STACEY KNIGHTS BIO
The only thing small about Stacey Knights is the petite, blonde package that somehow manages to contain her extraordinary energy, her huge talent, her boundless charm and her enormous heart.
A native of Massachusetts, Stacey spent half of her youth in Canada, and gradually migrated south to the Tampa, Florida area where she now resides. Audiences throughout southwest Florida have come to love her as a vocalist, songwriter, saxophonist and flutist, who elegantly weaves all the glistening strands of her talent into each brilliant performance.
Stacey debuted as a songwriter at the age of ten when she wrote a song celebrating the renaming of her elementary school. During high school, she was active in the choir, the jazz band and the jazz choir, and all four years received a scholarship for the Summer Jazz Camp at Fort San in Fort Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan. Stacey majored in Music Performance at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota and later at the University of North Texas.
When she relocated to the West Coast of Florida, Stacey began playing in various bands throughout the area, most notably as a member of the Women’s Blues Review, an all-women’s blues band that was named winner of the Virginia Slims Diva Contest in 1999. She has been a headliner at the Naples Beach Hotel and Golf Club Summer Jazz Series many times, as a member of the Women’s Blues Review and also as leader of her own group. Stacey was chosen two years in a row to be a performing act at the Cape Coral Sounds of Jazz Festival, where she was the opening act for headliners Peter White and Warren Hill. She was also opening act for the Music Under the Stars concert series in Bonita Springs, Florida. Stacey has performed as warm-up act for Chieli Minucci of Special FX, Down to the Bone, Nestor Torres, Steve Oliver, new age duos Willie and Lobo and Tingstad and Rumble, and for Spyro Gyra’s 25th anniversary performance at Reilly Rink in Manchester, Vermont. She has toured with her own group in Texas, Ohio and the Northeastern states.
Since beginning her solo career, Stacey has released two albums and is working on a third. Her debut CD, Through the Window, resulted in airplay and interviews nationally and internationally in over 150 markets. She has been interviewed by college and mainstream radio stations across the country, and by FOX and NBC television networks in Tampa, Florida, Austin, Texas and Columbus, Ohio. Stacey has created video for two of her favorite songs. Her current CD, While You Dream, is a transitional album that lead to the formation of her own band.
Over the last year and a half, Stacey has assembled a solid corps of players for touring and convention work, billed as the Stacey Knights Group. Although recognized for their blend of pop and contemporary jazz, the hallmark of this group is variety, resulting in a performance schedule that spans a wide range of venues and audiences. Stacey keeps her scores of loyal fans aware of local appearances through an inspiring newsletter she emails to them monthly, and they keep coming back to hear her
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