Beaverton Valley Times
Singer/guitarist Kimberlee voices hope at Beaverton Borders
By Gail Park
Kimberlee spreads hope with a voice that can stop people in their tracks.
As part of a tour of Borders bookstores promoting her debut CD "Learning How To Love," she will visit Beaverton this week.
On Friday from 7 to 9 p.m., the energetic 32-year-old Bay Area girl and her guitar will share her take on life during a solo acoustic program at Borders Books, Music, Video and Cafe (265 S.W. Cedar Hills Blvd.; 503-644-6164).
"The free concert will be great for people of all ages," Kimberlee says. "It has been repeatedly expressed that my timeless message from the heart touches many different people."
Kimberlee's top-rated voice can work its way around listeners and draw them in. The passionate texture of her powerful pipes gives her the versatility to perform candid soulful healing tunes to hard rocking numbers. The blossoming singer/songwriter has learned to tell the truth about her past in order to save her future. Her music reflects both the pain and hope.
"I write about what I've lived, things I've learned spiritually," she says in soft-spoken conversation. "We all want to be loved."
Kimberlee's musical influences include country, folk, rock, and R&B. She packs her voice as her main instrument. She weaves smooth, refined and throaty harmonies through lyrics that express her personal trails and victories. She sings like a woman recently given freedom. She is anxious to be honest about abuse, the need for hope and healthy loving relationships.
From an early age, Kimberlee knew she wanted to pursue music. At age 13 she was mentored under the wing of Phil St. Pierre (he performed with Louis Armstrong). For about three years, St. Pierre taught her how to bring joy to large crowds through song.
When Kimberlee was 15, she studied voice under the world-renowned vocal coach Judy Davis, who trained Janis Joplin, Barbra Streisand, Grace Slick, the Grateful Dead, and Steve Perry. For nearly nine years, Davis prepared Kimberlee to sing with enthusiasm, from her gut.
Wynonna Judd, Aretha Franklin, Heart, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Melissa Etheridge, and Chaka Khan are some of the artists that have had the greatest impact on Kimberlee. Her own personal style reflects a combination of all her musical heroes.
Finally doing what she wants to do, Kimberlee and her supportive husband of five years have moved to Los Angeles to pursue music full time. While touring this summer, they are working on a second CD, due out in September.