Practically born into music, Memarie was singing onstage in her father’s band since about the time she could walk. “My dad is a musician and songwriter and always had a band during my childhood. The members were kind of like our extended family, always over at the house rehearsing. It was an atmosphere I was very comfortable being around from the time I can remember and it instilled in me my love for music. Music has always been a part of my life.” The tiny village of Baskin, LA where Memarie’s whole family hails, is a musically rich and diverse area full of Blues, Cajun, and Country. Memarie eagerly soaked up all of those influences as she developed her talent singing in school and with her father’s band. Those carefree tomboy days climbing trees and wading creeks in that tiny Southern town still hold a special place in Memarie’s heart and inspire some of the songs on her new project, such as “Those Were The Days,” and the touching, “Grandma’s Footprints,” which was penned by her father about her great-grandma. “I was fortunate to have a lot of time with my grandmother,” recalls Memarie, “she just passed away a few years ago and was such an amazing woman. I miss her but am so thankful to have had her in my life for so long.” Growing up in the warmth of strong family ties provided Memarie with the stable environment needed to be the grounded young woman she has become. She received love, support and encouragement to express her gift. She knew early on that music would always be her life. But her opportunities and her surroundings grew when her father elected to move the family to Nashville when Memarie was 12. Her father wanted to seriously pursue his own songwriting and producing career. Though Nashville was much bigger than she was used to and a little intimidating at first, Memarie continued to work on her craft, singing with her father and joining a school show choir called the Pony Express when she was 14. Winning a contest during high school to sing at Carnegie Hall further confirmed her talent and fueled her desire to win a spot in the bright lights. The experience taught her quite a bit vocally as well. “We had to enter and sing individually,” recalls Memarie, “and the prize was performing a classical piece at Carnegie Hall in a choir with other students who were also selected. It was incredible.” The whole experience not only broadened Memarie’s vocal skills but it also helped her find her own voice, both musically and emotionally. She became even stronger in her conviction to perform music professionally. The next few years Memarie spent working with her father, writing songs and cutting demos, a few of which were cut by other artists. Country artist Ken Mellons recorded several of Memarie’s collaborations with her father including the tongue-in-cheek, “He’ll Never Be A Lawyer (Cause He Can’t Pass The Bar)” which Mellons recorded with John Anderson and George Jones. Memarie recorded her own music for Cupit Records shortly after a CD that included the stirring gospel-tinged tune, “What If He’s Right,” released to Christian radio and spent 11 weeks at Number One on the Christian music charts. Memarie is very proud of that accomplishment and though it shows the broad stroke of her abilities as an artist, her heart lies with country music. For the past few years Memarie has been hard at work developing her sound, writing songs, and recording her second CD, which is due out this summer. The album includes several songs penned by Memarie herself and showcases her diverse musical talent. If the album had a theme song, it would likely be the message of its first single, “The Hole In Willie’s Guitar,” which Memarie feels is important for anyone trying to accomplish anything in life. “I really like the message of perseverance in that song as it talks about digging deep and overcoming the obstacles you face everyday. It takes a lot of persistence to be a successful recording artist or anything else, and that song really spoke to me.” Though it’s been awhile in the making, Memarie feels her new music truly reflects her life right now. She is proud of the road she’s on. “I’ve been out performing a lot of shows over the past few years and I’ve had some time to really find out who I am as a person and an artist. I am proud of where I’ve been and where I’m going.” Memarie was recently on CMT’s Can You Duet. |
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