Meet Brenda Best

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brenda Best.

Hi Brenda, 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 backstory with our readers.
I grew up in a French & English town in Eastern Canada. I’m the youngest of 9 kids and everybody in the family played guitar. We shared ONE guitar and by the time I was 11 years old, I earned my first paid gig singing in a church basement where I was hired by a French Country music singer and his band to sing a few songs, so I got a taste of how much attention I got from the crowd and I loved it, but I also liked the part of getting paid after the show.

That $20 that the band leader gave to me, I saved it because someday I would buy my guitar. Later, by the time I was 15 years old, my siblings formed a 5 piece band and we played local private gigs, like weddings and Legions. Then at 19 years old, I left town and left the band moving away to find a career working for the Government of Canada. Even though I had a very secure full-time job as a government employee, I always enjoyed playing part-time gigs here & there and I joined another band “Perfect Stranger” as a lead singer, but my health controlled my destiny and got in the way.

Just as we were getting booked to play clubs, I ended up in Emergency one night and doctors discovered that I had Ulcerative Colitis which caused my lack of energy and dehydration. It pretty much landed me a new place to call home for 23 days admitted to a hospital bed. I was bummed and disappointed because I can’t stand letting illness get in my way of pursuing what I dreamed about for so long…making music and playing LIVE for a crowd. It wasn’t gonna happen.

The band split and I was recovering from health problems that followed me for 10 more years afterwards. I got married to a doctor and he was moving us to the United States where he did his residency at UVA in Charlottesville Virginia. That whole move stressed me out and my health took a toll again I ended up getting treated again for Ulcerative Colitis and this time, emergency SURGERY for a complete removal of my large intestine.

It slowed me down but I swore that when I would get through this, I would join a band again. After two more surgeries that followed, and almost two years later, I was divorced and determined that I would live life to the fullest and take more chances, not afraid to go broke, I took up music as a full-time career. I hooked up with a couple of bands in Charlottesville Virginia for about three years and we were successful playing three gigs a week in a College town at coffee houses and pubs. I also met a great new guy and he is the man I am still married to after 25 years together.

He believed in me and convinced me that I was good enough for Nashville. So we moved to Music City and I felt I found my HOME !!! This is where I needed to be as a songwriter and a dedicated musician. Besides writing to pitch my songs for other artists to sing, I also released songs and promoted my career as an artist. In 2011, I won an ASCAP award for a song titled “Golden Years” which is a song I wrote for a friend’s parents celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.

I also found a market for that song because I started playing it LIVE at a Country Music Dinner Show where the audience is mainly retired folks who travel to Nashville from everywhere around the world, such as Senior Bus Groups. Besides playing there, I also played on Broadway at the famous Tootsies Orchid Lounge for tips during my first 4 years of moving to Nashville. The venue doesn’t pay you much, but if you play the right songs and some favorite requests, the crowd will reward you with amazing gratuities in your tip jar, so really, your success depends on what cover song pleases your crowd.

It’s as if you are a human jukebox! It taught me a lot about how to read a crowd. Sometimes on the same day I played a gig on Broadway, I would then drive 10 miles to play another gig the same night at The Nashville Palace with the house band and make $50 a night and sell a few CDs after the show. I also traveled to play private gigs in Michigan, Ohio, Washington, Hawaii, Kansas, Alabama, and Florida. Most of my gigs these days are in Nashville playing about 200 shows per year at The Nashville Nightlife Theater in The Best of Country Show where I can perform my original songs as well as cover songs.

It’s an easy gig that goes on for 90 minutes and when it’s over, I do a meet ‘n greet with fans after the show, and then I go home. Our shows are from March to December. This year 2023, I have seen one of my best years having been nominated at The Josie Music Awards, and I also earned a few more accolades as a songwriter, winning “Songwriter of The Year” at International Singer-Songwriters Awards in Atlanta, GA, and another “Holiday Music & Film Award” in Jacksonville, FL just last week for a Country Gospel Christmas song that I penned titled “Checking Up On Your Behavior”. This song resurfaced because a few years ago, it was on the GRAMMY ballot for consideration with The Recording Academy in the Best Gospel Song category.

My latest release titled “Make Christmas Last Forever” is getting lots of attention with some listeners describing it as having a pop country vibe. I am proud of this song having hired Justine Blazer as my producer we recorded it at her studio Ten7Teen in Nashville, and it was mastered by one of my long-time producers Shawn Pody who produced my award-winning album in 2012 “Facebook Friend”, an 11-song project that earned me three awards at the Nashville Independent Music Awards.

I haven’t forgotten my roots and where I came from, and they haven’t forgotten me either in Canada, where I was inducted into The Country Music Hall of Fame in my home province of New Brunswick in 2015. My social media links are all on my official website www.brendabest.net and my music is available worldwide for streaming and downloading via Apple Music/iTunes, YouTube videos, Spotify, Amazon Music, Pandora, and all streaming platforms.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I had a bunch of troubles with my health which took a toll on me for about 2 years, I was getting treated for Ulcerative Colitis emergency SURGERY for a complete removal of my large intestine took a lot of recovery time.

It almost took my life, but I got over it and never wanted to look back at that, forgetting it and focussing on NOW and forward.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
What sets me apart from others is my accent and my unique voice, more so when I speak than when I sing. It comes out a little bit when I’m singing, sorta like a French accent mixed with a Southern drawl.

Hahahaha. That’s because I was raised by a French Canadian mother and am now married to a Southern man and the mix is interesting.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Wow, I wouldn’t want to leave anyone out because there are many individuals to thank. First of all, my husband Rayzor who has been there for 25 years and is now my business partner in this Music Business.

Also, the radio stations that have played my songs, but mostly it’s my loyal fans that I call FRIENDS. These people believed in me and cheered for me since those first gigs I had playing honky tonks in Nashville. They’re still there following me on my social media. HUGE thanks to everyone out there! Xoxo.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.brendabest.net
• Instagram: @brendabestnashville
• Facebook: @brendabestnashville
• Twitter: @brendabest
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@brendabest
• Other: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/brenda-best/id257741968

Image Credits
Maekayla Renae Photography