspeakable out loud), Nat King Cole, Bessie Smith, Lil Johnson, Eric Clapton, Marcus Miller, Beethoven, Philly Soul, The Jackson Five, Janis Joplin, Karen Carpenter (what a full, rich, beautifully sad, and precise voice), Sade, Vladimir Horowitz, Quincy Jones, Larry Graham (invented, perfected the slap!, plus that smooth and sexy vox), Toni Braxton (one of the best straight up R&B albums ever), John Mayer, Chaka Khan, Alanis Morissette (You Oughtta Know), Colbie Caillat, folks I’ve played with, folks I’ve hung with, good times and bad times, good luck and bad luck, private instructors like Susan Starr and Jimmy Amadie, and then there’s P-Funk, Earth, Wind and Fire, Aretha, Scott Joplin, Teena Marie, Maroon 5, classic American musical theatre, classic Motown, unsung (and underpaid) soldiers in piano bars and bars all over the world (some of the best music is played in some of the worst places), I just purchased tracks/albums from Herbie Hancock, Brad Paisley, Jill Scott, Sugarland, Amy Winehouse and Justin Timberlake. Amy Winehouse has dethroned Robin Thicke (The Evolution of Robin Thicke) as the artist on repeat play lately with Marcus Miller giving me my daily doses of funk. Tracks from "Hairspray" and "Before He Cheats" (Carrie Underwood) get me going in the morning. The most constructive comment I’ve ever heard was: "When you play like you don’t care about making a mistake you take it to a whole other level." Thanks, Joey.
Sounds Like: The Artist Formerly Known as Julia Vaughters. I guess it's politically correct for an artist to object to this category and just say "I sound like me" but I'm not feeling politically correct. This category is meant to provide a some description to the reader that merely gives a frame of reference if the artist isn't universally known --- so I'll answer by what I've been told by people who have listened to my recordings or seen me live: Sade, Norah Jones, Dido, Cassandra Wilson, some say Roberta Flack, I've even heard Joan Armatrading, Nat King Cole and Eric Clapton . . . It's always interesting to hear, though I'm not trying to sound like anybody. I do strive to reach the level of artistry of my musical influences and heroes . . . so I'll gratefully accept the kudos . . . and be me!
Record Label: unsigned
Type of Label: None