Gus Hardin was born Carolyn Ann Blankenship in Tulsa, Oklahoma on April 9, 1945. Gus was a whiskey voiced, super talented rising star. Gus was known for her freewheeling, spirited, personality and her unique vocal blend of Blues, Rock, Gospel, and Country. Gus Hardin exemplified the Tulsa Sound.

Gus got her start in her hometown in the late 60’s and became one of Tulsa’s premier nightclub singers. She married fellow Tulsa musician Steve Hardin and after their divorce kept his name. Garth Brooks’ sister, Betsy Smittle played in Gus’s band and sang background vocals on her album, “I’m Dancing As Fast As I Can.”  In the 70’s Gus signed a recording contract with Leon Russel and Shelter Records, but the album she recorded was never released.

Gus Hardin’s soulful blues-tinged country delivery fueled her meteoric launch upon her arrival in Nashville and landed her a record deal with RCA Records. Her 1983 RCA Records debut produced the Top 10 hit Hot Country Hit “After the Last Goodbye,” Several awards soon followed for Gus, including Best New Artist Award from both Billboard and Cashbox in 1983 and the Top New Female Vocalist Award from the Academy of Country Music in 1985.

With ten Billboard Hot Country hits to her credit. Gus continued to amass industry accolades, including a CMA nomination in 1985 for “Best Performance for a Duet” for “All Tangled Up In Love” with Earl Thomas Conley. Additional nominations include the American Music Awards “Favorite Country Music Female Video” performance for “I Pass” and the Music City News “Horizon Award,” both in 1985. After her third album failed to produce a solo hit Gus decided to return to her beloved Tulsa.

Gus was an in demand performer whether performing with her own band or her longtime friend Don White and his band Okie Soul.

Known for her kind heart yet gutsy spirited independence, Gus Hardin’s promising career was tragically cut short following a traffic accident on February 17, 1996. Survived by her daughter Toni Jones and her granddaughter Chelsie Johnson, Gus Hardin’s professional legacy was cemented with her 2018 induction into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. Gus Hardin to this day is dearly loved by her fans who are as loyal to her as they ever were.

Kellie Coffey is a native of Moore, Oklahoma who entered the country music scene in 2001 when she was signed to Nashville’s Warner Chappell Music Publishing and to BNA/RCA record label. In 2001 she released her debut single, “When You Lie Next to Me” which remained on the Billboard Country Singles chart for 33 weeks peaking at #8. Her song crossed over to the Adult Contemporary Chart which kept her song on the charts for over a year. Her album of the same name entered the country sales chart at #5. She followed that with “At the End of The Day” that reached #12 on the charts. 

Kellie has sung backup with Barbra Streisand in Las Vegas, toured with Kenny Chesney and opened for George Strait on his 2004 tour. She’s also toured with Keith Urban, Montgomery Gentry, Dierks Bentley, and many more.

Kellie garnered a Top New Country Female Music Award nomination and won the Academy of Country Music (ACM) in the same category. She has appeared on multiple ACM and CMA award shows as well as many GAC and CMT programs. Kellie has an ongoing relationship with the Walt Disney Company and sang on a national advertising campaign for Disneyland’s 40th Anniversary. Her voice can be heard every night at Disneyland’s Epcot’s illuminations show during the Christmas holidays “Believe in Holiday Magic.” The Disney fireworks display “Illuminations” is the longest running Disney amusement park shows of all time. 

Kellie was asked to perform at Owen’s Stadium in Norman for Toby Keith’s “Twister Relief” concert opening for Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood to a crowd of 65,000. She was honored when asked by Governor Mary Fallin to sing on a live TV broadcast for the survivors of the Moore, Oklahoma tornado. In addition, Kellie is a sought-after singer for film and TV projects by Hollywood’s top composing talent. Kellie was inducted into the “Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2018.”

Native Oklahoman, Leigh Madison, is a Country Music artist whose passion for song writing started at a very young age. Leigh’s Oklahoma roots are deep with a family that ran in the first Oklahoma Land Run, A Cherokee Native American Chief in her ancestry, and generations of Oklahomans that came before her.

Leigh began recording in Oklahoma City from ages 3 to 8, singing on Christian Children’s albums, of which she also started writing music for and was released by Melody House Publishing in Oklahoma City.

Leigh began her performing experience at the Theater Community of Oklahoma City which led her to be a professional singer and performer. As a young adult, Leigh was cast as Maureen in the Broadway production of RENT, starring opposite Neil Patrick Harris. She was nominated for a Best Actress Ovation award in L.A for her role and toured the country with the show. Leigh traveled the country with her guitar and wrote songs every day.

Along the way Leigh was honored to meet many inspiring celebrities through her experiences performing in RENT including the legendary comedian, John Ritter. When Ritter told Leigh she had some of the best comedic timing he had seen in a young performer it inspired her to become the Oklahoma storyteller that she is. Leigh created her “One Woman” show which is Leigh, her guitar and her original Country Music.
Leigh has fronted many different bands and performing at clubs and venues all over Los Angeles and the Midwest.

She was the first International singing voice on the McDonald’s “I’m Lovin’ It” campaign and has created a successful music business which provides music therapy and entertainment to Alzheimer’s and Memory Care patients; a cause she is very passionate about.

Leigh released a full-length album this year called, “The Good Ride” as well as many singles. One of Leigh’s songs titled, “Against All Odds” kickstarted her own podcast interview series in which she discusses following your dreams, success, health, life and relationships, “Against All Odds”.

The Cherokee Maidens are comprised of Robin Lynn Macy, Monica Taylor, and Lauren White. They can best be described as Bob Wills meets the Andrew Sisters. The melodic braid of these three maidens is time tested. With all three of these talented women having bluegrass in their veins, their tight harmonies are authentic and flawless.

One maiden was a Dixie Chick, two have appeared on the Grand Ole Opry, and two have appeared on Garrison Keillor’s A Prairie Home Companion.” All three share Native American heritage, hence the name Cherokee Maidens, inspired by Cindy Walker’s 1941 country hit.

Robin Lynn Macy is best known as a founding member of the country pop group the Dixie Chicks. Robin began her career in the 80’s in the bluegrass music scene. While with the Dixie Chicks, she was the group’s guitarist, co-lead singer and songwriter. Leaving the Dixie Chicks did not slow Robin down as she was continually active in the Dallas music scene. She followed the course of a bluegrass style of life by writing, performing, and teaming up with various groups and releasing numerous CDs throughout the years. In 2008, Robin formed the trio, the Cherokee Maidens & Sycamore Swing.

Monica Taylor is known throughout Oklahoma as the Cimarron Songbird, a name given to her by songwriters Bob Childers and Jimmy Lafave. Monica’s early career included performing at the Farm with her duo partner, the late Patrick Williams, and then began her own band the Red Dirt Ramblers. With her distinctive vocal and songwriting style she has been asked to perform with many artists including The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Keith Carradine, and Garrison Keillor on his APHC radio show. Monica hosts the Cimarron Breeze Concert Series in Perkins, Oklahoma.

Lauren White, better known as Sis, has true bluegrass in her heart and soul. She began playing the bluegrass circuit at the age of nine accompanying her brother. Her roots can be traced back to 1909 where her paternal great grandfather played with the Pleasant Valley String Band of Grayson County, Kentucky. Lauren has performed in different groups singing harmony and playing bass at bluegrass festivals and contests traveling all over the country. It should also be noted that Lauren is Robin Macy’s sister-in-law.

These three incredibly talented women make up the Cherokee Maidens. Their pure and angelic harmonies are straight from heaven. Their stage show is reminiscent of the Andrew Sisters and something to behold. They are seasoned professionals and entertainers of the highest level.

Ken Pomeroy is an Americana folk singer/songwriter from Oklahoma City. As an Oklahoma native she performs regularly in Oklahoma venues and has performed at The Gypsy Café Music Festival, Riverwind Casino, Oklahoma Rodeo Centennial Opry, Woodie Guthrie’s Folk Festival, JJ’s Alley in OKC, and Willies Saloon in Stillwater, to name only a few. Ken has shared the stage with Wanda Jackson, Stoney LaRue, and Bo Phillips, among others.

Ken released her debut EP in 2017 and just finished her second. She won the 1st Annual Jimmy LaFave Songwriting Contest in Guthrie and the Rising Star award from the Songwriter’s Association of Norman. Ken was invited to perform at the Mile 0 Festival in Key West, Florida and Folk Alliance International in 2018.

Recently, Ken filmed a music video of her self-penned tune “The Sidewalk Song” with the intent of bringing awareness to the homelessness in OKC. She raised $5,000 in less than a week for the Homeless Alliance.

Mallory Eagle is an Americana-Country artist from Oklahoma City who now resides in Nashville. Her latest album “Red Dirt Home” was released in February of 2018. Mallory finds her musical inspiration from her family’s Oklahoman roots. “Red Dirt Home” includes several tracks that narrate her journey as a young artist. 

Mallory has opened and worked for artists such as Jason Boland, Jaime Wyatt, Kate and Forrest O’Connor, The Cleverlys, and Exile. She is performing regularly in and around Nashville in venues such as G’s Country Lounge, 5 Spot, and Whiskey Lounge.   

Mallory is currently working on her next album and collaborating with Nashville songwriters. She is also working on a project with Kate and Forrest O’Conner. Forrest is the son of 3 times Grammy Award winning instrumentalist, Mark O’Conner. She is also a member of an all girl band project called, Honky Tonk Angels. The Honky Tonk Angels were recently discovered by the Country Music Association (CMA) and asked to perform at the 2019 CMA Fest in Nashville.

Ann Bell was born on December 17, 1950 in Tulsa Oklahoma to her parents Jane and Maurice Bishop. At the age of 16 she began her professional music career when she joined her high school friends Dick Gordon Jr., Max Wisely, Bill Phillips and Wayne Evans forming the band “The Rubbery Cargo”. They were discovered by Tulsa dance instructor Skilly Forsman and instantly signed to a contract to perform regularly at a teenage club that Skilly had opened in Tulsa called “The Machine”. It was here that Ann met and married at age 17 Tulsa’s own legendary Larry Bell in 1968. She joined up with Larry’s band at the time “The Sunday Servants” along with members Tommy Tripplehorn, Gary Sanders, John Rigney and Carl Day.

Ann and Larry went on as founders of several of Tulsa’s predominant bands through the late 60’s and early 70’s which include: “Larry and Ann Bell Band” with Gary Gilmore, Gary Sanders, Valentino Pina, and Tommy Tripplehorn, a version of “Tulsa County” with Jim Sweney, Jim Byfield, Jamie Oldaker and Dick Sims, “Ann Bell and Jim Sweney Together” band with Rick Durbin, Rick Belkie, Vaughn Cochrane, Carl Pickhardt, David Teegarden and Steve Bailey , “LSD and C” band with David Teegarden, Skip “Van Winkle” Knape and Carl Day, “Ann Bell and Phoonz” band with Pete Marriott, Frank Padilla, Bev Lewis, Betsy Smittle and Carl Pickhardt, “Medicine” band with Gary Lewis, Don Duca, Larry, Bell, Bill Cowsill and Valentino Pina.

Ann sang on many gigs as guest artist with Bill Davis, Gary Busey, Chuck Blackwell, Jimmy Karstein, Jim Keltner, The Gap Band, JJ Cale and Phil Driscoll. She and Larry divorced in 1971. In 1973 Ann joined her dearest friend of many years Leon Russell and toured and recorded with him until late 1977. She left Leon and joined up with Joe Cocker and began touring and recording with him from the 1977- 1981. She moved to Woodstock NY in 1977 and married Woodstock promoter Michael Lang in 1978 whom she divorced in 1986. She began another leg of her career in Woodstock during the late 70’s through late 90’s recording and touring with Mick Ronson, Robbie Dupree, Orleans, John Hall Band, Todd Rundgren, Richie Havens, The Johnny Average Band, David Sancious and fronted several bands of her own with her current husband of 32 years and amazing keyboard player, producer, writer/sequencer Tom Nicholson. These bands included great NY artists such as Nicole Wills, Wells Kelly, Dee Dee Washburn, David Torn, and Frank Campbell.

Ann currently records, travels, preaches and leads worship doing gospel with her husband Tom both as ordained and licensed ministers across the US and the Caribbean. Ann was and is still a member of the original “Tulsa Sound” which she considers her greatest music accomplishment of her life! She remains an Okie through and through.

Gail Davies was born in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Music runs in her blood being the daughter of country singer Tex Dickerson and the sister of songwriter Ron Davies.

Gail began her performing career in the 70’s. She has the distinction of being the first female record producer in country music history.  Gail was signed to Warner Brothers Records in 1979 which resulted in her scoring numerous Top 10 and Top 20 Billboard hits.

Gail was nominated for ACM and CMA “Best New Female Artist” in 1981. In 1989, Gail signed with MCA Records and produced an album of 10 self-penned compositions entitled Pretty Words. She moved to Capitol Records in 1989 and released two critically acclaimed albums – The Other Side of Love and The Best Of Gail Davies. She was hired by Capitol/EMI in 1990 to become Nashville’s first female staff producer. She Received an IBMA award, along with a Grammy nomination, for her duet with bluegrass patriarch Ralph Stanley in 2002.

Gail Davies has a total of 15 albums and 25 singles. She has been cited as being a role model for the likes of Suzy Bogus, Kathy Mattea, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Pam Tillis. Gail Davies was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2018.

Kalyn Fay is an Oklahoma Cherokee singer/songwriter whose incredible talent has been featured on the Emmy award winning television show “Osyio.”

Kalyn grew up neck-deep in the Bible Belt but discovered her true musical self after venturing beyond worship music. Questions of faith and tumultuous love, deeply rooted in Oklahoma, are the raw building blocks she uses to develop her intimate, breathtaking songs. She’s been called an Okie starlet who is wise beyond her years.

While finishing her undergrad degree in 2012, she began writing her own music and by 2013 she began performing and touring. Kalyn was working on her master’s degree when she started writing and recording for her album, “Bible Belt.”  Her debut album has received critical acclaim and said to be powerful and “capable of inducing tears with its harsh truths” – Bucket Full of Nails.

Kalyn is presently living in Fayetteville, Arkansas working on her second master’s degree while continuing to write songs and perform.

Adley Stump was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma and now resides in Nashville, Tennessee. By Adley’s senior year she was performing regularly at Willie’s Saloon in Stillwater, Oklahoma and later graduated from Oklahoma State University. 

Adley’s national debut was becoming a member of Team Blake on Season 2 of NBC’s The Voice. Adley has opened for major country acts such as, Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw, Chris Young, Jake Owen, Chris Janson, and Big and Rich among others.  In 2016, she was named the prestigious Grammy Amplifier Winner from a sea of other online contestants and was chosen as winner by Curators of the Award, Big Sean, Lzzy Hale and Sam Hunt. 

Adley’s online presence is extensive with an Amazon #1 Best-Selling book titled, “How They Sell Music.”  She is attracting some of the nations’ top brands with over a million followers across social media. She also has over 350 million views on her hit internet show, “The Adley Show!”.

Debbie Campbell was originally from Fort Worth, Texas but made Tulsa, Oklahoma her permanent home in the mid-70’s. She first began playing professionally as a teenager in Fort Worth as a member of an all-girl rock ‘n’ roll group called the Kandy Kanes. Within a few months, the quartet relocated to Hollywood and began touring all across the country.

Five years later, the Kandy Kanes disbanded, and Campbell joined Jim Edgar and the Roadrunners, a well-known group working the southwestern United States. That band eventually became Buckwheat, a London Records act. Campbell was with Buckwheat for three of its four discs, 1971’s “Movin’ On,” 1973’s “Charade” and 1975’s “Hot Tracks.”

Immediately after Debbie’s arrival in Tulsa, her expressive, versatile voice and ebullient personality caught the attention of the “Tulsa Sound” musicians. She began performing with Rockin’ Jimmy Byfield and the Brothers of the Night catching the attention of the Tulsa music-scene observers.

As a solo artist, Campbell signed with the then-Tulsa-based Jim Halsey Company country-music talent agency. Her first solo disc, 1983’s “Two Hearts,” was released on Tulsa’s Churchill Records and distributed by the giant MCA label; Stereo Review magazine chose it as one of the best albums of that month. Following the album’s release, she toured internationally with country star Don Williams, competed in several worldwide song festivals and appeared as a contestant on TV’s “Star Search,” in addition to her regular work in area venues.

Debbie Campbell was adored by her fellow musicians and music fans and was a Tulsa mainstay for more than two decades. Debbie tragically died 0n February 28th, 2004 after a short battle with cancer. Debbie was only 53.

Oklahoma native, Gracee Shriver, is an 18 year old country singer/songwriter. She appeared on Season 17 of NBC’s The Voice where she was on team Kelly Clarkson and team Blake Shelton. Gracee made it to the top 14 of the show.

Growing up in Oklahoma, Gracee perfected her craft by singing at local Opry houses, fairs, and her regular gig at Trails End BBQ.

She is currently attending Belmont University in Nashville, TN, where she continues to work on her music. Gracee has released new music on all streaming platforms and has collaborated with The Swon Brothers for her newest release.

Betsy Smittle was a native of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her musical career started young, playing guitar with her father, James Perry Smittle, and singing with her mother, Collene Carroll Smittle Brooks. As a teen she started an all girl band in OKC, which was unusual at the time, but only one of many bands she formed in Tulsa and OKC over the years. She went on to sing backgrounds for Gus Hardin, Ann Bell and Phoontz and played in bands with Ronnie Dunn. In 1990 she joined little brother Garth Brooks in his touring band Stillwater, starting on rhythm guitar, and changing to bass.

She talked about the transition to bass guitar, a new instrument for her, in the 1992 Tribune interview: Brooks “and his bass player had a parting of the ways. … Garth handed the bass to me and said, “‘You can do it.’ I was scared to death.” Two days later she debuted on bass at the Houston Astrodome to a crowd of 58,000-plus fans. She played bass from then on with Garth until 1995. In 1994 Betsy started work on her solo album, titled “Rough Around the Edges”. The album was released in Australia in fall 1994, with a US release slated for early 1995. The US release did not materialize due to record label conflicts.

Betsy continued to play bass, guitar, sing and avidly write songs, right up until her diagnosis with ovarian cancer in 2011. Sadly she passed away in November, 2013 after fighting courageously.

An Ontario, Canada to Oklahoma transplant and queen of blues infused Jazz, Rock and Americana, Jennifer Marriott has one of the most dynamic voices heard in this mix of genres. Jennifer has produced 5 independent CD releases and has sung back-up vocals for iconic artists such as Rita Coolidge, Jamey Johnson and BJ Thomas, just to name a few. A multi-award-winning vocalist, Jennifer is currently part of the Oklahoma Specials, the house band for the new “Live from Cain’s” radio series on NPR.

Jennifer has garnered a huge following with festival-goers at some of the most attended festivals locally, regionally, and nationally. Marriott has lured in audiences with her soft melodic voice and bluesy style at festivals such as Stillwater Blues Festival, Burlington Discovery Jazz Festival, Freedom Fest, Bixby BBQ and Blues, South Florida Folk Festival, Chautauqua Hills Blues Festival, D-Fest Music Festival, Stone River Music Festival, Tulsa State Fair, and many more. 

Having been compared to artists such as Janis Joplin and Rickie Lee Jones, Jennifer’s soulful blend gives this singer-songwriter-guitarist her own distinctive style that brings audiences to their feet and leaves them wanting more. Jennifer, along with her husband Pete Marriott, are planning a CD release in early 2021.