Kata Rhe Gillispie was born into country. With rhinestone-encrusted maternity stage clothes, Kata’s mother performed a s lead singer while her father played bass in a local country –western band out of Georgetown, Kentucky. They played in a variety of venues that ranged from Roadhouse-style pool halls to Sunday night socials. As an only child, being brought into the world by musicians meant that she spent her earliest years on the road getting spoiled by the band as she traveled with her parents.
At the age of five, Kata has memories of being mesmerized by Louise Mandrell as she sang and played the fiddle on the Mandrell Sister’s variety show. At that moment Kata decided she too, wanted to play the fiddle the way Louise could. By the age of sixteen, Kata had fiddled and clogged her way into the spotlight. She and her parents decided to form their own band and Kata’s father assumed bass position while her mother took a backseat as a manager, and let Kata sing lead.
At the age of nineteen, Kata approached the Charlie Daniels’ tour bus at a concert and bravely entered for the sole purpose of asking Charlie himself if she could perform with him on stage. Followed by some some witty banter between the two, the conversation ended with, “Do you know the ‘South’s Gonna Do It Again’?†That night, Charlie reluctantly invited Kata on stage with the best introduction he could give to a young girl he had just met before the show.
Charlie was taken with her talent and the rest is history; She’s been playing off and on with him ever since, only driving her harder to pursue her dream for a career in music. She’s a tomboyish southern soul with a rock n roll spirit that everyone can appreciate, but passionate enough that her heart is often worn on her sleeve, making her edgy and sugary sweet.
Her love for music and passion of performing is best summed up when asked if she’s ready for the roller-coaster ride that the country music industry can be. Her response every time is “I was born with my bags packed.â€
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