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Al Chantrey
Chattanooga, TN, USA |
Al Chantrey is a
singer/songwriter/musician and
has been writing and recording
songs and performing from the
age of 10. Starting to perform
professionally at the age of
fifteen he has entertained an
audience of all ages for over
twelve years.
Being best known for his
ballads, he has also proven
that he can jump in to almost
any genre. Stirring rockers,
pop, country, folk and blues,
to name but a few.
He is labeled as a Soul
artist, undoubtedly due to his
emotionally high vocals and
heartfelt and deep lyrics.
Al was born in South London in
1981, and since the tender age
of five has been influenced by
his love of music which has
led him to become one of the
world's most 'unique'
singer/songwriters. After
hearing Jim Diamond (who had
hits with 'I Should Have Known
Better', 'Hi Ho Silver' and 'I
Won't Let You Down' with Ph.D)
singing 'Hi Ho Silver' in
1986, Alan decided that he
wanted to be in music.
At the age of fifteen, Al
started writing and composing
his own songs, and not long
after he started performing to
keen audiences and won himself
a number of dedicated fans.
His first live public
performance was at a talent
contest in 1997 which he won,
after performing three songs.
In 2000 he entered a showcase
at which he performed the song
"In My Heart", which was
written by Alan's mother,
Anne, in memory of his brother
who passed away in 1994. The
showcase won him his first
manager and many more
enthusiastic fans who were
immediately hooked on his
powerful vocal range and
emotional stage presence. Al's
music has gone on to become
extremely popular with young,
middle-aged and older people,
with his versatile styles
ranging from soft-rock, pop,
soul, blues and even country.
"He can please anyone! and he
can even sound different in
every song he sings!" said a
producer from England. But it
isn't just his Music which
attracts fans, but also his
sincere and extremely
approachable personality. His
love for people is as strong
as his love for his music.
Al's love of performing to an
audience kept him busy between
2000 and 2004 when he
performed in such events as
self arranged concerts,
variety shows and of course
his own gigs. He has also
performed with bands and was
part of a duo called
'Back2Back' in the later part
of 2004.
His love for music also urged
him to enter the business side
of it when he formed an
entertainment and production
company with friend, Alan
Bryson. Their company was also
the label for Al's 2005 EP
'Waiting For Your Call' which
featured some of Al's finest
songs. In recent times, Alan
has began working mainly
'online', on websites such as
YouTube. He has also co-
written with other artists and
written songs for numerous
people.
In recent years, Al has put
tours and concerts on hold to
concentrate on recording and
promoting his work. A lot of
his material can be found on
websites such as YouTube.
Al's debut album 'On the Line'
was released in February of
2008 exclusively online at
iTunes, Rhapsody, Napster,
emusic and many more. The
album featured fan favourites
such as, 'Waiting For Your
Call', 'Start Up My Heaven',
'Rainbow on the Wall' and many
more.
The end of 2008 saw a change
in Al's life when his health
began to get worse and he was
forced to retire from music.
After a break of a few months,
Al surprised his fans when he
made a return to the music
scene. He made the decision to
fight his health and continue
to do what he lives for, both
for himself, and for the
memory of his father who
passed away in December of
2008, just three days before
Christmas.
Al is also a member of "The
Happy Show!" - his credits
include the creation of the
theme song and incidental
music. |