Anna
was encircled by strong women who reinforced her
drive
to become an independent young lady. Her
grandmother first introduced her to country music
at an early age—she was captivated by some
of the
greatest female artists of our time
such as Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette
and
Kitty Wells. “There was something so pure and
original in each
of their voices that was simply magical to
me,”
Anna opines.
With her parents as educators in the small college
town, Anna Garrott shined in the community and
excelled in school.
“I went to a very small high school with a
graduating class of 50, which was the largest to
ever come through the school.” Garrott recalls. “I
received the honor of ‘Most Likely To Succeed’ and
I hope I
don’t disappoint the Pike Liberal Arts
School Class of
2002!”
A young scholar who truly enjoyed her
classes and after-school activities, the songwriting bug
really
didn’t bite her until late in her high school years
after a teenage, sweetheart break-up; Anna took pen and
pad in hand and wrote her first original song, “Happy
With Her.”
“It wasn’t until I was 17 or 18 that I wrote my first
song. You know the story…high school boyfriend cheated
and broke my heart. I was so overcome with emotion that
when I picked up the pen, it all
came pouring out. Needless to say, the boy didn’t last
and songwriting became my new love!”
Anna headed to Auburn, Alabama to begin her college
term; she finished up her marketing degree
at Troy University in her hometown.
Always in the spotlight as a child, Anna Garrott enjoyed
dancing and singing for friends and family;
she fell in love with being an “entertainer” after
performing in a local bar where she moonlighted
as a bartender – she knows how to let loose onstage!
Playing favorites like “Me and Bobby McGee”
and “Angel From Montgomery”, Anna built a following of
regular fans and began to play in the
Panhandle area and around Central Alabama opening for
artists like Randy Travis, Lady Antebellum,
Craig Morgan, Joe Nichols, Jason Michael Carroll and
Gene Watson.
While sitting in with a band at a local nightclub, Anna
caught the ear of a Music City visitor and
Nashville producer, Rick Holt. A year later, Anna signed
to the newly developed independent label,
Blue Steel Records, which was formed with Anna Garrott
as its leading flagship artist. Managed by
music row veteran Steve Pope, the indie label is owned
by Vicki Carey and Jimmy White, Sr. of Pensacola,
Florida.
Steve Pope, Vicki Carey and Jim White have become Anna’s
biggest fans and most influential
educators in the industry; together, the four unveiled
Anna’s debut album
ONLY
TIME WILL TELL
in 2008, an album Garrott describes as “a blend of
classic country and southern rock...Patsy Cline
meets Bonnie Raitt.” The album has a hint of southern
rock, shaken and stirred with a dose of
traditional country. Anna will release the first single
from the CD, entitled “What A Way To Go” to
country radio in the fall of 2009.
From college to Nashville, Anna Garrott is quick to
thank her fans for their help in her success. “As
an artist, you are nothing without your fans; you have
no success without them! You get to live your dreams and
do what you do every day because of them. I have the
best fans a girl could ask for!”
Anna’s “I Am Woman” independence, tomboy perseverance,
natural talents as a songwriter and entertainer, and
continued support from fans keep Garrott on the
road—delivering her brand of
“Kick Ass With Class” to every show. With a firecracker
persona and big, big voice, Anna is a big
surprise in a small package! But, what is no
surprise…Pike Liberal Arts School students were
absolutely right to predict Anna Garrott as…“Most Likely
To Succeed! Succeed she will! |
