Laura Pursell

Music has always been a part of my family and life. I was raised in Nashville and my father is composer, pianist-arranger Bill Pursell, who became nationally-known in the 60’s when his era-defining piano instrumental “Our Winter Love” reached 7 on the pop charts. Dad recorded on hit sessions with Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Chet Atkins, Marty Robbins, Boots Randolph, and Bob Dylan, to name a few. I moved to LA and recorded my first full-length CD, “It Had to Be Swing”. Produced by Grammy winner Rusty Higgins and featuring a number of LA’s hippest jazzers, it debuted in 2000 and featured swinging standards like “Skylark”, “The Song is You”, and “Almost Like Being in Love”. The following spring, I recorded the country-flavored singles “Am I Naïve” and “Let it Rain”, which were given generous airplay on country stations in 35 states. Encouraged, we went back to the studio and recorded a collection of pop/country songs by some of Nashville’s most prolific writers, and the result was “Unkissed”. In 2001, a single from that album, “What Only Love Can Do”, was released and charted on FMQB and was picked up by Billboard's "Impact Airplay Monitor". That year, went back into the studio for yet a third album of Christmas songs, under the helm of Rusty Higgins. This ambitious project was a collection of Christmas standards and a few original tunes, all with unique, danceable arrangements, and recorded with both a horn and string section. “That’s What Christmas Used to Be” (the title track) was released to radio in time for the holiday season. My dad actually arranged it and played on the cut. It played in all 50 states and can still be heard on radio every December. I just finished a new album of original material (a first for me)! I collaborated with Andy Bonime (who wrote the music), and I wrote all the lyrics and sang on all the tracks. The album, called "Somewhere in This Room", will be released Sept. 18, 2007. But until then, selected tracks are available for purchase through Snocap.myspace layouts for Get this layout for your myspace page.