Julianne Ankley

LEXINGTON Expect a lot of original music from Julianne Ankley when she performs Saturday at the Lexington Village Theatre.

"I'm going to be doing almost entirely original music," Ankley said. "I'm an award-winning singer-songwriter, so I should do my own music."

Ankley, who is a fixture on the local music scene, received a 2014 Detroit Music Award as outstanding country songwriter. Her group, Julianne Ankley and the Rogues, was selected as outstanding country artist/group.

She said she's proud to be from southeast Michigan, and that Detroit country music is different from country music in other parts of the country.

"I've got country blood deep," said Ankley, who writes in her biography about riding a tractor with her dad on their Thumb-area farm with the radio playing. "That's the root of it. Country music sounds different here than in other parts of the country.

Julianne Ankley received a 2014 Detroit Music Award
Julianne Ankley received a 2014 Detroit Music Award as outstanding country songwriter.(Photo: HANDOUT)
"There's a lot of Detroit influence."

There's also a lot of Port Huron influence. A video for her single, "No Place for a Lullabye," was shot in 2009 in the area behind the Raven Café. The song is about what it's like to be homeless.

"That was nominated for a Detroit Music Award," she said.

She said performing is "a piece of my soul."

"Once I started, it was like being bit by a vampire — you're in it for life," she said.

"There's something about connecting with your audience," she said. "There's a moment when I'm on the stage and singing and playing a song I wrote, and you look out, and the audience gets it."

She said she's currently working on a new album. She also will be among the women featured in a 13-episode series, "Embrace of Aging: The Female Perspective on Growing Old," that starts at 2:30 p.m. Sunday on WTVS-TV (Channel 56).

Ankley will be singing with other performers on the series soundtrack.


She said she's been performing professionally for 10 years — five years as a solo artist — but she still describes herself as a struggling performer and songwriter.

"Hopefully, I'm building a fan base," she said.

Inspiration, she said, is "all around you every day... it depends on what you tap into.

"You can find inspiration everywhere."

Contact Bob Gross at (810) 989-6263 or rgross@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobertGross477

IF YOU GO

JULIANNE ANKLEY AND THE ROGUES

• When: 8 p.m. Saturday

• Where: Lexington Village Theatre, 7318 Huron Ave., Lexington.

• Cost: Tickets are $17, $22 and $27.

• For more information: www.lexingtonvillagetheatre.com or www.julianneankley.com - Port Huron Times Herald

This news clip shows Julianne performing at the Fillmore as part of Alto Reed's Thanksgiving show. - WXYZ TV

"When people mention Detroit and music, the likes of Kid Rock, Eminem and Motown generally come to mind for people in other parts of the country. However, in Southeast Michigan, we know we have fantastic talent in many genres. If Country music is your thing, consider checking out some of the finest performers our area has to offer."

Julianne

www.juliannemusic.net
MySpace , iTunes

In August of 2009, Julianne released her first solo CD titled “It Ain’t Over.” She embarked on a solo career after five years with the band Redhill. Her debut release was met with critical acclaim and was nominated for a 2010 Detroit Music Award in the Outstanding Country Recording category. This talented singer and decorated songwriter is the complete package. Her voice is powerful and her lyrics will leave you thinking. “No Place For A Lullabye” is a great example of her depth, and the video was shot to raise awareness on the plight of homeless families." - CBS - Detroit

September 30, 2009 -
Photo by Michael Hacala

Redhill is a country band who burst onto the scene in 2005 with their unique music style they call “Detroit Country”; it’s a full bodied country music with a blues-rock edge. Redhill is made up of seasoned songwriters and musicians who love to perform.

They have been nominated for numerous Detroit Music Awards and won many of them. Between 2005 and 2009 they received many accolades from the music community. Their debut CD You Get What You Get won the 2007 Detroit Music Award for Outstanding Country Album, and Redhill was the only band nominated in all five 2007 DMA country categories!

While being headliners in their own right Redhill has performed with some of the best musicians in Country Music including Clay Walker, Clint Black, Dwight Yoakam, Terri Clark, Miranda Lambert, Heartland, Keith Andersen, John Anderson, Aaron Tippin, Gary Nichols, Kelly Pickler, Juice Newton, Leroy Parnell, John Corbett, Josh Gracin, Hot Apple Pie, Trent Tomlinson, Eric Church, Carolina Rain, Luke Bryan, The Wreckers, Rodney Adkins, Rhett Atkins, Buckey Covington, Jack Ingram, Roadhammers, Emily West, Lee Brice, Chris Cagle, Little Big Town, Trisha Yearwood, Joe Diffie, Billy Ray Cyrus, Confederate Railroad, Sammy Kershaw, Stephen Cochran, Marcel and Gretchen Wilson at major Detroit area venues including DTE Music Theatre and Freedom Hill.

But everything changes eventually and its time for a change with this group as well. Lead singer Julianne had decided to pursue her career as a solo artist and the other members, Greg, Grant and Freddie will continue on their journey making great music. This isn’t a bad break up according to the press release and they all wish each other the best and offer their support. Redhill CD’s are still available through redhillrocks.com and cdbaby.com as well as itunes and you can get digital downloads through their website Redhillrocks.com.

Stay tuned to see how it all plays out. This is an amazing group of musicians and I look forward to seeing what they come up with next. In the mean time pick up a CD and enjoy some of the best “Detroit Country”!

Detroit Music Award Nominations for 2009!

REDHILL received nominations in the following categories:

• Outstanding Country Vocalist (Julianne)

• Outstanding Country Songwriter (Julianne)

• Outstanding Country Instrumentalist (Greg Michaels)

Redhillrocks.com

Cdbaby.com

Juliannemusic.net

QUOTES:

"REDHILL has been outstanding to work with in every way, including drawing massive crowds at WYCD’s Downtown Hoedown, the WYCD Birthday Bash, Arts, Beats & Eats and our many other concert events"- Tim Roberts, Program Director, WYCD - Detroit, MI

"A red hot singer and stage presence to burn down the house ... a kicking country band!"?- Brian Harper, Program Director, WSAQ-fm - Port Huron, MI

"Wow ... excellent blue-eyed soul country ... from Detroit of all places."- Chuck Eddy, The Village Voice (N.Y.C.)

"REDHILL ads sizzle ... we can't wait to have them perform at many more WYCD events!" - Denise Stockel, Marketing & Promotions Director, 99.5 WYCD-fm - Detroit, MI

"Flavorful, full-bodied country with a blues-rock edge. Julianne's sultry voice captivates from the first note." - Larry Garcia, Founder, DetroitCountryMusic.com - Detroit Country Examiner - Vicki Talbot

Venue information:
Lone Oak Vineyard Estate
8400 Ann Arbor Road Leoni Township near Grass Lake, MI
Map venue location

517-522-8167
http://www.loneoakvineyards.com
Admission: $25 pp for dinner and show
We're excited to have Julianne Ankley here at Lone Oak for the first time! Julianne is a great country music artist and was awarded "Best Country Artist" at this year's Detroit Music Awards. Check her out at julianneankley.com. This will be a wonderful night of great music, food, our estate grown wines and hand-crafted beer. Just 42 seats in this intimate venue, so reservations are a must. Dinner menu tba. - MLive.com

Julianne Ankley never forgets her roots.

Ankley, who grew up on a farm in Jeddo, has released her third CD. Titled "Don't Let Go," the CD is a collection of new, original music.

"They're about a variety of things," Ankley said. "It's a collection of my music that I've written."

The songs, she said, are about relationships, friendships and family.

To support the CD, Julianne Ankley and the Rogues will perform in concert — one show only — at 8 p.m. Nov. 21 at the Village Theatre in Lexington.

While Ankley performs and records in Detroit and Nashville, she calls St. Clair County home.

The concert "will be a full night of original music with really top-notch Detroit musicians," Ankley said. "Homegirl is bringing her band."

She said the CD was produced by Nolan Mendenhall; Brian "Roscoe" White played guitars and was the engineer.

"I would have to call it contemporary country," she said. "There's a little bit of everything: R&B, retro, Motown, horns. It was a lot of fun."

Ankley debuted "He's Still My Boy," from the CD on June 19 when Bo Bice of "American Idol" fame called her up on stage at the Lexington Village Theatre.

"He brought me up on stage to perform and he just handed me his guitar," she said.

Songs from the album also have been getting air time on WSAQ FM's Home Grown Country show.

In addition to working on her new CD, Ankley also got some air time during the 2015 Woodward Dream Cruise. "Lead Footin' in the Left Lane," a song from her 2012 CD, "Vivid," was featured by WXYZ-TV in a video for its Dream Cruise coverage..

Ankley is seen playing guitar and singing and cruising down Woodward in the back seat of a classic convertible with anchors Carolyn Clifford in the passenger seat and Stephen Clark behind the wheel.

"That was so much fun." she said.

Ankley acknowledged that making it in the music business is difficult with the pay-off not always proportional to musical talent. Still, "when you can touch the hearts of your audience and connect with them, there's no other feeling like that," she said. "It's amazing."

Contact Bob Gross at (810) 989-6263 or rgross@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobertGross477. - Port Huron Times Herald