Melody Guy - Press

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The Ryman Auditorium May 19th

Melody Guy has found her own groove in the writing department. When Melody sings, the audience is wooed into silence as they listen to her every word. Melody brings a fresh approach to country music and possesses a beautiful, plaintive voice that easily conveys her well-crafted songs of love, loss and emotion. At a recent performance at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville with her band members, Carl Melberg, Matthew Burgess, Duane Hitchings and Ladd Smith, Melody received a standing ovation to her song "Mistakes Like Me" written about her son. and stood alongside chart –topper Andy Griggs and the legendary Tanya Tucker. Melody Guy has a positive and energetic presence and is a powerful, strong performer. Melody’s incredible energy and fabulous vocal phrasing make her one of the most potent talents on the country music scene today. To see her live is to witness pure magic.

Check out Amanda Williams website to hear a song the we wrote together called

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Melody taking career to next level
Jessie Kirk - 07/07/05
ROCKIN’ FOR ROSES — Melody Guy, accompanied by her band, plays at this year’s Rose Festival on the evening of June 10. Guy plans to move to Nashville later on this month. (Photo by Jessie Kirk)
SHERWOOD – Don’t be surprised if Melody Guy seems a bit distracted when you talk to her.
Not only is this busy mother trying to sell her house, perform gigs around town and take care of her kids, she is also probably writing a song as she talks to you.

“I constantly have lyrics in my head,” she explained.

The singer-songwriter is so filled with inspiration, she is constantly scrambling to find a pen or jotting down lyrics in her checkbook.

“If I have to go pick up the guitar, then I know it’s pretty powerful,” she said.
Powerful is exactly how people are describing songs from her recent album, “Signs of Trouble.”

With rave reviews and a new song getting noticed wherever it’s played, Guy and her family are ready to take the next step toward making it big by following their musical dreams to Nashville.

The five-day road trip from Sherwood to the heart of country music will take place this summer. Guy has been living in Sherwood since 1997.
Once in Nashville, she plans to make more records, continue touring and sell her songs for other artists to perform.

The move stems from the recent recognition that Guy has been getting for her music. Her recent achievements include winning the Best Country Album award from JP Folks, the largest networking organization for musicians in the world, winning the Billy Block Talent Show in Nashville and having her band open for well-known country acts like Martina McBride, Keith Urban and Aaron Tippin.

With all the excitement of a career on the rise, Guy realizes how lucky she is and is thankful for the changes in her life.

Because her career didn't’t really take off until later in her life, after she had been married, had children and been divorced, she feels that her story can give others hope that you can do whatever you want in life.

“You’re never too old,” she said. “It’s never too late to make things happen.”
Guy, who was born in Portland but moved to Simi Valley, Calif., when she was young, has been singing and performing since she was a child.

“I started playing when I was 9, performing in public with my daddy in McDonald’s and in bars, on TV in little concerts and in beauty pageants,” she said.
Guy continued to sing as she got older but eventually decided it was time to start a family. She took several years off from singing while she raised her children but eventually her love of performing drew her back to the stage.

“When I’m up there, I feel like this is what I should be doing all the time. This is where I feel most comfortable,” she said.

So Guy played at bars and concerts wherever she could and people started to recognize her powerful voice and beautiful, honest lyrics.

The wheels that set her recent success in motion began with a cross-country tour that Guy took last fall. She visited Los Angeles and Nashville, making connections and impressing people along the way.

At a songwriters’ convention in L.A., Guy stunned an audience of 2,000 people when she performed her heartfelt song called “Mistakes like Me” at an open mic event.
The song, which she wrote after her son came home upset from being teased at school, has struck a chord with many who have heard it.

“The whole room was dead quiet, and after I was done the room exploded. It was like there was an earthquake,” she said.

The overwhelming response made its mark on Guy.
“I can still feel it. It was that good,” she said.
After her performance, she was immediately offered a publishing deal. Soon after, while in Nashville, Guy was asked to compete in the Billy Block Talent Show.

Her performance in the contest not only won her a $2,500 Gibson Guitar, but she also made a connection that led her to join creative efforts with country recording artist Sherrié Austin.

Not bad for a trip that initially, Guy couldn't even afford. A friend put her trip on his credit card because she didn’t have the money to go.

“People have gone out of their way to show their faith in me,” she said.
That is one of the many reasons that Guy is so thankful for her success. She has had great support from those around her who believe in her talent.

“Everybody around me is saying, ‘You’re going to do it, you can make it,’” she added.
Not only is Guy poised to make it on the music scene, her children seem to have inherited the talent gene.

Her children are able to write, sing, play guitar, bass and drums. During car rides, the musical family likes to compose rock operas.

Guy looks forward to her kids’ opportunities when they are surrounded by music in Nashville.

“I’m excited to see what the saturation of music around them will do. I think it will just explode their talent,” she said.

For Guy, moving to Nashville means being closer to the action, but it doesn’t mean that all she wants to record is country music. She says that she doesn’t write her songs to fit a specific genre, but instead writes what she feels and leaves it up to others to categorize it. Depending on the song, her style could be defined as country, rhythm and blues, soul or rock ‘n’ roll.

One consistent theme throughout her repertoire is lyrics that tell the story of a woman who is sensitive, feels emotions very deeply and has lived with a lot of heartbreak.
“I think I was born into melancholy,” she explained. “I could always tap into that angst.”
These days, she may be feeling a little sad about leaving her family and friends behind in Sherwood. She considers her performance at the Robin Hood Festival to be a good chance to say goodbye.

Today she is thankful for all the opportunities she’s been given in Oregon and is excited to see what the future holds.

“I just feel very thankful that I get to sing,” she said.

SIGNS OF TROUBLE

Now Available at Nashville Independent Music

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Read all about Melody at Broadjam. com, and find out that she is one of the top ten most requested artists on their site.

Melody Guy Wins Best Country Album Of the Year For "SIGNS OF TROUBLE" For 2004 at JPFolks Awards!

Melody Guy Wins Best Country Album - "Shoulda' Loved Me", and Songwriter of the Year for