Meet Tami Andrews

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tami Andrews. 

Hi Tami, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
There are very few people who know the full story, and they have been wanting me to tell it for years. But first… In a nutshell, I moved to Nashville to sing country music and got a deal with Sony. I switched to soul music, then moved to China, where I sang jazz. Then I sang the Blues in Thailand, got a record deal in London which brought me back to Sony Studios in Nashville, where I recorded a soulful album. A single off that album landed me on the Billboard charts with a Disco Dance hit. 

Just like I planned, right?! 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In my 20’s, I moved from Oklahoma to Nashville and started singing gigs on the street. Suddenly, I became a single mom and was diagnosed with cancer. If that wasn’t enough, I found out I’d been adopted. I also learned my biological paternity is 100% Native American. 

Singing on Nashville Street gigs initially, I moved to an indoor gig at Gilley’s on Music Row. Soon the legendary Bobby Braddock (Tammy Wynette, George Jones, Blake Shelton) launched me into singing demos across Nashville. In the vocal booths my son Saxon quietly played at my feet. Cancer treatment and a record deal at Sony rounded out my arrival in Nashville. 

A corporate shake-up at Sony left my album not quite complete, and I had to start all over again. Marrying a wonderful man, I blended into a new family, and the music that was in my soul started to come out. Not the country music Sony wanted, but a complex, still undefined genre that grew from my dad’s love of big bands, jazz, and the classic music that flew from the record player, spinning my parents around the room on Saturday nights. In my heart grew a jazzy, soulful, blues. 

Two: 

It started with Lewis “Love Child” Scruggs and his old-school Ice-Cold Band. I found LOVE CHILD from a local music advertisement in need of a female soul singer. Quickly, I was performing in juke joints and dives, learning at the feet of a master. LC, as we know him, sang like his very being lived and died by his ability to convey a song, going to his knees, crying, and pounding the stage with his palm. I learned not to just let the song loose, but to give it to the audience the way it feels inside me, which changes every night. 

Three: 

My husband received an invitation to teach business at a university in China. We packed up our farm outside of Nashville, kissed our collegiate children goodbye, and moved to the Far East. 

I sang jazz and blues in clubs all over China. Jazz had been outlawed until 1987 and the jazz rooms were thirsty, full, and vibrant places. Some gigs were so packed we couldn’t physically get off the stage. I remember audience members so close, so tightly packed in, that their feet were on my husband’s guitar peddles. When our two-year commitment ended, we realized we were not finished with Asia, which leads to… 

Four: 

We traveled extensively during our stay in China and loved the people and beaches of Thailand. On our first morning there, relaxing on the island of Koh Chang, I was attacked by what we now refer to in the U.S. as the Murder Hornet. Aptly named. Many people, even elephants, have died from the neurotoxins in their sting. On my first day in Thailand, I got five excruciatingly painful and debilitating stings. 

One lovely evening in Koh Chang, we ventured down to White Sands Beach and heard the finest blues guitar one could imagine. It was coming from Oodie’s Place. Crowds gathered from countries all over the world to hear Oodie, Pi Wrak, and Tien. I became friends with these sensational musicians. Together with my Bavarian business partners, we schemed to record a blues album back in Nashville with the A-Team. Supported by my wonderful team in L.A., the U.K., Nashville, and New York, I came full circle to work with producer Bobby Braddock. 

Five: 

We recorded the 13-track “Velvet and Steel” album that sold in over 65 countries. The album had cuts by Bobby Braddock, Chris Stapleton, who also added vocals, and Joe Bonamassa. The single “The Sugar Shack,” penned by James House and Beth Hart, reached #11 on Billboard’s Dance chart and # 8 in the U.K. There was also a song from my son Saxon, who was no longer playing at my feet in the vocal booth but singing harmony on the song he wrote, “Fly On.” 

That’s not a smooth road, but I’m overwhelmingly blessed! It seemed I was always shooting for the moon at the highest stakes, and that is tremendously nerve-racking. Never in my wildest dreams could I have envisioned my career taking those turns. I came to Nashville to be a country music artist, but now I’m an international artist with friends, fans, and experiences from the far reaches of the world. I wouldn’t have this if I had just given up or stayed in one lane. Sometimes you have to let the current take you where you are supposed to go, and for a take-charge person like me, that requires patience and fortitude. 

One year in Thailand I and lost my beloved father in the middle of 260 shows. I credit the amazing parents and family that raised me. They gave me a home of love and support. They gave me what I needed to conquer adversity. 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I love creating a raw musical expression live. 

There are a lot of sound-a-likes and auto-tuned vocals in the industry. That’s not for me. A vast majority of singers even auto-tune their live performances. 

I love working with a band where I can really feel what the musicians are giving me and how they are moving me to respond in kind. We feed off each other. That give and take is at the root of all my music. I guess I’m also known for passionate vocals. I’m deeply moved by the audiences who want to hear emotion. Great music moves people. 

I’m most proud that I’ve been able to experience this journey called life. To have a family and friends and MUSIC (what a bonus) Every single person I’ve met along the way has left an impression. And to That – I’m grateful. 

What are your plans for the future?
This Christmas season I’m releasing an EP to follow last year’s. It’s called “A Cup of Kindness.” I’m also working on a creation that comes out of my friendships with the international group of musicians in Thailand. It will be released in 2022. Following that project, I am going back to my jazz roots with an album to be released soon after. It’s still in the planning stages, I’m so very excited. Whatever comes out of it, it will be absolutely and authentically me. 

Contact Info:

• Email: Management@TamiMusic.com
• Website: TamiMusic.com
• Instagram: @TamiMusicOfficial
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialTamiMusic
• Twitter: @TamiMusic
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCWEfU1SZFB78mFVR3DGSmdg