Sara K.
Sara K. (* 1960 probably) is an American singer- songwriter from Santa Fe, New Mexico. She was active from the mid 1970s to 2009 and their music includes the genres of blues, folk and jazz. Since she published exclusively audiophile CDs since the early 1990s and an extremely loyal fan base has, she is often given by the press the nickname Queen of audiophiles. Another special feature of her style is that she plays a strung with four bass strings acoustic guitar.
Career
Sara K. was born in Dallas, Texas and grew up in a musical family: her mother sang in a church choir, her father in a barbershop quartet, her brother played in a band and her sister played guitar. Sara's desire to be a singer but was not taken seriously by her family, because they saw music as a hobby, not a profession.
Beginning of the 1970s, she began as a 15- year-old self playing the guitar and used to the flamenco guitar, which had left her sister at home. She took off the remaining guitar strings and pulled instead of four bass strings on, tuned in A Major Open Tuning. This gave the guitar a fuller sound, letting them at the same time not so deep sound like a bass. The special sound of her guitar has since become their trademark to one.
When she started two years later to perform in clubs and bars in the city, she noticed that her music with the audience got quite good - what they turn in their desire to become a musician, encouraged. Even if the end of the 1970s, the great era of the solo artist à la Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell slowly came to an end, Sara K. maintained on this course. The first few years after they had moved out of home, she took advantage of every opportunity to make music - be it happy hours, as a background singer in country music and jingles, or if they created their own demo tapes. However, they realized that they do not really fit in Dallas in the local music scene and moved to New Mexico.
She moved into the village of Ruidoso in the mountains of New Mexico and founded her band Sara K. and the Boys Without Sleep. In the years from 1978 to 1983, she toured with her through New Mexico and Los Angeles. They also toured for two years with the country musician Gary Nunn.
Moving to Santa Fe and the first album
While she was with Nunn on tour, she realized that she would rather play and write their own songs. So she moved to Santa Fe ( New Mexico), teamed up with a couple of musicians and eventually brought her 1989 debut album Gypsy Alley at the ( now defunct ) label Mesa / Bluemoon out. Many of the songs on it deal with its restless, nomadic life they had lived nearly fifteen years on. This stage of life had found precisely in this Gypsy Alley ( trans. "Gypsy Lane " ) in Santa Fe to an end, because there they rented an apartment. And they still won at a fairground and a goldfish ( which also is mentioned several songs ) later a dog named " Bebe " had risen, she decided to become sedentary.
For many of their listeners already has her debut album is reminiscent of the style of Joni Mitchell, especially as regards the fein-/scharfsinnige expression. In addition, Sara K. seems very authentic, because they are " these stories himself has lived through, is there in them and from her heart told -. Warm, personal and moving The album was honored by the New Mexico Music Industry Coalition with the Best Album Award.
The years at Chesky Records
One of the musicians with whom she had played Gypsy Alley, is the guitarist Bruce Dunlap. He then stood at Chesky Records from New York under contract, a record company that is known mainly to produce for an audiophile audience. Dunlap helped her that she found shelter at Chesky, where (until 2001 ) it was more than ten years under contract.
Under the label Sara K. brought out six albums: Closer Than They Appear, Play On Words, Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin ' Hobo, the live album No Cover and What Matters. Chesky Records has finally put together a best-of album called The Chesky Collection.
She toured Europe and was thinking of moving to San Francisco - which was never put into action. When the contract expired with Chesky, Sara K. crept over the feeling that she had been "pulled in a variety of ways of record companies and tour operators across the table ," probably because they earned very little, although their CDs comparatively well sold.
Work with Stockfish Records and with Chris Jones
Sara K. learned on their last tour in Germany under the Chesky contract the owner of the record company Stockfish Records, Günter Pauler know, since he had been called as a sound specialist to help. On this occasion, he invited them for a tour of his studio and offered her directly about a record contract. In addition, he held out the prospect that they could take the pictures together with the exceptional guitarist Chris Jones. Jones ' delicate game and the refreshingly simple recording contract (scope: a page ) who was still fair and lucrative than many others, Sara K. finally convinced.
The collaboration with Chris Jones was congenial. Your first album with stockfish, Waterfalls (2001 ) was followed ( Germany ) tour, which was in turn the material for a live DVD Nautilus tour and a live album, Live in Concert (both 2003). The live album won in the AUDIO / stereoplay election the " Hifi Music Award 2003" for audiophile CDs.
In 2006, her third album was released in stockfish, hell or high water. The album includes ten new songs, accompanied again by Chris Jones on guitar and dobro. Tragically, Jones died shortly after the shooting and before the publication of Hodgkin's disease.
Four years after the Nautilus tour came Sara K. from November 5 to December 1, 2007 again on a tour of Germany, the Made in the Shade was titled and covered a large part of the Republic. The tour started at Radio Bremen and ended in Völklingen - Lauterbach. Before and after the tour they recorded their new album, which contains a large portion of new versions of songs from their Gypsy Alley album. It came in 2009 under the same title as the tour on the market.
End of career
With the release of her album Made in the Shade, she announced on the website of their record company that it intends to take any albums and give no more concerts. In a message to her fans she writes:
" After many years on the road and writing music, I've Decided to stop touring and recording. It's hard to explain why but I hope you will understand. I had a good run but I think it's over. It's just too much for too little thesedays. Made in the Shade Explains It as best as I know how. "
Translated by:
" After many years of touring and writing music, I have decided to give no more concerts and receive no more albums. It is difficult to explain why, but I hope you understand. I had a good time, but I think it's over. It has become just too much for too little. With Made in the Shade I explain it as best I can. "
Sara K. lives in the area of Santa Fe, has a daughter (* 1994) and is married to her husband Tiego since 2000.
Prices
- New Mexico Music Industry Coalition: " Best Album Award" in 1989 for Gypsy Alley
- AUDIO: "Golden Ear Audio " in 1994 for the album Play on Words
- Federation of the Phonographic Industry: "Jazz Award" in 1996, 1998 and 2002 for the album Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin ', Hobo and Waterfalls
- AUDIO / stereoplay: " Hifi Music Award " in 2003 for Best Album for Audiophiles Live in Concert
- " Just Plain Folks 2004 Music Award " for Best Blues Song, Turned My Upside Down (Live Version with Chris Jones)
Discography
- Gypsy Alley (CD, Mesa / Bluemoon, 1989)
- Closer Than They Appear (CD, Chesky, 1990)
- Play On Words (CD, Chesky, 1993)
- Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin ' (CD, Chesky, 1995)
- Hobo (CD, Chesky, 1997)
- No Cover (CD & DVD, Chesky, 1999)
- What Matters (CD, Chesky, 2001)
- Waterfalls (CD, stockfish, 2002)
- Nautilus Tour (DVD, stockfish / in-akustik, 2003)
- The Chesky Collection (CD, Chesky, 2003)
- Live in Concert (CD, stockfish, 2003)
- Hell or High Water ( Hybrid SACD, stockfish, 2006)
- Do not I Know You From Somewhere (Solo Live) (CD, stockfish, 2008)
- Made in the Shade ( Hybrid SACD, stockfish, 2009)
- Made in the Shade (Pure Audio Blu Ray, Cod, 2009)