Biography
TAKE THE RAGAN WHITESIDE OF LIFE!
Featured Interview with Smoothjazznow.com! see it here:
www.smoothjazznow.com/interview_ragan_whiteside.htm
~Over 10 months on the top 50 Independent Chart!
~5 weeks on the top 10 list on Music Choice Smooth Jazz Station!
~Winner of the 2006 Capital Jazz Challenge!~
"I have to say this by far is the finest debut spin I have done work on. An outstanding sound and all around gift you have bestowed to jazz. I want to say thank you personally for offering me a chance to be exposed to this piece of excellence. You should be very proud of your gift and the way you embrace your craft. A true gift from beyond..."
- Karl H. Stober, JazzTrenzz
“...let elegance, also dexterity be recognized; the integrity of this fascinating musical composition should be heard on all smooth jazz and classic soul airwaves world wide; Ragan Whiteside is elegance and one to watch out for in the music industry… let the ‘flutress’ be heard.”
- Gary Tann, ''Harlem after Midnite'', WHCR 90.3FM, NY
“She not only has THE silkiest and sweetest flute tone in the business, but her tenacity and desire to be recognized in Urban, New-Soul AND smooth jazz genres makes her a musical force to be reckoned with!! Mark my words!”
- Bob Baldwin – Grammy-Nominated Arranger
Flutist, vocalist, and songwriter, Ragan Whiteside is taking the Contemporary Jazz world by storm. With her unique style and soulful vibe, this triple threat is bringing the flute back into mainstream focus. After winning the 2006 Capital Jazz Challenge, Ragan returned to the 2007 Capital Jazz Festival with a new critically acclaimed album, Class Axe , produced by Pianist/Arranger Bob Baldwin and Engineer/Arranger Extraordinaire Dennis Johnson.
Ragan began her musical studies at the age of 5, after her parents discovered her proclivity for music. A piano, a drum set, and a violin later, Ragan focused her energies on playing the flute and studying classical music.
As she got older, Ragan discovered another love: Songwriting and Arranging. After winning numerous competitions in both performance and music composition throughout the United States, Ragan attended the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Harid Conservatory, where she earned her Bachelor of Music - Performance degree. Her due diligence paid off; she penned more than 1/2 of her debut disc, Class Axe .
Upon her return to New York in pursuit of her musical dream, Ragan switched gears from Classical to Jazz, Funk, and R&B. This buzzworthy artist has performed and/or recorded with various musicians throughout the US, including Earl Klugh, Gerald Veasley, Kirk Whalum, Rick Braun, Eric Darius, Kim Waters, Marion Meadows, and Grammy Award winning opera singer Esther Hinds, and the previously mentioned Bob Baldwin.
Ragan has also written songs on three albums: Baldwin's "The American Spirit" (Shanachie), the multi-faceted collection "Brown Sugar" (Shanachie) and March 2008, New Urban Jazz (NuGroove).
In addition to her musical skills, the multi-talented Whiteside is also a web-designer. Check out her self-designed site, RaganWhiteside.com. This Mt. Vernon, NY native is also honing her audio engineering skills, which would then make her a quadruple threat!!
With so many talents, one never knows how you'll hear from... or see this extraordinary Artist in the future. For starters, we urge you to check out her encore Cap Jazz performance this summer, and remember that we told you so... Consider yourself warned!!
For booking, please call (212) 561-0253
Check out a live performance at the Capital Jazz Festival on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIk9j2TVZVU
Instrumentation
Ragan Whiteside: flute, vocals
Billy Grant: bass, vocals
Rich Harrison: drums
Devon Allison: keyboards
Discography
Spring 2009 - "Bottoms Up" (solo album)
November 2007 - "Class Axe" (solo album)
Various tracks, including "Meu Amigo, Meu Amante" and "Funktuation" are in regular rotation @ the following stations:
Music Choice/Satellite and Cable TV
WHOV/Norfolk, VA
WVAS/Montgomery, AL
WAPL/Green Bay, WI (Sunday jazz show on Rock station)
WLRQ/Melbourne, FL (Sunday jazz show on A/C station)
KUNV/Las Vegas, NV
WFSK/Nashville, TN
WCHG/Hot Springs, VA
KUAP/Little Rock, AR
Rhythms N Motion Club/Philadelphia, PA
KIPO/Honolulu, HI
TM Century/Music sampler used for retail (WalMart, Kroger) instore airplay, armed forces radio, etc
KXPT/Las Vegas, NV (Sunday jazz show on Classic Hits station)
WVSU/Birmingham, AL
WONB/Lima, OH
Smoothjazztampabay.com/Internet
KCOZ/Springfield, MO
Smoothjazz.com/Internet
KECG/Oakland, CA
KJLU/Jefferson City, MO
The Studio Suite/Internet
KOKY/Little Rock, AR
Cafe Jazz/Syndicated in Canada
KTSU/Houston, TX
WINR/Smoothjazz4u.com/Internet
WMLX/Lima, OH
WVOD/Manteo, NC
WEAA/Baltimore, MD
Fusion Flavours/Specialty show
WHBB/Selma, AL
Smoothjazzexcursion.com/Internet
SmoothAtlanta.com/Internet
WDLT/Mobile, AL (Sunday jazz show on Urban A/C station)
WWDM/Columbia, SC
WBZC/Burlington, NJ
Smoothsoul.net/Internet
Choice102.9/Boston, MA
WJAB/Huntsville, AL
KMXG/Davenport, IA
ChicosRadio.com/Internet
WITD/Live365.com/Internet
WTUL/New Orleans, LA
WLFR/Atlantic City, NJ
WUMD/Dartmouth, MA
WCNI/New London, CT
WWSP/Stevens Point, WI
Groovesuite.com/Internet
Cool Jazz Cafe/Internet (www.smoothtraxfm.com)
WEIB/Springfield, MA
WHCR/Harlem, NY (www.harlemaftermidnite.com)
WRTC/Hartford, CT
WTCC/Springfield, MA
WBCX/Gainesville, GA (Atlanta market)
KCCK/Cedar Rapids, IA
Smoothmix.com/Internet
WQTQ/Hartford, CT
WCLK/Atlanta, GA
WGRV/Melbourne, FL
WUKS/Fayetteville, NC
WBCP/Champaign-Urbana, IL
2008 – Writing, singing and Flute credits on Bob Baldwin's “New Urban Jazz” (NuGroove)
2005 - All In A Day's Work - Bob Baldwin, 215 Music
("Quality Time", "A New York Minute", "Sunrise")
2004 - Brazil Chill - Bob Baldwin, A440 Music
2002 - American Spirit - Bob Baldwin, & Brown Sugar Compilation, Shanachie
Links
| http://www.raganwhiteside.com |
| Buy Ragan's CD! |
| Visit Ragan's MySpace page! |