Michelle Murray

Catching up with Michelle Murray these days is a very difficult task.Between her daily workout routine, song writing sessions, band rehearsals, local shows around Nashville and her upcoming United States Tour Schedule of over 8,000 miles on the road in April alone, Michelle is a busy woman. Not to mention she does all of this while at the same time balancing life as a mother of three small children; Thomas 8, Faith 6, & Madeline 2.Michelle is also finding time to squeeze in her exciting new studio project, Long Road to Fame CD, being produced by Grammy Award winner Mills Logan. Mills’ wife Paige Logan also co-writes with Michelle as well as playing in her band. “Paige is one of the most talented songwriters I have ever met and a blast to be on stage with. I can’t wait to share all our new songs with the fans!” Michelle will be making several stops on the Indy Racing Circuit this season. www.indycar.com. She will be kicking off the season at the Streets of St. Petersburg with several performances throughout the weekend including a performance on the Honda Stage in the circuit and the National Anthem during the pre-race activities, which is set to be televised LIVE on Verses Television www.verses.com. The entire IRL season is being broadcast on both Verses and ABC. Racing fans be sure and catch up with Michelle at one of the races near you!Michelle has also been named a spokesperson for the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation. www.samschmidt.org Sam, owner of Sam Schmidt Motorsports www.samschmidtmotorsports.com, was an Indy Car Driver who was paralyzed in a racing accident in January 2000. “He is such an incredible person whose strength and spirit is an inspiration to everyone he comes in contact with and I feel honored to be a part of his Foundation.”Between the IRL season schedule, SSPF and other tour dates Michelle will travel throughout the United States and parts of Canada in 2009, including stops in CA, NV, SC, FL, NY, VA, OK, TX, MO, IL, OH, KS, IA, AZ, TN, NC, MI, KY, WI to name a few.Michelle never forgets to give credit where credit is due. “It takes so many people to make anything a success to run smoothly and it’s so exciting and amazing to see what happens when you put a multitude of talents together.” She will tell you the thirteen person crew is the backbone of her success, from her remarkably talented band, management and booking agent to her wardrobe consultant & photographer.However, her most important asset is her nanny. “Being a mother is the most important job in the world to me and it can be overwhelming trying to balance everything. There are many times when I just feel like I’m failing it all and I’m so grateful for the love and support around me, especially those helping with my children. We try to work my schedule around the kids school calendar so they can enjoy being apart of their school and have an opportunity to spend time with their friends. They love traveling though and get so excited every time we go on the bus.” Michelle and her crew could see over 100,000 miles on the road this year alone.After a decade in the making, Michelle is beginning to see the fruits of her labor. With a rock solid foundation built on faith and love, Michelle has three albums under her belt, hundreds of concerts, performing for tens of thousands of people and has graced the cover of a handful of magazines. It will not be long before everyone will know just who Michelle Murray is.Michelle’s management team is in the process of turning her life or ‘organized chaos’ into a television based reality show. “I get asked all the time about what it is like bringing the kids on the road with me. I just laugh and say want to come along??” Well that just might happen, but instead of logging the miles to experience it, you will be able to sit back in the comfort of your living room, relaxing in your favorite chair and see just what it takes to keep it all together (“or not!” laughs Michelle).In a recent show in South Carolina a fan remarked, “I just don’t know how she does it; the kids, the road, writing those amazing songs and a cover girl all at the same time!?” However, the blonde bombshell doesn’t consider herself a diva by any stretch of the imagination. Anyone who spends a little… or a lot…of time around Michelle can not help to be drawn in with her personality.“She is just that ray of sunshine that can break through no matter what the forecast is,” says her band leader Mike Swope. “I think I can speak for the entire band and crew that she is truly a pleasure to perform with and just be around.”If you take the time to trace Michelle back to her roots, born and raised in the west suburbs of Chicago you will find that she comes from a very close knit family.Michelle has always been surrounded by music. Growing up she had many different musical influences including many of her family members. "I have aunts and uncles who performed and still perform in a number of venues including musicals, symphonies, television and movies. My uncle starred in The Young and The Restless alongside David Hasselhoff, who was the best man at his wedding."She grew up listening to her parents' favorite artists: Alabama, Eagles, Doobie Brothers, Chicago, Gatlin Brothers, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Abba, Moody Blues, Bee Gees, Amy Grant, along with the classic oldies and Christian music. "I remember when I was 5 years old; standing in front of the mirror with a pink hooded sweatshirt hanging from my head, trying to make long hair, singing into a hairbrush like I was Crystal Gayle."Michelle’s first performance onstage, at the young age of four, was with lifelong friend Matthew West. She continued singing, began playing the violin in grade school and always had roles in theatre and orchestras. Every year she participated in competitions, at local, regional and national levels, vocally and instrumentally. However, her biggest passion was to become a solo artist. "I loved watching artists like Barbara Mandrell, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, and Amy Grant. I felt a calling at a very early age to do the same. Music has always been such a joyful expression for me and I absolutely love working with people. To be able to blend those two things is a great blessing." That calling finally lead her to Nashville, Tennessee and to Country Music, making several stops along the way.At the age of 13, Michelle began working with producer, Bob Stone, in Chicago, singing demos and jingles for companies like McDonalds, Hallmark, Advocate Health Care, etc. as well as performing at weddings and corporate parties.Throughout high school and college, she was employed as a D.J./Karaoke emcee at Enchanted Castle, a family entertainment center. "That was so fun- I would be working 9 birthday parties at one time, having each party up to sing and play some games within the hour, BEFORE the next 9 parties came in. You have to love kids to do that job, which I of course do. It was crazy but fun!"During college spring break in 1997, Michelle was on a family vacation in Hilton Head Island, SC, where she met Tom. They were married in September of 1998. With Tom's entrepreneurial skills and years of experience in the Real Estate industry (as well as working as a Reserve Deputy Sheriff for Beaufort County) he was able to focus his energies on Michelle's music career. Their company, Harmony Village Productions, was created and Michelle promoted her solo artist ambitions and released a C.D.Over the next 6 years, they traveled throughout the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida opening for dozens of Country music's biggest and brightest stars and Michelle released her second album.On January 27, 2001, Michelle began another exciting journey, giving birth to son, Thomas, to be followed with daughter, Faith, on November 16, 2002. They moved to Nashville in November of 2004 and Michelle had the privilege of working with Nashville’s finest musicians and producers to release her third CD titled “With You.” She then had very surprising and wonderful news when her third child, Madeline Claire was born on December 26th, 2006. After some time off to be a full time Mom, Michelle has quickly positioned herself as one of the most exciting inspirational acts to come out of Nashville in a long time.It’s hard to believe that it’s possible for a mother of three to launch a career in the music business. No doubt it’s a “Long Road to Fame”, but today as we see Michelle take those reigns and inspire those around her, she is destined to take her place among the stars that shine.Cindy Norton, a Special Event Coordinator for the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation stated, “I was immediately taken in with Michelle’s music the first time I heard it. The sincerity of the songs, the emotion she puts into her music and the fun she has doing it are tremendous assets to a great career. It is a blessing to get to work with her and I look forward to being a part of something much bigger in the near future. Michelle is who she is, all the time and her smile, her energy and her personality light up any room. She is a special person with so much to give. Look out world…here comes Michelle Murray!”