Anna Wilson
“My goal as an artist is to write original songs that help bridge the gap between the nostalgic musical sounds of the past and add a lyrical modern day touch that can stand on the shoulders of the great Tin Pan Alley composers.” –Anna Wilson
Anna Wilson, the sultry jazz singer and award-winning song writer behind the revolutionary country, jazz and pop fusion album Countrypolitan Duets, was born in Philadelphia and raised in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania. Inspired by her mother’s piano music collection, the American songbook standards and the all-time favorite classics of Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland, and after watching the Judd’s concert on her 17th birthday, Anna started writing original compositions that takes one back to Nashville’s musical roots all the while keeping that fresh contemporary beat. She embraced and transcended the vintage tunes of jazz and the lazy afternoon beats of country with utter brilliance and finesse combining them harmoniously into her own music style.
The Nashville Sound era, the country chef d’oeuvre of the ‘50s and ‘60s featuring hits of renowned country royalty Eddy Arnold, Jim Reeves and Patsy Cline, was a time where jazz and country were on two opposite poles. It has been Anna’s dream to bridge that gap that has developed in subsequent decades. In lieu with this concept, she recorded classic country cabaret songs such as “Night Life”, “Walkin’ after Midnight” and “For the Good Times” with a new hip yet sophisticated ensemble in her album Countrypolitan Duets featuring country’s chart toppers like Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts; legends like Connie Smith, Kenny Rogers and Ray Price; and famous jazz musicians Larry Carlton and Rick Braun. She co-produced this album with her husband songwriter Monty Powell. This album’s debut single, in collaboration with American Idol’s Matt Giraud, remained top 1 on the iTunes jazz chart for four consecutive days with regards to Adam Lambert’s twitter endorsement.
With her formerly released albums The Long Way (2003), Time Changes Everything (2007) and original holiday project Yule Swing (2008), she landed on three Billboard charts and ranked 12 on the Overall Jazz Chart. With her composition prowess she helped co-write songs with Billy Ray Cyrus, Brooks & Dunn, Chris Cagle, Lee Ann Womack and Reba McEntire, including “If I Knew Then” with Lady Antebellum in their mega-hit album Need You Now. She even garnered an esteemed ASCAP award in 2008 for her co-written work, “All I Ever Wanted” with Chuck Wick.
Credited by Jazz Times to have a voice like crème de cacao and an inner metronome that swings from age to age, Anna also has shared billings with Al Jarreau, Josh Groban and Keith Urban in her full rendition of “A House, A Home” featuring jazz trumpet Rick Braun for an international public service announcement campaign of Habitat for Humanity. Attributed by the Philadelphia Daily News to be a young Bette Midler, Anna continues to write, sing and co-produce her unique style of music with her award-winning song writer and husband Monty Powell.
Edited: August 6th, 2011