| Featured Member of the Month |
| June 2010 |
| ~ Michelle Williams ~ |
| Michelle Williams can sing just about anything she sets her mind to. You might say she creates an anthem for ladies that are nearing middle age when she sings K.T. Oslin's "80's Ladies". She can either take you back to your middle age days, or make you look forward to them. She can also get the guys attention when she sings "Hey Bobby"! You have to make it a point to hear her sing "Amazing Grace". Born in south Oklahoma City and raised in Moore, Michelle began performing at the age of 3 in the Nazarene church where both sides of her family attended. Given time and exposure to many various styles of music the focus of her particular art became voice. Through elementary and junior high, she enjoyed the organized music program provided through the school system. In high school, she became a member of Apolyras, the select mixed choir, and Moore and More, the show choir, and branched out to explore Sweet Adeline's, a ladies barbershop organization. After graduation, Michelle sang the National Anthem for various groups, including local professional wrestling. Learning of a live radio show, Michelle's husband Allen got her a spot on Saturday morning's singing with a live band. The couple began singing together on this radio show, and then through a friend's invitation, Michelle got a gig performing weekends at the Blue Belle Saloon in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Singing in a public forum brought opportunities to sing for many more provate parties, public functions, and also started regularly perfomring with her husband, Allen. While doing a street show, Michelle and Allen met David Franklin and became friends with him and his family. David introduced Allen and Michelle to the Spotlight Theatre on S. Western Avenue and the CMSA. Given this new format, new experiences musically became stepping stones. In 1995, Michelle and Allen packed up and moved to Nashville, finding multiple venues including studio work for publishing companies, clubs, organizations, and live stage shows. Michelle performed in and around Nashville for 8 years. While at a campground singing together, the opportunities expanded to the ability to perform more gigs locally and also to travel coast to coast to do shows. Then after the decision to move back to Oklahoma and a reconnection to the CMSA, Michelle continued singing, solo and with Allen, extablishing booking venues throughout the state and surrounding area. As a member of the CMSA, Michelle has taken many active parts including being on a committee that prepared a long lists of "age appropriate songs" for the youth to select from. She and her husband also hosted the 'Open Micc' when we were at Ashley's restauant and the former Favorites Restauant. They have also been very instrumental in singing as Ambassadors of Goodwill for charitable events throughout the OKC metro area. In 2009 they headed up a fundraiser for children in Norman that was a great success. Michelle's father, Jerry Robinson, was very instrumental in helping with the design of the CMSA jackets. To this day we are still ordering jackets from the company he worked for. Actually, Michelle and Al have family that have performed and are, or were members of the CMSA. Over the past twenty something years, Michelle and Allen ahve recorded and sold several different albums. These are sold overseas and on the internet. They are currently continuing to book and do shows and enjoying every moment of it! If you have not heard Michelle, or Allen, or Michelle AND Allen, you need to make sure and catch a show on which they are scheduled. You will not regret it. Maybe you will get to hear a little K.T. Oslin, or you may get lucky and hear some of the duets the two have whipped up, like "Bread and Butter". Put it on your list to get to not only hear these people sing, but visit with them. We have been blessed to have Michelle and Allen as members of the CMSA. They continue to show strong support for this organization and we appreciate them very much. |
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