Artist Information Biography The folk harmony trio, Raison D'Etre, was born on a riverboat cruise down the Ohio River in the sultry summer of 1990. Sisters Roberta Schultz and Violet Rae Downey along with life-long friend Vickie Ellis were the front women for a country rock band called--just for the gig--Runaway Stage. Since they were actually running away from the dock each evening on a party barge, the name really seemed to fit.  What the trio learned in that summer was how much they adored the three-part blend that resulted from trying out Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Pure Prairie League and Forester Sister songs. After two summers on the riverboat, the front women decided it was time to create their own brand of swinging country folk. They appeared together for the first time on a public radio program entitled "Friends and Folk." On that program they announced their name which means "reason for being," explaining that music and singing had become their raison d'etre. The Cincinnati Museum Center commissioned the trio to learn several historic programs for their exhibits, including Shaker hymns, WWII music, pioneer ballads, and Civil War songs. Each new "homework" assignment enriched the trio's already well-developed sense of three-part harmony. Awards include: •First Place for "Legacy," Children's/Humorous/Holiday, MOVA Songwriting Competition 2007(Violet Rae Downey) •Third Place for "This Kind of Rain," Folk/Bluegrass, MOVA 2007(Roberta Schultz.) •Finalists in MOVA Songwriting Competition for "Legacy" and "This Kind of Rain."  •Southern Artistry Award, 2005(Southern Arts Federation) •Judge's Choice Awards at MOVA Songwriting Competition in Guntersville, AL, 2005 for "I've Got the Heart"(finalist, Violet Rae Downey) and "Broken Radio," Roberta Schultz •Musical hosts of the Coffee Cup Concert Series, 2000-2006 featuring such headliners as Bill Miller, Christine Lavin, Juggernaut Jug Band and Zoe Speaks. •"Honor Award" for "Be True" in the Great American Song Contest, 2007. •Raison D'Etre has showcased at Kentucky on Stage, Ohio Arts Presenters Network, North East Region Folk Alliance(NERFA) and Midpoint Music Festival 2007. Instrumentation Violet Rae Downey on guitar, percussion and "ultra Violet Rae" vocals. Vickie Ellis on keyboard, percussion, banjo, banjovie and banjuke. Roberta Schultz on guitar, six-string mandolin and percussion. Discography "Broadman Babies," Detremental Records, 1996 "Better Medicine," Detremental Records, 1999 "Christmas Belles," Detremental Records, 1998 & 2001 "Queen Anne's Lace," Detremental Records, 2002 "Hearts Content," Detremental Records, 2005 "Swing Canaries," Detremental Records, 2008 Tracks from "Queen Anne's Lace" and "Hearts Content" have received airplay in New Jersey, New York, Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati and throughout Kentucky. New for 2009 "Tales from the Tall Side," Detremental Records. "Live@Java5" is a two-hour live concert on DVD produced by Mudbrick Media in Mobile, AL.(2007) Most tracks are available at i-Tunes. "Be True" was selected for SouthernArtistry.org's first compilation CD, 2006. Links http://www.raison3.com Myspace site