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Featured Angel Artist ~ Summer 2010 |
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Michelle’s Angels Featured Angel Artist – Summer 2010 Ken Harrell _____________________________________________  Ken Harrell has been with Michelle’s Angels since the beginning, and, in fact, even before the beginning.
In December of 2004, Herb and Michelle Knoll took in a show at Nashville’s famed Bluebird Café. One of the evening’s performers was Ken Harrell. During the show, Herb and Michelle were each touched by Ken’s music, and could hardly wait to tell each other how much they had enjoyed him. Herb bought Ken’s CD to take a little of the evening’s magic home for Michelle. Two weeks later, Michelle received her diagnosis and in January of 2005 underwent surgery at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, in Houston, Texas. While thinking of ways to lift Michelle’s spirits, Herb remembered Ken Harrell and gave him a call. After hearing Michelle’s story, and how “angels” around the world were coming to Michelle’s aid, Ken said, “How can I help?”
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Ken (second from right) leading Angel Artists (L-R) Rob Harris, Tonja Rose and Greg Johnson during Hope Concert in WV.
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Herb said, “My bride needs a song. A song to lift her spirits.” Without hesitation, Ken offered to pour his soul into a song for Michelle and said he’d find some of the best musician’s in all of Nashville to help him record it. At that moment, the musical outreach program of what would become the Michelle’s Angels Foundation was born. On September 17, 2005, Michelle Knoll was the guest of honor at a surprise party at the Bluebird Café, surrounded by friends and supporters from across the USA and featuring five of Nashville’s singer-songwriter elite. Up to this point, Michelle had no knowledge a song had been written for her. But at the end of a wonderful two hours of music, Ken gifted Michelle with the debut performance of Michelle’s song titled Michelle’s Angels with music and lyrics by Ken Harrell. An extraordinary gift and just the first from this acclaimed singer and songwriter. Born in Amarillo, Texas, and raised in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, Ken has always been involved in music. He broke into the business at the age of 3, singing on TV commercials. He picked up the guitar at the age of 12 with help from his brother Mike and immediately began crafting songs. He attended Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College on a full music scholarship, destined for a career in music.
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Ken and Kim Parent
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After a stint as a singer and emcee at The Ozark Country Jubilee in Branson, Missouri, Ken moved to Nashville to pursue a recording career. But after only a few months in Nashville, Ken was offered a hosting spot on a national shop-at-home network (today’s QVC). After two years of that, the lure of the music business brought Ken backville. In Nashville, Ken met famed tunesmith Mark Alan Springer, who taught him the do's and don’ts of writing. Ken soon began selling songs to major labels, for artists like Stacie Orrico, Sonya Isaacs and Brian McComas. And in the course of singing, writing and producing, Ken met Herb & Michelle Knoll, and became the music director of the Michelle’s Angels Foundation. Today, Ken Harrell is the father of six lovely daughters and grandfather to two wonderful grandbabies. His latest CD, We’re All the Same, has received great reviews, including this plug from Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers, who said, “Ken has a fresh and unique approach to songwriting that attracted me to write with him right off the bat. I know the fans will enjoy his simple, positive perspective on life, and I look forward to writing with him for many years.”
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Ken Harrell (M) with Angel Artist Greg Johnson (L) posing with patient at Davis Health System Hospital in Elkins, W. Virginia (Apr ’10)
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Of late, Ken has co-produced a hot new Modern Rock Band named "Fools For Rowan." They are quickly garnering national attention with major market airplay... a current video of their new single "Dead"... being played worldwide on FUSE channel... and a summer West Coast tour of California, Oregon and Washington. Major label interest in FFR is very keen... and Ken invites everyone to check them out at foolsforrowan.com. The obvious excitement of this new venture is good news, but Ken remains committed and most proud... of his connection with MAF. Following a series of appearances including a Christian Country Hope Concert the MAF staged in Elkins, W. Virginia, Ken said... "This is THE most important work I can do with my music talent that God gave me. These folks need and really appreciate the soothing and comfort that music provides. I am so thankful for the opportunity to serve alongside the Foundation’s giving team of Angel Artists as we attempt to provide love, hope and assistance to those who quietly suffer.” In announcing the selection of Ken Harrell as the Michelle’s Angels Foundation Featured Angel Artists – Summer 2010, Knoll offered…”Ken Harrell is a very special man with a huge heart…especially when he sees those who suffer. Without Ken’s continual support, I dare say there wouldn’t be a Michelle’s Angels Foundation today. He is truly one of the pillars upon which this Foundation has been built. And for this…we love him dearly.” You can write Ken Harrell at kenharrell60@gmail.com. |
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 | |  | | | | Featured Angel Artist ~ Winter 2010 | | Michelle’s Angels Featured Angel Artist – Winter 2010 Tonja Rose _____________________________________________ By Kihm Winship
-Angel Writer
Tonja Rose took the stage at the age of three – singing “Jesus on the Mainline” with her father’s gospel quartet – and she’s been singing ever since. From her family’s home in Pinetown, North Carolina, she traveled to homecomings, family reunions and revivals. Piano lessons furthered her musical education, but singing always came first. By the time she graduated from high school, she’d won talent competitions and was ready to pursue a career in music.  Fueled by the love and support of her family she packed up and went to Nashville. No stranger to hard work, she polished her skills as a vocalist and, though it did not come easily, she began songwriting in earnest, drawing inspiration from her own life, the people around her, and her deeply felt personal beliefs. “If I want my songs to be true,” Tonja says, “they have to come from real life experiences so others can relate. I want my words to touch people’s hearts. I want my songs  to have a positive effect on people and give them exactly what they need when they need it." Through her friend, encourager and fellow song writer Ken Harrell (“He’s a real trifecta,” she notes), Tonja was invited to sing at a Michelle’s Angels benefit at The Bluebird Cafe in 2005 in Nashville, and has been an active supporter of the Michelle’s Angels Foundation sever since. “I thought I knew Michelle,’ Tonja recalls. “I was even asked to sing at her memorial service. Then that day, I learned even more about all she had done for others, even while she was ill, and her example inspired me even more. I thought, What if I changed  a life, made a difference with my music, just as Michelle did with her smile.’” And as a Michelle’s Angels supporter, she surely has. On stage, Tonja has shared the playbill with Gretchen Wilson, Trace Adkins, Tanya Tucker and others in venues large and small. Her favorite places to sing are the Listening Room in Nashvilleand Puckett’s Grocery in nearby Franklin. Of Puckett’s she adds, “They have the best cheeseburgers in the world.” Tonja recently signed a recording contract with Identical Entertainment in Nashville. Wherever you are, you can be inspired and encouraged by Tonja’s new album, The Heart of Me, available on CD and digitally at Amazon, iTunes, and elsewhere. There’s a full list of outlets available on her website. You will however have to make your own cheeseburger. |
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Featured Angel Artist ~ Fall 2009 |
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Michelle’s Angels
Featured Angel Artist - Fall 2009
Nicole Witt
_____________________________________________ By Kihm Winship
-Angel Writer 
After seeing Nicole Witt perform at Nashville’s famed Bluebird Cafe, Herb Knoll told her about Michelle’s Angels and asked her if she would like to contribute a song. “It was just ‘Yes,’ right away,” she recalls. "I'm honored and excited to be a part of this." Her own husband is a cancer-survivor, and Nicole wanted to do everything she could to help others who were walking that road. And Nicole has lifetimes of music to share. Her grandfather was a fiddle player; her grandmother played the piano; her uncle played the banjo, and her father was a square dancer on the Ozark Jubilee TV show. At six-years-old, Nicole began playing the piano; two years later she picked up the violin, with extraordinary results. She was a four-year All-State violinist and Missouri’s state representative to the National High School Orchestra performing at the KennedyCenter in Washington, D.C. “I was 18 and I was a kid, and just the chill bumps from playing there were incredible,” she said. 
Nicole went on to earn her music degree from the University of Missouri. Knowing that music was going to be her life, she arrived in Nashville in 1998, writing songs with other writers and performing at every opportunity. Songs co-written by Nicole have been recorded by Diamond Rio (“The Box”), Rodney Atkins (“Angel’s Hands”), Clay Walker (“It Ain’t Pretty, But It’s Beautiful”), Terri Clark (“She Didn’t Have Time”) and Lee Brice (“Airport Song”). Her “Brothers of the Highway,” written with Kim Williams and Doug Johnson, helped GeorgeStrait’s Troubadour album win a CMA for 2008 Album of the Year and a Grammy for 2009 Country Album of the Year. "It's a part of me," she says. "In the middle of the night, I write songs. It won't ever shut off. But there is nothing, and I repeat, nothing as awesome as singing and feeling the energy and people in a crowd from the stage. I'll be on stage when I'm 80."  This fall, Nicole will be touring with Christa Wells on the Witt & Wells "Love Makes Music" tour. (See picture to left) Check out the dates at her website or her MySpace page.
And to enjoy Nicole's music any time, anywhere, pick up her CD The Rest of the Ride at CD Baby. It's a spectacular album, but you don't have to take our word for it. Music writer Carolyn Dixon has said, “Ultimately, what makes The Rest of the Ride worth the listener’s time is the emergence of Witt from her roles behind-the-scenes into an engaging artist in her own right.” At YouTube, you can catch the video for "Bourbon," a song off the album, as well as performances of "Even If It Hurts" and "All I Want to Do".
And for those of you who enjoy real rarities, pick up the DVD of the Will Smith movie Seven Pounds, and hear Nicole (credited somewhat mysteriously as “Elvis Dolls”) singing a Pete Sternberg penned-tune, “Rusty”.
Nicole is fond of quoting lyricist E.Y. Harburg, the man who wrote such classics as “April in Paris” and “Over the Rainbow.” Harburg said, “Words make you think a thought. Music makes you feel a feeling. A song makes you feel a thought.” Nicole makes us feel grateful for artists who are as talented and generous as Nicole Witt. * * * Nicole’s website: http://www.nicolewitt.com Nicole’s My Space page here: http://www.myspace.com/nicolewitt Nicole’s CD: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/nicolewitt |
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Featured Angel Artist ~ Summer 2009 |
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Michelle’s Angels Featured Angel Artist - Summer 2009 Kim Parent By Kihm Winship -Angel Writer You may not have heard of Kim Parent, but you surely have heard her sing. Closest to home, she is all six voices in the angelic chorus that backs Ken Harrell on “Michelle’s Angels.” Talking about recording and performing the song, Kim said, “It’s been a pure blessing for me.” Remembering Michelle’s memorial service, she added, “It was like I got enveloped in the nature of her personality, all the things she did for others... I felt bathed in the goodness of her character. It was an amazing experience.” Of course, Ken Harrell is not the only person who knows what Kim Parent brings to a song. In the studio, Kim’s harmonies have graced recordings by Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, Jo Dee Messina, Reba Mc Entire, Jessica Andrews, Billy Ray Cyrus, Kenny Rogers, Phil Vasser, and many others. In concert, she has performed with Martina McBride, Rodney Crowell, Lynne Anderson and Tanya Tucker. For the past five years, she has been touring with Brooks and Dunn, singing at 65-80 concert dates each year. “I’ve been having fun with that,” she says. “They're legends. It’s been neat just being able to watch them from ten, fifteen feet away. They’re both very gracious and down to earth.” Based in Nashville, Tennessee, Kim is also an accomplished songwriter, writing Her own and with other artists. One writing partner, Jon Wikstrom, notes, "When we wrote songs together, the rule was that we could only accept a line or a verse if it sounded good when I sang it. Everything sounds great when she sings it." For songwriters going into the studio to create a demo recording of a new tune, Kim is much in demand, largely because of the respect she has for each song itself, giving the lyric and melody a sincere reading without shifting attention from the song to her own performance. “Some professional songwriters aren't afraid of using a vocalist who puts a real stamp on their vocal styling,” she notes. “But a lot of writers shy away from that kind of thing. They want to be able to pitch their song to as many people as they can.” Growing up, Kim’s musical influences came from every corner of the music world, from Aretha Franklin and the Temptations to Bonnie Raitt, Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt, Karla Bonoff, Neil Young, and Steely Dan. Today, she notes, “I’ve been absorbing the newest country female releases from Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift, and a bunch of contemporary Christian artists from a stream of North Point Church influences: David Crowder, Chris Tomlin and Steve Chapman.” Kim began her own career in music singing in coffee houses while attending the University of Delaware. After college, Kim returned to her home state of New Jersey to showcase original songs in nearby New York City. But a move to Nashville brought her to a “kinder, gentler” lifestyle with less traffic and more opportunities. Using Google and iTunes to follow Kim’s musical career is a fascinating way to spend an afternoon. Here are just a few nuggets:
- In 1992, on Thom Schuyler and Craig Bickhardt’s Precious Child – which tells the story of the Nativity through the eyes of the participants – Kim and Craig sang “Part of Heaven” as Mary and Joseph. (Out of print, the CD now brings $50 or more on eBay.)
- In 2000, when the Scorpions – yes, the German, heavy metal “Rock You Like a Hurricane” Scorpions – toured the western U.S. with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Kim sang backup, tucked into a very small space with two other singers between the band and the orchestra.
- In 2002, Kim wrote, produced and sang two versions of the “Let’s Make it a Late Night” jingle for Wendy’s.
- In 2004, Kim released her first CD, When Love Was Just a Word.
- On YouTube, you can catch Kim singing "One Mississippi," a song she wrote with Canadian singer/songwriter Steve Fox, at the French Quarter in Nashville, at a 2007 reunion of one of Kim’s old bands, the Janglers – Kim, Marcia Ramirez and Jim Kimball.
- Kim sings with 12 Against Nature, a Steely Dan tribute band.
- You can watch (and hear) Kim all summer as a regular vocalist on Country Music Television’s “Singing Bee,” which airs on Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons.
- Kim’s own website awaits your visit at www.kimparent.com
Kim performing with Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn Most recently, Kim has completed a 3-song CD of praise and worship songs that she has written herself; the CD is so new it doesn’t have a title yet, but the three songs are “Rockin’ in Heaven,” “Messiah Come” and “Only You,” and they should be available on iTunes in the very near future. Every day, Kim sings another song, writes another chapter. She once offered this advice to singers and songwriters but it could be of value to anyone: “I’m learning to love and appreciate each thing for what it is. In the end, be careful to do what you are best at doing and wait for the wheel to turn to you.”
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