Biography-Vicky Emerson (2008)
Vicky Emerson grew up on a pig farm in the small village of Elmwood, Wisconsin (self-proclaimed UFO Capital of the World.) As a young girl, on her way to piano lessons, she traveled gravel roads in the beautiful rural countryside. She was a quick study and discovered she had inherited her grandmother’s incredible musical talent. Vicky received scholarships to continue her studies at University of Wisconsin-River Falls, where she also began writing her own songs for the first time.
Shortly after college, Emerson moved to Saint Paul, Minnesota and began recording her piano instrumentals at Minnesota Public Radio. As a mid-western farmer’s daughter, Vicky was no stranger to hard work and sacrifice. After watching other independent artists like Ani DiFranco and Terri Hendrix garner success on their own terms, she decided in 2000 to start her own independent record label, Triad Entertainment. She released three lush piano instrumental albums which have sold thousands of copies. In early 2008, Vicky signed her piano music to a stellar publishing deal with Triple Scoop Music.
In 2002, even the success of her record label and being signed to one of the largest talent agencies in the Midwest could not keep Vicky’s personal life from hitting rock bottom. She found herself truly independent for the first time in her life. Vicky discovered that writing lyrics was an outlet for her feelings. After a year of writing, she met producer Matthew Freed (Cloud Cult). In 2005, Freed recorded her critically acclaimed album, REACH. With the incredible talent of her All Man Band, (Dean Magraw, Gordy Johnson and Steve Goold) they breathed life into Vicky’s unique blending of folk and blues that caught the ears of radio, colleges, clubs and fans. Emerson had extensive stage experience, but only as a pianist. “I never sang my music in front of an audience until just a handful of years ago. I was always the accompanist for the singer—never the singer.” Emerson decided to push herself as a singer/songwriter and hit the road with 200 dates around the country to promote the album with a keyboard and an acoustic guitar.
With the success of REACH, Emerson released a fifth album in 2007, a self-titled release which was recorded at Fur Seal Studios in Minneapolis with the All Man Band. To aid in the production of her new album, Emerson turned to Grammy Award-winning producer and steel guitarist, Lloyd Maines. Over the years, Maines has produced and worked on numerous recording projects with artists, including The Dixie Chicks, Terri Hendrix, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Robert Earl Keen. Why the self-titled release? “I feel I have truly lived every song on this album,” admits Vicky. Critic, Jon Bream, from the Minneapolis Star Tribune praised the release by saying, “\"On her new self-titled CD...(\"Make Me\" and \"Wheat Fields\" stand out)…her molasses voice--sometimes dusky, sometimes sweet--is consistently alluring.\" Chris Riemenschneider from the Minneapolis Star Tribune said “Sweet tunes like “Daisy” and “The Hey Hey Song” evoke early Lucinda Williams and Dixie Chicks…the disc is strong enough to have earned Emerson more local notoriety.”
Fans agreed and Vicky Emerson became extremely popular with fans and radio in the folk/Americana circuit. The disc highlights Emerson’s blossoming talent as a soulful singer, guitarist and creative writer. She has shared the stage with other acclaimed songwriters such as Tom Kimmel, Walt Wilkins, Buddy Mondlock, JoAnna James, Anne Heaton, Ellery, Matt the Electrician, Vanessa Peters, Abi Tapia, Daniel Marcus, Monte Warden, and Idgy Vaughn.
Currently, Emerson lives in Manhattan and when she’s not on the road, she has become a staple at the infamous Living Room on the Lower East Side. Emerson is proud to be an independent musician as the indie trend continues to gain momentum in NYC and across the country. “Independent musicians are inspiring and realizing the freedom of recording and producing their own music. You can feel that listeners are beginning to realize there is incredible music beyond the radio dial.” She continues to tour with over 250 dates a year and her next album is due to release in the spring of 2009.
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