Adelee & Gentry

Adelee & Gentry

Take a listen to cuts like “Beautiful Disaster” or “Thunderstorms” from their full-length album Nice To Meet You..., and you will understand why the sister duo Adelee & Gentry is quickly developing a reputation as one of the fastest rising acts in music today. All the pieces are in place. They have the harmony, the songs, the looks, and the stage presence to become a force in the business.

For Adelee Gates it was love at first strum.

“A friend came over and showed me a few chords on my grandpa’s guitar. From then on, playing was an everyday thing.” she remembers, “I was always playing.” Adelee Gates was ten.

Gentry, her younger sister, had to be coaxed into the spotlight. But just like Adelee, once she got a taste of it she was hooked.

This led to other creative outlets. “When I started to write songs, I didn’t think it was anything special or unique,” Adelee recalls, “It just came out of me.”

Music has been coming out of the Gates family household for some time. Growing up the Gates girls were always around music. Adelee & Gentry’s father, James, played drums and some bass. He built a basement studio in which the sisters would later take up residence. One year he got them a 24 track recorder for Christmas on which they recorded their demo CD, Beginnings.

Soon word began to spread around their hometown of West Alexandria (just outside of Dayton), Ohio that they had the “Sister Harmony” thing happening. The girls agree. “We can sound exactly alike. Sometimes we mess with our parents so that they don’t know who’s who. We finish each other’s sentences and know what the other is thinking. It’s the same with our harmonies.”

The Adelee & Gentry story kicked into high gear when their father reconnected with Jason Webb, an old friend from college. Webb was now an in-demand session player/producer in Nashville for artists such as Dave Barnes, LeAnn Rimes and Phil Vassar. The siblings drove to Nashville, played a few songs for Webb and he offered to produce their debut full-length album, “Nice To Meet You...”

"I remember being completely blown away after hearing Adelee and Gentry perform for the first time, and working with them has been a career highlight for me,” says Webb. “They are natural performers with a special uniqueness in their voices, and their songwriting is both commercial and mature. I am so proud to be working with them."

“From there, everything came together naturally. I feel like its all fallen perfectly into place for us” says Adelee.

The duo either wrote or co-wrote every song on Nice To Meet You….Tracks like “Sweet Memory” and “Dear Boy” are imbued with passion and personality, and in “Orchard Trees” they write and perform with maturity beyond their years.

Gentry explains the way they write songs: “There isn’t a specific process. Usually, Adelee will start playing something really cool and different on her guitar. I’ll start humming the melody while doing something else around the house. Then, both of our ideas come together and a song is created.”

Asked to describe their music, Adelee says: “From an emotional perspective, I would say ‘real’ and ‘honest.’ I pour my heart into a song.” Gentry concurs, “We don’t try to act like someone else; we just love being storytellers. We’re not going to try to create something that’s not there. That’s not who we are.”

Both had ready names to list as influences on their sunny, pop sound. “Sara Bareilles, Adele and Ingrid Michaelson would be the top three for me,” says Gentry. Adelee echoes her sentiments, “All three of them are singer-songwriters, great musicians and their stage presence is incredible. They are all so talented. I would also have to add Coldplay, The Civil Wars, John Mayer and Colbie Caillat.”

The duo feels very blessed to be involved with a humanitarian cause that is extremely close to their hearts. The mission of HillTop Equestrian Center (http://www.hilltopequestriancenter.org) in their hometown of West Alexandria, is to provide hope, heart and happiness to children living in challenging circumstances. The Gates’ church family are the hands and feet of the non-profit organization. The siblings personally participate in the Adopt-A-Horse and EquiTherapy components of the ministry.

Both Adelee & Gentry stress that, “…HillTop is the real reason why we do what we do. It would be really cool to see HillTop grow, and we plan on doing all that we can to make that happen. We’ve seen the benefits of the programs first-hand and it’s truly incredible.”

Waiting for Christmas is the act’s first Christmas album. They’ve re-imagined classics like “Carol of the Bells” and “Angels We Have Heard On High,” alongside the title track original composition. The EP will be released November 6th.

The sisters are excited about the road ahead, “We want to get our music out there and have it heard by as many people as possible. That’s our goal. But we have no idea where it will take us. God is