About Me
SEE KATY'S "A SOLDIER'S WIFE" VIDEO ON YOUTUBE! Go to www.youtube.com and search Katy Benko!Katy now performing as part of Katy & Vega! www.katyandvega.com & www.myspace.com/katyandvegaKaty now performing with Jackson Jill! www.jacksonjill.net & www.myspace.com/jacksonjillDuring the summer of 1999 while a rising senior at Oakton High School, Katy Benko appeared poised to burst onto the National Music scene. She signed with Glen Campbell Management and the William Morris Agency. Marty Gamblin, who ran Glen Campbell’s Nashville offices, was the man who started the careers of Alan Jackson and Bryan White. Marty was prepared to negotiate a major label deal for Katy and set her career on fire. But Katy made an extremely rare decision for someone in her position. She said “no.†She told all the executives she wanted to finish high school and experience college.Katy had already formed a band which included her best friend and fellow music prodigy, Julie Crosson. With the help of Gamblin and William Morris, Katy and Julie, along with the rest of the band, performed high level shows across the region on weekends and into the following summer. Locally they performed at Nissan Pavilion, the Patriot Center, the Birchmere, and most of the large fairs in Virginia. Katy was also featured on all of the major television networks.After high school, Julie headed off to James Madison University where she earned a degree in piano performance. After completing her degree, she decided to pursue a master’s in music theory from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She remained on staff at the university teaching music theory after she finished the master’s program and began playing keyboards and singing around town with some of Greensboro’s finest musicians.When Julie left, Katy attended George Mason University and continued performing live all over the region. In 2002, however, as she was in the process of releasing her first album (Float), Katy was involved in an auto accident. Not only did she experience severe muscular damage to her neck, but she also sustained damage to her left inner-ear. She was told by her doctors that the damage could be potentially career-ending. Though Float was receiving great reviews and secondary radio play across the US and Europe, Katy was forced to stop distribution of her album and greatly restrict her number of performances. She kept her injuries private and began the slow process of healing and learning how to sing through her impairments.During that period, Katy ran a successful vocal training business, working with and developing special young talent. By mid-2006, Katy felt she had overcome most of the effects of her injuries, but performing continued to take second stage. In August of that year, Katy married her longtime sweetheart, Ryan. Just three months after they were married, Ryan (a lieutenant in the Virginia Army National Guard) was activated and sent to Fort Dix for training before being shipped out to Iraq. During his time away, Katy wrote a song called “A Soldier’s Wife.†That song got her an invitation to sing at The White House as a special guest of President Bush and also an invitation to sing at a rally for Presidential Candidate John McCain.In September of 2008, Julie moved back to Northern Virginia where she and Katy have reconnected on a musical level and hope to begin performing together across the region once more. Their musical talents as individuals can stand rightfully on their own, but together they have a unique sound and a chemistry that enthralls and entertains audiences. In addition to performing original material, they also perform a wide range of covers that includes top-40 and country hits from the 60’s to today as well as a variety of standards. This diversity of repertoire enables them to cater to many types of venues; from the local bar to an upscale country club.For a complete bio and more information, visit Katy’s website at www.katybenko.com!
