Member Since: 10/18/2006
Band Website: toniredd.com
Band Members: .. -- -- CDBABY LINK for TONI REDD: Straight From The Heart --
Influences: When I was growing up, my influences were the people my mom and dad listened to. Music has always been a very important part of my life. It became an escape for me at an early age. A lot of people don"t know that I use to play guitar . My mom bought me an acoustic and an electric guitar. I took lessons for three years. I had recitals and the whole nine yards. If I knew then what I know now, I would have kept playing but, I put that passion for music into singing and writing songs. By the age of fourteen, I won a singing contest in Atlanta. I eventually relocated to Dallas Tx,( where I went on to win another singing competition sponsored by Coors L:ight and The Dallas based smooth jazz radio station, The Oasis,winning the title Best Jazz Vocalist in Dallas). That is when I realized that God had blessed me with the wonderful gift of song .Every saturday in my household was clean-up day. My dad would play James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Commodores and Smokey Robinson to name a few. .These were the people he loved. On Sundays after we came from church, my mom would play her favorites and they were Nancy Wilson, Sarah Vaughn, Dionne Warwick, Marvin Gay Carmen Mcrae, Jimmy Smith and Ella to name a few so, I was influenced by the greats. I thank God for my mom and dad and I thank them for bringing me up the way they did with lots of encouragment and exposure to a great musical heritage. Some of my musical heroes are as follows... Nancy Wilson, Al Jarreau, Chaka Khan, Kirk Whalum, Take Six,Sting and Rachelle Farelle just to name a few. I love so many people that I would run out of space so I just named a few.. But my greatest inspiration of all is "Jesus Christ" my lord and personal savior. I love him with all my heart and soul cause without him I cease to exist..
Sounds Like: I don"t know, you tell me. But, I think I sound like Toni Redd.
Record Label: unsigned
Type of Label: Indie