Audra Mae

Growing up, show business was in Audra Mae's blood. Her great grandmother, Virginia, was a member of the Gumm Sisters, whose youngest member, Francis Ethel Gumm, grew up to be Judy Garland. Her paternal grandmother turned her on to country and folk artists like Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton and Woody Guthrie, while her maternal grandfather introduced her to jazz. Since arriving in California seven years ago, on Elvis Presley's birthday no less, with the proverbial $20 in her pocket, Audra Mae has done alright for herself. She landed a publishing deal with Warner/Chappell, a TV placement singing Bob Dylan's "Forever Young" on the hit F/X series, Sons of Anarchy, and in 2009, wrote the lyrics to "Who I Was Born To Be," the only original track on Susan Boyle's chart-topping, 9 million- selling I Dreamed a Dream album. And now Audra Mae is about to see her own dream come true. Since her acclaimed SideOneDummy Records debut, The Happiest Lamb, in May 2010, Oklahoma-born singer/songwriter Audra Mae has undergone quite a transformation. Her friends, including stand-up bassist Joe Ginsberg, guitarist Jarrad Kritzstein, pianist Frank Pedano and drummer Kiel Feher, who have played live with her in a series of residencies around the L.A. area, came together in early 2011 as a close group with no official name. Audra now has a new look and an Almighty Sound. The album's genesis took place in the acoustic live shows Audra Mae did with bassist Joe Ginsberg, who tour managed and played upright bass for Audra before moving to L.A. from Denver and helping her form the new band. While The Happiest Lamb showcased Audra Mae's darker, more dramatic and melancholy side, Audra Mae & The Almighty Sound is a celebration of her own blossoming as a performer, the perfect storm of all her influences, spiked with the energy of a group who honed their chops in live situation.