SummerB + Musician in Bentonville, AR

SEEKING

ABOUT

Born in the Arkansas Ouachitas (pronounced wash-it-tahs) I began my singing career in a Southern Baptist church on a Sunday morning. My parents had suddenly discovered that I could sing. I was nine years old.

My father, a talented musician, accompanied me with his guitar or I would have never in a million years signed up for that church gig. I nearly choked to death from dry mouth due to my almost debilitating stage fright. Had anyone other than he joined me on stage, I would have fainted outright! I remember he pulled out the bench belonging to this enormous church piano and sat down as if he were casually pulling up to barstool for a sit and asking for a spittoon. That made me feel so much better for some reason. Ha.

As he strummed, I sang Just a Closer Walk With Thee, a traditional Baptist hymn. I forgot parts of the verses, missed the chorus, mixed the verses together and all that, but he just steadily, calmly, kept strumming the rhythm to the song waiting on me to find my way back and reminding me of the words under his breath. It's a good memory. Maybe the best memory of my father ever. He was super amazing to jam with.

That church "gig" at the age of nine, was the first of many more to follow. And not only at church. My mom had me singing at weddings, community events, funerals, school plays, sporting events, rodeos, pageants, talent shows, and talent contests. She had me singing anywhere at anytime and all the time.

Eventually, I went to college where I started a folk band. We wrote originals that sounded like total crap, but I learned so much about the movements of the parts of a song and the indescribable feeling you get when a song finally comes together effortlessly and beautifully. The sweet spot I call it. I played bass some, rhythm a lot, Ukulele when I could possibly fit it into a song (ha!), and sometimes they let me play tambourine if they didn't have spoons for me or a washboard available (joke about my sh*tty gee-tar abilities).

I am definitely a female tenor. My range is approx. c#3 to Bflat4. I only quit smoking six months ago so my higher range is beginning to expand again. But I have a pretty beefy sound. I have always been lead vocalist, but I enjoy singing harmony with another good vocalist as well.

I have written many originals and have spent a lot of time recording in studios. I've even heard one of my originals on the radio one time. Hey, that's YUGE to a Ouachita girl like me.

Which leads me to summarize my description. I love songs. A good song is a good song no matter the genre. I love the "happy chord progressions" such as d e a. G c f. Occasionally an e minor or b minor or a minor. Those last three are as dark as I go. Ha. When I write, my songs inevitably come out sounding a little country with a little folk (mostly the story telling in my lyrics).

I have written and recorded songs, I have covered A FRIGGIN LOT of songs, I have suffered through performing a lot of terrible, terrible songs (team player that I am) but I mostly ADORE spending time with my first instrument of all time: My Microphone.

Put me in a smoky lounge or a black-tie event with a band that knows how to play popular jazz standards and I will croon people to the room from a 4-block radius. Our hats will floweth over.

Stand up a mic for me, play Danny's Song in my key, and we will all cry together (because I can also sing my ass off on Danny's Song AND that song makes me cry anyway).

I love doing covers of all genres. Some of my favorite songs in my portfolio:

On Vocals/Guitar/Ukulele

Rosanne Cash's (or was it John Hiatt who wrote it?) Seven Year Ache
Bobby McGee (maybe? It's been a while since I sang any JJ)
Wagon Wheel (everyone and their cousin covers this)
Fly Me to the Moon (Modern Jazz Standard)
Cold Cold Heart (Norah Jones version of Hank Sr. Song)
Misty (Modern Jazz Standard)
Fields of Gold (Eva Cassidy Version)
Time After Time (Eva Cassidy or Cyndi Lauper)
Just the Way You Are (Pop Modern Jazz Standard)
I Gotta Have You (The Waifs)
Ghost in this House (Allison Kraus or Shenandoah)
Won't Back Down (Tom Petty)
All of Me (Modern Jazz Standard)
I'm in a Hurry (Alabama)
Omaha (Counting Crows)
Bridal Train (The Waifs)
Thinking Out Loud (Ed Sheeran)
Free Falling (Tom Petty)
Colors (Amos Lee)
Midnight Hour (SDIB - Features Ukulele)
Shoot the Moon (Norah Jones)
I Sang Dixie (My version/Dwight version)
Pony (Kasey Chambers)
Not Pretty Enough (Kasey Chambers)
Pooh Corner (Kenny Loggins)
Be Thou My Vision (Hymn)
It is Well With My Soul (Hymn)
God Bless the Broken Road

Screen name:

SummerB

Member since:

May 17 2023

Active over 1 month ago

Level of commitment:

Committed

Years playing music:

20

Gigs played:

50 to 100

Tend to practice:

More than 3 times per week

Available to gig:

4-5 nights a week

Influences

MY EARLY YEARS
My late father, Lynn Benedict, vocalist, guitarist
Creedence Clearwater Revival (Fogerty, real King of Rock)
Johnny Cash
Beach Boys
Johnny Horton (songs tell amazing stories)

MY TEEN YEARS
Cut my teeth on Mariah Care (no, I don't have 5 octaves - not even close!)
Janice
Counting Crows

LATER YEARS
Kasey Chambers (favorite songwriter)
Amos Lee (another favorite songwriter)

Instrument experience:

Vocalist:

Expert

Background Singer:

Expert

Flute:

Advanced

Vocalist - Alto:

Moderate

Rhythm Guitar:

Intermediate

Acoustic Guitar:

Intermediate

EQUIPMENT

Have the basics to hook up and play & sang...