Jamie Coon
At the American Indian Film Festival award show in San Francisco tonight, all eyes and ears are focused on singer Jamie Coon. The audience is captivated by her voice—which is both soulful and angelic—and her original soul-pop tunes. However, it is much more than that which draws everyone in. An extremely gifted singer and a pure natural on stage, she is completely connected with the audience, ad-libbing between tunes and interacting with the crowd. Everyone in the filled-to-capacity, 1,000-seat Palace of Fine Arts Theater hangs on her every word—which spurs her on to dig in, take risks, and reach new musical heights. Most in the crowd have that rare feeling that they are both listening to a singular voice, and witnessing a true natural performer. It is no surprise, then, that today Jamie Coon is regarded by many as one of the freshest-sounding singers to come along in awhile and is continually reaching a larger audience via films, TV and regional awards.
Growing up in Oklahoma, Jamie was exposed to music at an early age. Her parents were huge music fans and listened to everything from Ronnie Milsap and Elton John to Percy Sledge, Fats Domino and Aretha. In high school, while her friends got into alternative rock, Jamie’s hero was Elvis. Still a teen, Jamie dedicated herself to music, writing songs and singing and also learning piano and guitar. Older rock, country and soul influenced her and she wrote constantly. Soon, it was obvious that she had found her calling: she relocated to Los Angeles to attend the Musicians Institute in Hollywood, CA, where she received the Outstanding Student of the Year award and graduated from the Vocal (VIT) program.
The first time you hear Jamie’s music, you immediately know that you’re listening to something different. Imagine a touch of Natalie Merchant’s upbeat pop and some Nora Jones’ vibe—mixed in with a nod to all the soul greats—and you get an idea of what she’s about. However, there are also other currents running deeper throughout her music: a Native American born in Okemah, Oklahoma, Jamie’s songs have a spiritual, wide-open feel that flows naturally in everything she sings. With so many influences, Jamie’s songs incorporate a wide variety of instrumentation and styles. She seamlessly fuses stripped-down acoustics, standard pop/rock instrumentation, electronic elements and drum loops, and more. It all works so well because of Jamie’s musical vision, passionate voice and solid soul underpinning.
In L.A., Jamie has assembled a band of like-minded musicians, who push her musically and give her songs added depth. They include Latin-influenced acoustic guitarist Rafael Barajas and guitarist Eric Sampson: both help bring an earthy, soulful vibe to the group. Filling out the rhythm section is veteran bassist Tom Von Doom (former Cycle Sluts from Hell bassist—and interestingly one of the kids on Blood, Sweat and Tears’ first album cover), and drummer/producer Pat Evans. Tom and Pat co-produced Jamie’s first CD, Everything So Far, in late 2005 on the indie label CSW Entertainment. Jamie and the band have been gigging constantly in support of the CD, with well-received shows at the Pig ‘N’ Whistle, Rainbow Room, the Improv, Cat Club, Talking Stick, Knitting Factory and the Lebowski Fest.
Recently, Jamie’s music has been enjoying an increasingly wide audience. Two of her songs appeared on the soundtrack of the indie comedy Long Term Relationship. Her single, “Breathe” is heavily-featured in Deceit, starring Joe Pantoliano and Jon Abrahams. She recently signed an agreement with Riptide Music, a company placing music in national TV shows and films and her single “Waiting” was featured in an episode of the CBS drama Ghost Whisperer, starring Jennifer Love Hewitt.
Industry accolades are pouring in, as well: Jamie received a nomination for Best Female Artist at the First Annual Southern California Music Awards in 2006, and won the 2007 “Best Out of County” from the Orange County Music Awards. She also was voted 2007’s “Singer/Songwriter of the Year” by the Payne County Line/Oklahoma Music Awards. Most recently she has been nominated for both “Best New Artist” and “Best Pop Recording” in this year’s Native American Music Awards.
Jamie and her band are currently writing new material for her upcoming album, and will be continuing to tour throughout the West Coast. And wherever she ends up, we’re just glad that we’re along for the journey.