| Featured Member of the Month |
| April 2010 |
| ~ Renee Russell ~ |
| Renee was born in Memphis, Tennessee as the youngest of 5 children. Renee's parents divorced when she was still in diapers, with her mother retaining sole custody of all 5 children. When her mother felt she could no longer care for Renee and the other siblings, they were given up for adoption. By the time Renee's father found out about the pending adoption, Renee's future ahd already been set and the wheels put into motion. Renee would reconnect with her birth family many years later in Nashville. As she was to find out, she came from a very musically talented family, from singing to playing guitar, she seemed destined to find music at the center of all that she did throughout her life. But music wasn't only from her birth family. Renee was blessed to be adopted into a family that also not only sang and played instruments, but had a close relationship with God. With both parents singing and a father who played guitar, a mother, aunt, and grandmother who played piano, Renee was continually surrounded by music. This combination gave Renee a great desire to sing from her heart and soul and to work toward creating a place in music that would touch the very depth of other's emotions and thoughts. Renee has been singing since she was too young to remember. Her mom was often heard saying she had to have come out of the womb singing! Renee's elementary music teacher commented on her amazing ability to stay on pitch and rhythm and strongly recommended voice lessons to further train her voice. Although voice lessons didn't come until she was an adult, she performed for many years in school choirs and variety shows. By the 3rd grade, she started taking guitar lessons and continued to expand her musical skills by learning simple basic piano techniques. Her greatest enjoyment would come from playing guitar with her father and later when she would perform for both private parties and public venues. It was shortly after learning to play guitar that Renee started writing her own music. Most of her music ws inspired by her own life experiences. She made her recording studio debut when she ws only 17 years old with three songs she had written and one she co-wrote wtih a friend. Somehow the music never got "out the door" and into the hands of listners, but she would later produce that into her first retail CD. As Renee continued to mature, she started singing in her church choir. Dana Smith, the music minister at her church, ws delighted to find Renee could sing in any place she was put. From high tenor parts to first soprano, Renee sang out and added a strong voice to follow in every arena. Due to her strong voice and sense of pitch, she was often asked to perform solos in the church cantatas and musical performances. Several years ago, Renee started taking voice lessons. Renee made amazing changes in her vocal abilities. Mardi Ray, her voice teacher, encouraged her to start performing solos outside her church. He required her to sing in two recitals each year, the Spring recital at a local church, and the Christmas recital at Crossroads Mall. Renee says "This was an unnerving experience." Once she was on stage, though, she shined like a true performer. Returning to the studio for the first time since high school, she recently recorded a demo CD demonstrating her improved vocal range and skills acquired with voice lessons. In 2008, family, friends, and fans finally got the songs she recoreded so many years ago, only now as her first retail CD. With such a good reception to her first CD, Renee is back to writing songs. In December of 2009, she released her first Gospel CD! She is currently the music minister at her church in Guthrie, Oklahoma and also works as a mobile massage therapist. Renee's music career is heartily encouraged by her 4 children (Mike, AJ, Jeremy and Joseph) and by her husband, Ken. After Renee graduated from Edmond Memorial High School she attended and graduated from Central State Beauty Academy. Furthering her studies in music, she attended two years of college at Oklahoma State university with a music minor. She has taken voice lessons and recently attended the CMSA singers performance workshop. She has performed on local country, bluegrass and gospel oprys including the Heartland Opry, as well as in Branson, Guthrie, Crescent, and a few other cities. She is actively performing at community events such as the Victorian Walk in Guthrie, the Bethel Foundation 2008 New Year's Eve event, the 2005 Republican Women's Honorary Dinner, and at the June Bug Jam fundraiser show in Norman, OK annually since 2007 Renee has been competing at local and state venues for several years. In 2006 she took 3rd place in the June Bug Jam vocal competition. She was also in the Talent Show Competition at OSU. When asked, "How did you get introduced to the CMSA?" Renee replied "I went to a party with Tawnua and Gerald Wills and this man approached me after hearing me sing. He suggested I come audition for teh CMSA. His name was John Fisher. I am grateful EVERY DAY that he introduced me to the CMSA" We all know that once she joined the CMSA that she has been a regular on the stage, at open mic night, and at the monthly business meetings. She entered local competitino and qualified for state competition in New Gospel. Winning in the State level qualified her to compete at NACMAI in Tennessee this past March. Renee won FIRST PLACE in New Gospel Vocalist, and 3rd in New Gospel Entertainer!! Way to Go, Renee! Hat's off to YOU |
 |