Jaggedy Ann
Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | SELF
Music
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That's what I'm talking about! Good work.
- Sherdog
BIOGRAPHY
Gayla Dawn: Lead Vocalist
Influenced by a wide variety of singers. Gayla has her own unique vocal style. She knew from an early age that she wanted to be a singer. She would look into the night sky for the brightest star and say that's gonna be me! Raised in a small town north of Dallas, Texas, she has the power to belt it out and the sensual tones to melt you down. Her energy and stage presence is one that has been compared to the likes of legendary entertainers, Tina Turner, Steven Tyler, and Mick Jagger. She joined .Jaggedy Ann in late 2003 as the lead singer and front person.
BIOGRAPHY
Leo: Lead Guitar
Leo was born in Mobile, Alabama, but raised in Modesto California. With an intense love for music, performing. Raised mostly on country music, she was floored when she heard AC/DC's "Highway To Hell". Never hearing anything like it, she became hooked! Angus Young became her inspiration to start playing guitar. After literally teaching herself to play, she moved to L.A. to pursue her hearts desire to play music! It was later she able to put together Jaggedy Ann.
BIOGRAPHY
Holly: Drums
Growing up around music Holly new at a young age that she wanted to be a performer. It wasn’t until she was a young teen that she picked up in her fathers footsteps and started to play the drums. From the second she started she couldn’t stop. She played everything she could, mostly influenced from rock and heavy metal but she always enjoys to jazz things up a little with her unique style. Later to leave her hometown of Flint Michigan to join Jaggedy Ann in 2005- it was a perfect match.
- 4T.com
Background: Leona “Leo” Sharpe began playing guitar at age 16, after hearing AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” on the radio. Upon graduating high school, she moved to Los Angeles, where she played in the all-girl group Bootleg, which placed third in the Music Connection Pick of the Players Poll. Sharpe now plays in the all-female hard-rock band Jaggedy Ann, which won the U.S. Championship in the World Battle of the Bands, and went on to take second place in the final competition in New Zealand. Jaggedy Ann’s music is rooted in classic rock, and Sharpe attacks her SG in a style evoking Angus Young, Johnny Thunders, and Keith Richards, with strong rhythms and fiery, blues-based pentatonic solos.
Contact: leonashrp@yahoo.com; www.jaggedyann.com.
- Guitar Player Magazine
Gibson Chairman and CEO Henry Juszkiewicz welcomed new Country Music star Jace Everett, as well as rock group Jaggedy Ann, comprised of members Gayla (vocals), Claudia (bass), Holly (drums), and Leo (guitarist). - Gibson Guitars
"What is it about women that rock that's both sexy and slightly scary -- like you never know for sure if they won't just kick your ass for the fun of it? It might be all the leather and corsets -- that whole dominatrix thing, just replacing the cat-of-nine-tails with a B.C. Rich "Warlock" bass. Or maybe it's the ramped-up and vamped-out songs that sit somewhere between Angus Young and a wet dream -- the kind of stuff only gutsy, dangerous girls try to do."
"What ever it is, Jaggedy Ann has it down pat. The Vegas quartet might look like Cheetahs refugees, but the ladies rock like a '70s slug-metal juggernaut, borrowing bits of bluesy swagger from AC/DC and a couple dark secrets from Tony Iommi. Songs like "Taste of Honey" and "Shake Your Tail" are as much fist-pumpers as they are sexy swaggers, frontwoman Gayla Dawn leaving very little to suggestion while guitarist Leona Sharpe proves all the boys are overrated. Yeah, there are a few moments where it sounds like someone might occasionally still have a jones for Whitesnake, but that just makes your mind jump to Tawny Kitaen -- metal's true evil diva. She was hot, sexy and able to dance on the hood of a Jaguar."
- CITY LIFE August 5-11, 2004 Jeff Inman
A new album and an Asian tour- things are looking good for U.S. rockers, Jaggedy Ann, writes Annabel Walker. - New Zealand News
AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd recently produced the debut album from the Las Vegas, Nevada-based all-girl quartet JAGGEDY ANN, entitled "Boiling Point". The CD, which features a cover version of the AC/DC classic "Sin City", can be purchased via the JAGGEDY ANN MySpace page.
- blabbermouth.net
Leo is the poster girl for the Gibson Sg Godess guitar - Gibson Guitars
Jaggedy Ann is the former champion of the U.S. World Battle of the Bands. Their album, “Boiling Point”, was produced by AC/DC’s Phil Rudd at “Mountain Studio’s” in Tauranga , New Zealand . Their first single, “Shot of Gasoline”, rotated regularly on MTV internationally. This exposure spawned a world tour where Jaggedy Ann was the only U.S. headlining band to perform for 30,000 rock fans at the Pulp Summer Slam VI in Amoranto , QC in the Philippines and throughout Australia , New Zealand , China , Singapore , and the U.S. . The band has been featured on ALT TV 'Rock n Roll Circus', MTV, Glam Rock, BF Goodrich Super Tuner, Motor Speedway, Las Vegas Bike Festival, Bikers Ball, City Life, Pick Hit, Woman Underground II, Deep Rock, TVC, Radio, XM and SIRIUS. Described as, "Chicks with Balls", they’ve been recognized in documentaries and the front vocalist was awarded Female Entertainer of the Year by Rock City News out of Los Angeles .. The lead guitarist is the poster girl for Gibson’s, “SG Goddess Guitar” and was recently featured in “Guitar Magazine”. They’ve opened for Heart, Ratt, Love Hate, George Thorogood, and many more.. - Crabsody in Blue
Discography
Boiling Point
Produced by Phil Rudd, drummer of the legendary AC/DC
1.Distraction
2.Overdose
3.Shot of Gasoline
4.All of Me
5.Feelin Alright
6.Never
7.You Don't Know What You're Missing
8.In Too Deep
9.Skin of Your Teeth
10.Hot as Hell
11.Sin City
Single Release in New Zealand
1.Kissing Dynamite
Photos
Bio
Jaggedy Ann is an all girl rock band with an explosive stage presence and a powerful hard rock sound! The band was formed in 2002 by Leona Sharpe, who was inspired by one of her previous bands and who had the vision to start Jaggedy Ann. Sharpe explains, “It took over 2 years to find the right chemistry, and it was a huge achievement to find four very accomplished female musicians who have what I call The Entire Package: skill, stage presence, drive, dedication, and last but not least, looks that kill”.
It didn’t take long, once the final members were chosen, for the girls to make a huge impact on Las Vegas. In the spring of 2004 Jaggedy Ann debuted at the “Hip Event” Fashion Show, established by Neiman Marcus, at the Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas. In June they were chosen to represent Las Vegas at the 1st annual “Taste and Tunes” Local Music Showcase sponsored by Jerry’s Nugget, Aliante, and the Nevada Art Council. And on July 4th Jaggedy Ann had the honor of celebrating our nations independence by performing for more than four thousand military men, women, and children at Nellis Air Force Base.
But Jaggedy Ann was making more than just a local buzz. They had caught the attention of Andrew Featherstone, owner and president of Intergalactic Records, and organizer of the World Battle of the Bands. On July 14th, 2004 the band made their first appearance in Hollywood, at The Dragon Fly, in hopes they would do well and get to play for crowds outside their hometown of Las Vegas. Little did they know that this would begin the adventure of a lifetime – the sort of thing that a lot of bands only dream of.
After advancing through a series of competitions Jaggedy Ann won the American Finals and was declared the United States Champions, which sent them to the world finals in New Zealand, where they competed against the winners of the final three countries; Hong Kong, Australia, and New Zealand. Andrew Featherstone was so impressed with the band that he pursued and signed the act to his label.
Also present at the world final was Phil Rudd, drummer of the legendary AC/DC. He too was blown away by this high-energy female rock act – so much, in fact, that he told Andrew he wanted to produce the album. Featherstone flew to Las Vegas to sign Jaggedy Ann. This led the band to New Zealand again in March of 2006 to record their first album, produced by Phil Rudd, and embark on an amazing and extensive world tour, the highlight of which was performing for more than 30,000 rock fans at the Pulp Summer Slam in the Philippines. Jaggedy Ann’s images were used in all the promotional materials for the event, from posters and t-shirts, to back stage passes, etc. This massive tour included shows in New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the Philippines.
Andrew and Phil then flew to Byron Bay in Australia to mix the album with Steve James, who was once named Producer of the Year in Australia for the Weta Geographica album, and who had worked with numerous artists including The Sex Pistols, Thin Lizzy, The Jam, Shihad, SuperJesus, Cold Chisel, and others. The Jaggedy Ann album was named “Boiling Point” and was mastered in the U.S.A. at Sterling Sound Studios in New York, and is being released in multiple countries, including Japan, Australia, and the Philippines, and will soon be released in the United States.
In July of 2007 “Boiling Point” was released and in late August Jaggedy Ann went on their second world tour in support of the album. This time, however, the band could sense that something wasn’t right. Unbeknownst to the band, Intergalactic Records was in serious financial trouble and on the verge of bankruptcy. Even the growing interest and promising future of Jaggedy Ann was not enough to pull the already struggling record label out from drowning. During this tour was the start of a string of bad luck. Already the band had a substitute drummer, Norma Gonzales of the Latin rock band, Menores, to cover for a pregnant Holly, who was at home in the U.S. While still on the road, Norma was to find out that her brother was in the hospital in critical condition. Despite their fear for his survival, the band finished the tour and fulfilled their obligations. When Jaggedy Ann returned home, not only were they facing the uncertainty with Intergalactic Records, but were saddened to learn that Norma’s brother had passed away, and following their return, a sequence of unfortunate events was about to unfold in front of their very eyes.
In addition to the closing down of Intergalactic Records, two more family deaths, an almost fatal car accident, and a brutal divorce would soon follow. Jaggedy Ann had no choice but to retreat into financial, emotional, and mental, and physical recovery. Meanwhile, despite the setbacks and hardships at home, fans in Las Vegas and Los Angeles were growing even more, and anticipating the return of the band. With their popularity showing no signs of diminishing, Jaggedy Ann finish
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