Family History A Key In Musician's Success

Ginger Leigh's family tree looks more like a sheet of music than a tree. She comes from 5 generations of professional musicians from San Antonio, Texas. The renowned Cones Family. Of her generation, her cousin - hot-shot producer in Nashville - Mickey Jack Cones, and Ginger, are the two who have been pursuing and succeeding in the realm of music and entertainment. They had a working band together, along with Ginger's brother on bass, when she was only 9 years old.

"Throughout my youth, I mostly performed in contests and talent shows, sweeping 1st or 2nd place every time. I then studied at The University of Texas in Austin, receiving a degree in Sociology and Italian. I'm a very left brain/right brain woman, good at business, academics, foreign languages, and most importantly music," says Ginger.

"After graduation from UT, I began focusing on a professional career in music, building a strong fanbase firstly in Austin and then expanding beyond the borders of Texas, across the U.S. and then in Europe - focusing on Italy, as I had lived there and speak the language. Not to mention, I love the food and wine!"

Since 1997, Ginger has released 7 CD's, independently funding and producing them. Around the beginning of her professional music career, she recognized the rapid changes in the music industry. "Labels were producing less-than-quality music on the mainstream market and they were quickly failing as internet technology began to take over the way we find and hear music -- so I began to think as an independent label for myself."

"In 1998, I teamed up with vocalist and song-writer, Sarah Dashew, and together we formed "The Ginger and Sarah Band" which reached a high level of independent success. Together we were one of the first groups to have our own website, to begin blogging, to stay in close touch with our global fan base. We also secured high-dollar sponsorships with the likes of Advance Micro Devices, which helped us sustain our career and produce the highly-acclaimed record "Vera Takes the Cake". We performed multiple shows around the country for the launch of Oprah Winfrey's Oxygen Media channel. We toured extensively around the country and Europe."

"After a 5 year span of working together, we chose to go our separate ways and get back to our own respective solo careers."

Since 2002, Ginger have released 3 studio albums and one live recording: 2002 Charge Laughing, 2004 Vivo, 2006 Sugar in My Coffee, and most recently 2008 Don't Be Shy.  "I have also traveled countless miles, touring with my music all over the globe, including the U.S., New Zealand, and Europe.  During this time period, I was also co-founder/co-owner of a fantastic retail boutique in Austin called Love. Although today's plan is to close the physical location, the store will remain strictly online at http://www.loveaustintexas.com. At the physical location, I created a successful outdoor music series called "Love. on the Lawn" which hosted some of the world's top independent musicians. I'll miss that part of the shop!"

"Although my priority focus is on my music, I also tap into a visually creative part of my brain and have developed a small, but lucrative graphic and web design company. Most of my clients are entertainment based, but I also design for restaurants, doctors, yoga teachers and more. The wonderful thing about this work, is that I can create remotely from any part of the world and often find myself waking up in a random hotel room, early in the morning after a performance the night before, to open my laptop and work on a client's site or logo."

"My plan for the near future is to shape my music career in the way that I feel is most efficient and lucrative with the highest quality of performance and audience in mind. For more than a decade I chased a dream with the mentality of "Play any show possible, exposure, get your name in the paper, run run run!" This structure might be fun - seeing the world this way - but can also be quite exhausting and inefficient and ineffective. With my design work being a large part of my financial support, I am able to be more discerning with my choices of concerts I choose to perform. I am focusing on finding appropriate venues where the audience can receive my music without bar-noise distraction and that they can not just hear my music, but where they can feel what I mean."

"I have been enjoying performing private concerts. Many years ago, it was most common for wealthy art patrons to bring classical musicians into their home to perform for their guests. Today, there is a take on this tradition which we call "House Concerts." Obviously, it is not limited to just the Classical genre, but is wide open to whatever music the host prefers.  It basically works like this: A host will invite their guests to their home, which has been arranged, indoors or out, in rows of seating facing an area arranged for my performance. The guests are asked to pay a ticket price for the show. The benefit to both me and the audience is that it is a situation set up for listening - almost like a tiny theater. Many public locations are not suitable for an audience that wants to actually hear the music and are typically not suitable for the type of performance I want to deliver. It is also a great way to reach fans in an intimate way and to develop a close following of music-lovers who then host the next event. I have had a great deal of success in cities like Tulsa, OK, where I have been invited back for House Concerts time and time again. What a pleasure!  But that being said, occasionally I find a gem-of-a-public-venue that is suitable, such as Ciao on Brookside in Tulsa (where I will perform with my friend and colleague, Wendy Colonna, on March 1st) or The Mucky Duck in Houston. These venues are set up for an intimate listening performance, but typically I prefer theaters or House Concerts where these locations are not available."

"I plan to reach my goal some day which is to perform with an orchestra at Carnegie Hall in New York.  I believe there is no reason why I shouldn't be able to fulfill that dream. So, I am taking a more delicate and direct approach to reaching my true demographic of fans. I am seeking the opportunity to have my recorded music placed in television and film. I am networking within communities of art-supporters and music-lovers who also believe that I have what it takes to headline Carnegie Hall. I am reaching more deeply inside myself to tap into that performer in me that so many people compare to Bette Midler. I love "old-school" stage performance where the music and the comedy mix and flow so well that the audience hardly recognizes when they switch from laughing to crying and back to laughing again. With so much pain in the world, I strive to create a positive, loving, friendly environment at my shows allowing people to forget their woes and find their inner peace and happiness."

"I have many great performances in the works right now which I cannot release at the moment, but as they become public, it will all be featured on my website (www.gleigh.com), released on Facebook (please befriend me there), and sent out on my mass-mailer (you can sign up on my website).  So please be in touch!"

All of Ginger's music is available online at www.gleigh.com. Three of her records are available at itunes.com/gingerleigh.