Today we’d like to introduce you to James Wigginton.
Hi James, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
Basically, a hillbilly version of The Partridge Family (young folks, google it…). Growing up in a small town in Western Kentucky, life was centered around music, sports, church, farm, and family. My mom was a phenomenal singer and pianist. You will hear me quote her often when giving performance and singing advice, phrasing in particular.
She, my brother, and I were singing tight 3-part harmonies since I was able to form words. With my dad on bass, my aunt on drums, and my uncle on guitar, we performed at revivals, festivals, and church events all over the region. I began piano and theory lessons at the age of 7 and continued through my senior year of high school. Caldwell County High School had great wrestling and band programs, but no choir program at all. And so I started one my sophomore year. I arranged the music, gave voice lessons to my friends and my mom accompanied me on the piano.
We won first place at Regionals and then State for the next three years. To this day, the school now has a successful choir program. And so, at the age of 15, I got my big start in vocal coaching and arranging for groups. That same year, I begin getting paid commissions writing and arranging for drum corps and local choirs.
I went on to get degrees in Piano Performance and Voice Performance and a MA in Film Scoring. I’ve been coaching professional singers and “gonna be’s” for 30 years, founding VocalEdge in 2004.
Just take from that what you wish and hit me up if you’d like more detail in certain areas.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No. No. no-no. NO. The road is not smooth. It’s still not. BUT we are definitely cruising on the pavement rather than chopping through the Amazon with a machete. Struggles are so heavily within determination, energy, willingness to sacrifice, mental health, stamina, and healthy ego. I am the worst at self-promotion.
I despise taking selfies, posting videos of my daily life, all of that… I hate it. I just want to work. I know a lot of my clients feel that way, but they hire a team to do that for them (“I’m a touring country artist, but you need to believe that I have endless free time to shoot turkeys and catch bass”) Ha… I’m hoping, I’ll maintain success without all that.
Another major struggle is my own voice. I’ve been plagued with vocal issues my whole life. Terrible allergies, chronic edema (that means my vocal cords swell up often for no good reason and I lose my voice), which in turn causes muscle fatigue, bad habits, etc. On 2018 January 1st, I had a stroke and lost all of my right sides for a few months. A lot of it came back; some never will. So I have partial paralysis in my right vocal cord.
So it seems like nature has been trying to kill my voice my whole career, but I keep trying to find ways around it. The techniques that I’ve developed and acquired over the years have been a blessing though. I’ve been able to help singers do things vocally they never thought would be possible. So my struggles aren’t for nothing.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
It’s just a name, really… the name of my LLC. It’s a brand that we hope people will always associate with quality, efficacy, and honesty. VocalEdge is about the business of building and maintaining great voices, connecting the artist’s heart to that great voice, and then creating a strong connection between artist and audience. The vocal method that I teach is the basic “bel canto” technique. It’s my history, three decades of experience, and communication ability that bring the real magic.
Why call it anything?
Good question. It’s because today more than ever, image and branding is important. It doesn’t matter how good I am at my job if no one knows about me. Therefore, I (like you) have to play the social media game and get my story out there. And we all have to hustle to KEEP the story going.
There are SO many “singing methods” being pushed these days; each claiming to have “secrets” and exclusive knowledge. And ALL of them are ready to SPAM the sh-t out of your inbox with offers and special deals. So… I call it VocalEdge because I believe I can offer solid coaching for your voice, body, mind, band, and stage show, giving you a true Edge to push you closer to your goals.
Service: private vocal coaching (IRL and virtual), systematic vocal training based on your specific needs, stage production (I put your shows together, blocking, choreography, help you with the dreaded “talking to the audience”) in-studio voice coaching (I spend about 1/3 of my work time coaching singers during their recording sessions). I also create BGVs, write arrangements (from simple charts to full orchestral–and conduct the sessions).
Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
There is no time for coasting. The moment you start coasting, that’s when you’ll notice others zooming past you. I must be constantly improving, learning, and expanding. I believe in leading by serving. Serving others around you and looking for ways to be useful, whether you get anything in return for it or not…that’s why we are here.
In business terms, we must keep the bills paid, and we have to provide for the family. Coasting on past successes makes us lazy, and we miss opportunities to learn and serve. Maybe there is no big financial payoff in the end. If I’ve served other well, then my life is full.
Pricing:
- $150/50 min Private Vocal Coaching
- Master Classes details on the website
Contact Info:
- Email: jamie@vocaledge.cfom
- Website: www.vocaledge.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesrwigginton/
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/vocaledgeTV
Image Credits
Nita Deen
