About Me
Born and raised in Eastern Kentucky, Julie Reeves started singing in a country band at the age of fourteen. The band played at fairs and festivals around the region and was known as "Kentucky Blue". Julie was the lead singer in the trio that consisted of her mother, Rosemary and their friend, Danny Craig. On April 4, 1994, Julie moved to Nashville at the age of nineteen. After about six months, Julie started singing demos for some of Nashville's most talented songwriters. It was only a matter of time before the right person heard her voice on one of those demos and offered her a record deal. That person was Scott Hendricks, CEO of Capitol Records Nashville. Scott signed Julie in the fall of 1997 and they started recording in the fall of 1998. Shortly after Julie finished recording the album, Hendricks left the label to start Virgin Records Nashville, sister label to Capitol Records Nashville. Julie was the first artist signed to that label. "It's About Time", produced by Hendricks, was released in 2000 by Virgin. That year Julie received an ACM nomination for New Female Vocalist and also performed on the show.The new label released three singles from the album, including the title track, "It's About Time", "Trouble Is A Woman" and "What I Need". Though none of the singles reached number one status, "Trouble Is A Woman" and "What I Need" quickly became Top 40 singles. "Trouble Is A Woman" became a popular tune to dance to in country bars across the nation and was the number one dance song in the country for several weeks in a row. Scott Hendricks had plans of recording another album with Julie, but despite all the momentum, it wasn't enough to keep the label afloat. Virgin records announced that it was closing it's doors in 2001. Julie continued to pursue other opportunities but never landed anything that could continue to build on the little success she had in that short time as Virgin's "flagship artist" and catapult her to the next level in her career.Time passed and life happened. Julie continued writing songs and making a living singing demos for songwriters and hoping for another door to open. In March of 2003, she married her friend of many years, country comedian Cledus T. Judd (Barry Poole). On September 11, 2004, they brought a little girl named Caitlyn Rose Poole into the world. Julie looks at the birth of their daughter as an eyeopening experience and a good reason to start pursuing a career in music once again. "She has been such a blessing to me. She truly saved my life. The love I have for her has made me want it more than ever now. I want to do it for her more than anything", says Julie. Although she and her daughter now reside in Julie's hometown of Russell, Ky, she is making frequent trips to Nashville. With a strong desire in her heart and her little girl as her inspiration, Julie says she won't give up. "I want Caitlyn to be proud of her mom and to learn that dreams can come true with hard work, perserverance and a positive attitude. It's better to have tried and failed than to not have tried at all and never know what might have been", she says.Recently, Julie's song "Trouble Is A Woman", was sang by Melinda Doolittle on American Idol. You can watch the clip of Melinda singing it on this page. Julie recalls, "I was in the studio in Nashville and my friend came running in and said, 'someone is singing your song on American Idol!'. I thought she must have had the song confused with something else. I walked downstairs only to find that she wasn't confused at all. Thank God for TIVO because I wouldn't have believed her! I almost passed out! I thought it must be a sign!"At 33 years old, Julie definitely has alot to sing about. Her new song "I'm A Survivor" written by friend Jo Dee Messina, pretty much sums it for Julie. From the ups and downs of the music business to becoming a mother, Julie sings this song from experience and from the heart. The song "Single Point of View", written about a single mom, is something she relates to very well being a single parent herself. Julie says, "I feel that everything I have been through and every mistake has been a blessing. When I sing these songs now, it's a different feeling because I have lived what I'm singing about and I feel that I can connect with people on a totally different level than before. I want the words I'm singing to touch people's hearts and you can't do that if you've never experienced what you're singing about. Most of my favorite songs became my favorite songs because they made me feel something. I want to make the audience feel something. And you can't do that unless you're singing with that confidence of conviction that only comes from experience and maturity."There is no doubt that Julie has what it takes to become a successful country music artist. With a positive outlook and high hopes for the future, it is only a matter of time before Julie Reeves makes her mark in country music once again. This time to stay!(End Poverty Banner)
