Kami Lyle
Kami Lyle is an American singer/songwriter from Minneapolis, now living on Cape Cod, Massachusetts with her husband and musician, Joey Spampinato.
Kami Lyle | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kimberlee Howg |
| Born | September 7, 1968 Edina, Minnesota |
| Genres | Jazz, Pop |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | trumpet, piano |
| Labels | MCA, Artists House, Criterion Music |
| Website | http://kamilyle.com |
Early life and education
Born in the Minneapolis suburb of Edina, Minnesota,[1] Lyle studied trumpet[1] at the age of 9,[2] having learned to appreciate music from her mother, a classically trained pianist and saxophonist.[2] By the age of 19, she accompanied a salsa band for a gig at the University of Minnesota, and subsequently joined a local musical group, Mexcal, a Tex-Mex band. She gained her stage name while working at a local bookstore, when she lost her name-tag and replaced it with that of a prior employee named Kami.[2] She combined this with her father’s first name, Lyle.[2] Her many experiences and travels throughout Minnesota would later serve as material for her intimate songwriting.[3]
Professional career
Lyle graduated from the Berklee College Of Music in 1992.[3] After graduation, she moved to Nashville where she worked a variety of side jobs[4] (many of which serve as a basis for her songwriting) while pursuing her musical career. While playing with an informal Sunday-Night combo called “Swill Cheese Pontiac”, she was signed by MCA and produced her debut album, Blue Cinderella, released in 1997, which consisted of a series of character-sketch narratives and semi-autobiographical passages. One such song, ‘Grocery Song’ was written about her experiences as a supermarket bagger. She won multiple accolades and reviews, including a review by Billboard who dubbed her “a young lady with a horn and a fresh take on pop”.[4]
In recent years, Lyle formed a band called the Kami Lyle Trio with her husband, Joey Spampinato and guitarist Tad Price.[5] In 2013, Lyle began hosting an interactive musical and storytelling forum, bring national artists to Cape Cod using a format of "playing in the round", called the "Kami Lyle Sit a While".[5]
Discography
References
- ^ a b Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th Edition). Oxford University Press. 2006. doi:10.1093/acref/9780195313734.001.0001. ISBN 9780195313734.
- ^ a b c d Graham, George (August 13, 1997). "Kami Lyle: Blue Cinderella". The Graham Weekly Review, as broadcast on WVIA-FM. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
- ^ a b White, Timothy (July 26, 1997). "Kami Lyle's 'Cinderella' Story". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
- ^ a b Bessman, Jim (June 1, 1996). "Continental Drift". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved November 15, 2015.
- ^ a b "Cape Cod Times". February 7, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
- ^ a b Allmusic.com "Artist Kami Lyle"