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About Brandi
Thornton --
Name any
good frat house in the SEC and Brandi Thornton has played it. She’s also made
three runs for the Miss America crown, performed on the Rosie O’Donnell Show,
and she ran the Olympic torch through Georgia.
Country
artist Brandi Thornton grew up beneath the watchful eye and sheltering pines of
small town America in Folkston, Georgia. She
was always “that loud kid.” Eventually
people listened closely enough to realize “that loud kid” was also always in
tune and attempting a pretty solid preschool harmony.
Many
artists credit their musical careers with beginning in the church….Brandi is
no different. Her first public
performance was the Christmas Pageant at the First Baptist Church. There
weren’t enough boys in the preschool class, so she was a shepherd, complete
with red and blue bathrobe. A
few bars of “Silent Night” and the rest is history.
At age
nine, she played her first honky tonk (parents and spelling book in tow); cut
her first album; and `was named the youngest member ever selected to tour with
Georgia’s nationally acclaimed 4-H performing arts group, Clovers and Co. While in Clovers, Brandi performed alongside
Jennifer Nettles of
Sugarland and Hillary Lindsay, writer of “Jesus Take the Wheel.”The “baby” of the group got lots of attention. At the beginning of the show it was because she was so small…by the end
of the show, the audience knew just how talented she was.
Brandi
never once used her youth as a gimmick or something to fall back upon, she was
an entertainer from the very beginning. Some
of her favorite stories begin, “I warned the sound guy, but he blew two
speakers on me anyway.”
Throughout
elementary, junior high and high school, she performed wherever a crowd was
gathered. The weekend found her
family on the road to some contest, fair or festival that would provide Brandi
with a stage…by that time she could draw an audience on her own.
Combining
her entertainment dreams with everyday life proved to be a balancing act. While prepping for the SAT, she was also learning lines for a regional
theater company’s production of the “Wizard of Oz,” and serving as a state
officer in the 4-H club. As interesting as her professional life became, her parents
strived for normalcy to keep everything in balance.
With
academic honors and extra-curricular accolades, Brandi went to the University of
Georgia on a full scholarship; but soon missed performing. She sought out a competitive internship with BMG
Entertainment in Manhattan. While
in New York, Brandi headlined at the “Motown Café,” auditioned for
commercials and voice over work, and learned a lot about the “business” side
of the music business. Learning the
ins and outs of the finance side of music, Brandi was inspired to change her
major from journalism to business. On
the night she was begrudgingly headed back to begin her sophomore year, Brandi
received the chance of a lifetime.
Seems
Brandi had caught a producer’s attention at a prior audition while still in
high school…. when someone fell out of the production, Brandi was who he
wanted to replace her. When offered
the opportunity to perform on a nightly basis at The Music Mansion in Pigeon
Forge, Tennessee, Brandi didn’t think twice. After two years there, Brandi transitioned to Dollywood where she was a
cast member in two separate shows and had the fortune of working with Dolly
Parton herself. All the while
Brandi was honing her craft as both studio and stage performer.
Always
multi-tasking, she completed her sophomore and junior years via UGA’s
independent study program. Brandi
had an interesting schedule, performing in 3 to 5 shows a day at the theme park,
teaching herself courses like the “Statistical Theory of Applied
Microeconomics” during meal breaks, and tracking background vocals for
everything from heavy metal to contemporary Christian and gospel recordings. One of her downtime, doodle recordings, “Out of Time” was licensed
for use by Levi Strauss Co. in a multi-platform advertising campaign.
In 2002,
Brandi returned to the University of Georgia, to complete her degree cum laude. At the urging of her family and friends, she began competing in
preliminaries to the Miss America Pageant. In that arena, she redefined the talent competition and brought new
energy to the pursuit of the crown.
A chance
encounter on a girl’s night led Brandi to the stage where a band of in her own
words, “cute boys” were playing. Twelve
bars into “God Fearing Women,” Brandi had herself a band. Performing with
Dawgtown, took her across the Southeast
playing for crowds ranging from 500 to 50,000 and established a very devoted
fanbase. She loves to sing country,
but is not limited by genre. Her
repertoire spans the spectrum of original and cover material, from classic
southern rock and r & b to her own songs which sound like they
could be classic southern rock or R & B. A uniting factor to these
selections is that each song is made unique and new through subtle nuances and
Brandi’s natural bent for showmanship and occasional “hot dogging.”
Brad
Paisley, Martina McBride and Dierks Bentley have all experience Brandi’s high
energy show firsthand, using her as an opening act. Many more will experience her show in 2007 through extensive
touring to support her brand album, “New Place To Start.” Just as comfortable in a tiny honky tonk as in a packed collegiate
stadium, one never knows where Brandi Thornton may show up next. It’s a sure bet, she’ll catch your attention.
If you ask
the people that know her, not much has changed about Brandi Thornton, but some
things have definitely been added. The worn karaoke machine and tapes has now
been replaced by a kick ass band. The
preschool songs have faded and Brandi now boasts a broad base of solid original
and cover material. She’s lost
the bathrobe, too and has honed her craft through 17 years of performance
experience. And yes, she’s still
“that loud kid.”
Links for Brandi
Thornton --
Video
of Brandi
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