Julie ragins biography

I just write whatever is on my mind because that is what I do. When I heard that Julie and Curtis were presenting these classes, I just thought of all the young musicians that will have the chance of a lifetime to hear from these two. In addition to being gifted musical talent, they are just plain good people. Yes, that helps too. That is a record that needs to be made.

Curtis and Julie have credentials that are most impressive. Being a fan of The Moody Blues, I have seen Julie perform many times with the group including concerts at two of the most iconic musical venues in the world:. Inspired with the hope to help open a few doors to music programs at colleges and universities , I decided to use that as an excuse to interview Julie!

STR: When was that flashing light moment for you that told you that you were going to make a career in music? Was there one? JR: Nope. No flash. No Moment. I was a sax player through college, and all I saw where great musicians struggling to make a living. After that I planned on pursuing session singing. But once again the universe had other ideas for me.

But thru it all I completely feel like I am in exactly the right place. I love how my life has turned out so far. JR: I was born and raised in Fairbanks, Alaska. I started playing in the school band when I was 9. I took to it right away and at 12 I started playing the piano. My parents were very supportive of it all, and there was a woman in town, Jo Scott, who was hellbent on bringing music and arts to our little town.

She single-handedly started the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival. Between that and the University of Alaska, Fairbanks summer music program I spent a great deal of my summers from age 12 on playing sax. The really funny part about that is everyone had to take choir. I did not think singers were real musicians and I was a musician damnit! I just think that is hilarious!

STR: I get a sense that you can provide a class of music students a tangible opportunity that is rare and probably unfathomable to some educators that something like this really can happen. What are you and Curtis trying to bring to others with your Master Class Presentation? JR: Being a musician is a very interesting thing. Those that do learn to play their instrument, but with only a hand full of exceptions, universities do not develop music students to think about HOW they are going to get the job or the gig they dream of.

They just teach them how to play the instrument, or sing. The truth of the matter is this…. You are a selling product like any other business, but you are selling yourself. What do you want? Who is your audience? How are you going to get people to pay attention? Nobody ever asked me these questions. I had to figure it out for myself over decades.

We looked out for each other, jammed together, shared gig and contacts. Today the scene is small and cutthroat. Today is in some ways harder, and in some ways easier that it was when I started out. You needed a label, a manager, a booking agent. But you had to get those people to believe in you.

Julie ragins biography

Today you can do everything yourself. You can record an album in your garage, distribute it yourself through CD Baby, build your own website, make your own video and post it to YouTube. Social media has forever changed how we consume music. And labels expect you to do it all before they will take you seriously. So you better be a hell of an entrepreneur.

You can do it all yourself now which is amazing. But you have to do it all yourself… which can be overwhelming. STR: You and Curtis have a long list of folks you have collaborated with over the years, how nerve-racking is an audition process and how do you suggest students approach that aspect of the business? JR: Auditions are an interesting beast.

I think the number one mistake people make is not doing enough research and homework going into an audition. Know who you are going to audition for. What sort of music is it? What sort of people have done it in the past. Do you know of anything specific they are looking for? You cannot be too prepared for an audition. But you also need to be yourself.

Be genuine. This makes you valuable. And if you have a big audition with someone you are potentially star struck with, keep that stuff locked away tight. Remember they are a person just like you are and they are looking for a colleague, not a fan. Lastly, you learn something every time you do an audition. There is an art to doing it.

You might be surprised, and if nothing else you just might learn something valuable. Official [ edit ]. Touring [ edit ]. Timelines [ edit ]. Lineups [ edit ]. References [ edit ]. The Moody Blues. Eagle Records. Retrieved 15 January Disc and Music Echo. London, England: Disc and Music Echo. Record Mirror. London, England: Record Mirror.

Vintage Vinyl News. Thank you to the band for the great music and thank you Morristown Green. Thank you Kevin for a wonderful article about Morris Arts upcoming fundraising concert next Sunday, September It will be a wonderful full day in Morristown! Concert begins at so attendees and fans of Grand Fondo can walk up Cattano Ave. Come sit in the beautiful courtyard behind The Artists Baker, relax to great tunes for a great cause, then head into Morristown for dinner and drinks!!

Great way to start the fall season in a Town that is filled with great people, exciting events and an awesome and thriving downtown. Thanks again Kevin. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. So when I started playing saxophone in school band at the age of nine he was thrilled. Throughout high school and college, music was an integral part of her life.

Jazz saxophone continued to stand out, but passions for the rock flavor of the day were equally engaging. From Charlie Parker to Led Zeppelin, she got quite an education.