Award winning vocalist René Marie asks Americans to show their “Voice of My Beautiful Country” in celebration of her new release on Motéma Music.
Grand Prize: A chance to win a trip to the Nation’s Capital!
(New York, NY, April 5, 2011): In celebration of her newest CD, Voice of My Beautiful Country on Motéma Music, award winning singer-songwriter and trailblazing vocalist René Marie is asking fellow Americans to follow her lead, listen to their inner voice, pull from their own experiences and creatively express to the world, what they love most love about their country. Through poetry, photography, spoken word, video or music, what best displays their own “Voice of My Beautiful Country.” Beginning today April 5, 2011 and running through May 31, 2011 people across the US will have a chance to participate in the “Voice of My Beautiful Country Contest” by visiting www.voiceofmybeautifulcountry.com and uploading their entries. One grand prize winner will be awarded a trip for two, including airfare and hotel, to the Nation’s Capital - Washington, DC to see René Marie in concert on July 6, 2011 at Blues Alley! Two runners up will receive a signed gift set of 4 Rene Marie CDs plus tickets to a Rene Marie show in the city of their choice along the tour.
The idea for this contest sprang from the center piece of Marie’s CD, a patriotic suite of Marie’s signature arrangements of “America the Beautiful”, My Country ‘Tis of Thee and the controversial co-joining of the lyrics of “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing to the melody of the Star Spangled Banner” that brought national attention to the singer. Wall Street Journal calls the album “a brilliantly conceived package of Americana”.
“These arrangements are a straight up reflection of specific facets of American music-jazz, gospel and blues,” says Marie, “the songs of the suite itself retaining the same patriotic lyrics that I learned as a child in my segregated town of Warrenton, VA- 40 miles from our nation’s capitol. Despite having grown up in such an environment of Jim Crow laws and racism, I love this country, its citizens and its music and wanted to express that love in the Voice of My Beautiful Country Suite – a collection of songs on the new album. And as I recorded the songs I got to wondering: what is the experience of other Americans, how does the ‘voice’ of their country speak to them? So with that in mind,” adds Marie, “we thought it would be fun to set up a contest where people could express themselves and have a chance to win a trip to the nation’s capital.”
To enter the contest and for more details please visit www.voiceofmybeautifulcountry.com.