NEW RELEASE: "WALK WORTHY" offers up a plateful of variety!
Ted Schempp is a singer/songwriter who grew up in Beverly, Massachusetts, on Boston’s North Shore. "I remember wanting to take drum lessons when I was about 5, and my mother was advised by several music teachers, that I should either study piano or violin. Well, thinking that carrying around a violin would get me into a lot of fights, piano won out! I remember wanting to quit at the end of every school year, and Mom begging me to stick with it. Looking back, I’m really glad that I did, because it gave me such a good foundation. Finally, when I was 12, I switched my focus to bass guitar, so that I could be in rock bands, but I still kept keyboards in the background, and I began using it for songwriting when I was 15."
Ted’s performing venues have included clubs, coffeehouses, colleges, churches and prisons. He really has a heart for inmates and especially troubled youth. "It’s really cool to comfort and encourage people who haven't had a lot of the security and advantages that I’ve had, and experience the positive effect that the music has on them."
After moving to the Nashville, Tennessee area, Ted began studying guitar seriously, and now uses it as a writing tool as well. "I absolutely love playing electric, but my acoustic is usually better for writing. I have this old Epiphone FT-145, with a thin bolt on neck, without the usual support piece where the neck joins the body. It has really close action and I’ve yet to come across another one like it. A few years ago, I put a Seymour Duncan Mag-Mic pickup on it, and now it sounds awesome!"
Ted’s latest CD release, "WALK WORTHY", which is a solo project, offers 15 original tunes, including a guitar instrumental salute to the Allman Brothers. "It grew out of my working with Pro Tools in my basement studio, and it was wonderful putting all the pieces together exactly as I wanted." The styles range from Reggae and Celtic, to rock, R & B and blues, with some jazz and pop flavorings. Although it’s a Contemporary Christian album, two of the cuts are straight ahead love songs. "I think it’s important to write what comes right out of my heart, and sometimes the best way to show God how much I love Him, is to write a love song to my wife." With such a wide array of styles, this little gem just might become one of your favorites!
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