Marcy Priest
Marcy Priest is a mix of intense energy, infectious laughter, deep thought, and contagious passion.
A sought-after pianist and singer-songwriter who is best known for her insightful lyrics and powerful voice,
she has meshed with several diverse styles of music until ultimately carving a niche in the indie pop-rock
genre. Her debut album "Awake" was released in April 2008. From up-tempo pop to melodic rock instrumentation,
Awake's textured landscape of sound adds the element of uniqueness that is lost among other songstresses.
Strong piano and guitars with beautiful vocal harmonies deliver lyrical themes that cover the power of words,
true love, roller-coaster emotions, painful loss, regret, and trust -- all things Marcy has learned firsthand.
Marcy was born in Oklahoma City at the end of the '70s to a family immersed in art and music.
The daughter of a music minister and preacher, Marcy's first opportunities to sing were in her church
-- she still remembers the long family road trips where she would sing hymns in three part harmony
with her Mom and Dad. Marcy began studying piano at age 5 and by age 11 had composed her first song,
complete with lyrics. Marcy went on to study music and business at Oklahoma City University and the
University of Central Oklahoma. While in college she continued to write, learn about the music industry,
sing, and do vocal studio work. Marcy was blessed with a family who encouraged her musical aspirations --
including her cousin, acclaimed guitarist and singer/songwriter, Billy Crockett. Throughout Marcy's early
life, Billy listened to her songs and encouraged her to take her gifts seriously. After college graduation,
with a recorded demo in hand and big dreams in her heart, she set out for Nashville -- her family cheering
her on.
Marcy began by connecting with contacts she'd made earlier along the way and making new friends --
music publishers, A&R executives, and the like. She ventured out into Nashville's live music scene,
starting with open-mics at venues such as 3rd and Lindsey. Marcy was only in Nashville a few weeks when
the tragic events of September 11th, 2001 struck the U.S., the world, and subsequently the music industry.
Like most everyone during that time, Marcy longed to be with her loved ones back home. She tried to stick it
out for a few more months but became increasingly aware that Nashville was not where she was supposed to be.
Disillusioned and confused, she returned to Oklahoma where she began again by singing at the church her
family had started years before. Still she continued to write her music. Not long after returning to
Oklahoma, musician/producer Trent Austin was so impressed with her voice that he hired Marcy to sing with him
every week -- an experience that has endured for almost 6 years. She married a fellow musician and began
digging deeper into truth and what she really wanted to explore in her writing. Some time later she began
collaborating with Trent on the songs that would become Awake -- these new tracks were carefully crafted
to make the album a strong yet incredibly diverse one. Since Awake's release, Marcy and her band have begun
delivering her songs to a quickly growing group of enthusiastic fans, already playing at conferences and
festivals with attendance numbering in the thousands.