Kacee Clanton
Kacee Clanton (born Kellie Kristine Clanton) is a Los Angeles based rock and blues singer-songwriter who has worked as a background vocalist for recording artists Beth Hart, Joe Cocker, and Luis Miguel and toured as lead vocalist with Big Brother and the Holding Company. She has played Janis Joplin in the rock musical Love, Janis and is a vocal and performance instructor at Los Angeles Music Academy. Both her music and vocals have been used in a variety of films, TV shows, and video games.
Beginnings
Kacee grew up in a musical home, studying Gospel and Contemporary Christian music. She began studying classical voice at the age of 15 and later studied at University of the Pacific's Conservatory of Music. She moved to the Los Angeles area and began performing in the late 1980s.
Solo recordings
Kacee released her first independent solo CD entitled Seeing Red in 1995. It is a combination of traditional blues, modern rock, jazz, and gospel, and features various Los Angeles based session players and singers such as Danny Jacob, T Lavitz, Ray Brinker, Tom Lilly, Chris Smith of Jefferson Starship, Robbie Wyckoff, and Tommy Alvarado. It also features iconic blues vocalist/guitarist Coco Montoya.
Her second release, Mama Came to Sing, was released in 2005. Mama is a blend of hard-hitting rock, funky folk, groovy blues, and moody pop. It features players and singers such as Tom Lilly, Jon Nichols, Ray Brinker, Jon Greathouse, Maureen Baker, David Crozier, Robbie Wyckoff, Janelle Sadler, and Ryan Drummond.
Theatre
In 2001, Kacee joined the cast of the Off-Broadway stage production Love, Janis, playing the lead role in the rock musical based on the life and music of Janis Joplin. She performed in the production at the San Diego Repertory Theatre (San Diego, California) in both 2001 and 2002, where the Los Angeles Times said, "Joplin's mannerisms and her mix of sweetness and vulgarity were captured to near perfection...by Kacee..."[1] She joined the cast once again in 2007 at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre (Kansas City, MI), where The Broadway Blog review said "Clanton literally brought the crowd to our feet with her exacting portrayal of Janis' music and fervent performance style."[2] In 2009, she performed the show at The Downstairs Cabaret Theatre (Rochester, NY).
Kacee also appeared in Repartee '07: A Theatrical Review at the Kansas City Repertory Theatre (2007),[3] Bandage: the Rock Opera at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, CA (2008), and Your Town Follies, a Cirque Comique, at El Portal Theatre in No. Hollywood, CA (2010).
Touring
- Beth Hart
In 2003, Kacee joined Beth Hart as a background singer for a variety of concerts in support of Hart's 2003 release, Leave the Light On.
- Big Brother and the Holding Company
In 2002, Kacee began touring as lead vocalist with Big Brother and the Holding Company (BBHC), Janis Joplin's original San Francisco based band. She has performed with BBHC many times over the years, including a European tour and a variety of festivals and concert venues throughout the U.S. and Canada.[4]
- Joe Cocker
Kacee joined rock legend Joe Cocker in 2004 as a background singer in support of his Heart & Soul world tour (2005/2006) and continued in that capacity through his Hymn for My Soul world tour (2007/2008).
- Luis Miguel
In 2008, Kacee joined Latin star Luis Miguel as a background singer on his Cómplices world tour (2008/2009) and then again for his Luis Miguel world tour (2010/2012).
Los Angeles Music Academy
Kacee joined the teaching staff of the Los Angeles Music Academy (LAMA) in 2008 as a vocal and performance instructor. She was instrumental in designing both the performance and rock programs at LAMA.[5]
Commercial work
Kacee has appeared on television shows such as The Tonight Show (NBC), Live! with Regis & Kelly (ABC), and Parkinson (BBC/ITV). Her songs and/or vocals have appeared in films such as Tooth Fairy (20th Century Fox),[6] and Kinsey (Fox Searchlight Pictures),[6] and television programs such as Brothers & Sisters (ABC), Fox Sports, Cribs (MTV), Open House New York, 18 to Life (CBC/Canada), The Guiding Light (CBS), Star Search (CBS), and Thirtysomething (ABC). Kacee has also contributed soundtrack and/or voiceover work to video games such as The Saboteur (AE Games), Heavy Gear (Activision), and Teen Digital (Activision).
References
- ↑ Tony Perry, LA Times Theater Review, Rollicking 'Love, Janis' Does More Than Push Those Boomer Buttons (July 2002)
- ↑ "We 'Love, Janis.'" The Broadway Blog (March 2007)
- ↑ http://www.kcstage.com/?a=TheatInfo&op=View&theatid=16&sid=1257715565
- ↑ http://bbhc.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=790
- ↑ http://lamusicacademy.edu/jm/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=72:vocals-instructors&catid=5:aa-degrees&Itemid=140
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Kacee Clanton - Filmography - Movies & TV - NYTimes.com". movies.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2 August 2011.