Growing up in Tempe, it didn’t take long for Rickiejoleen to determine her future career. At eight years old, she announced that her dream was to be a country music singer. Now, eleven years later, her dedication to music is still going strong. As a child, she often had to give up hanging out with her friends in favor of practicing her music, and while she may have lost out on a little of her childhood, she’s very proud of the career she built for herself during those years.

Rickiejoleen was determined to learn how to the play guitar as a child, and when no one would teach her, she picked one up and taught herself. She practiced singing at home, and as she got a little older, she even took self-management into her own hands. She began calling local bars, restaurants and other venues to book herself at their establishment, and soon found herself playing in the local Arizona music scene at the age of 11. Rickiejoleen has a self-proclaimed style that combines both country and rock, and she credits that to her musical influences to a long list of luminaries: Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks, Elvis Presley, Loretta Lynn, Aerosmith, Journey, Def Leopard, and AC/DC.

She appeared briefly on the USA Network show Nashville Star, which is a country-music version of American Idol, with celebrity judges and public votes determining the victor. Although her stint on Nashville Star is over, you won’t find her far from the spotlight. She opened up for Foreigner on March 31 and is currently planning a West Coast tour.

And while Rickiejoleen is very focused on her career, she’s also determined to find a balance between music and education. She attended Meyer Elementary School and McKemy Junior High in Tempe, and decided to continue her schooling a little while later. Now that she has decided to further her education, she is excited about the prospect of going to college and expanding her music career at the same time. She is currently enrolled in MCC, but she has already set her sights on becoming a Sun Devil. Her plans include transferring to Arizona State University, where she will pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Business while continuing her career in country music.

For more information on Rickiejoleen, visit www.rickiejoleen.com or listen to her music at www.myspace.com/rickiejoleen19.

UnderCover Acoustic is comprised of two schooled musicians from very different backgrounds. Jay Morton—Jammin’ J—is the combo’s vocalist and percussionist, but his interest in music started when he was just a child. He was born into a musical family and grew up surrounded by singing, instrumental music, concerts, and touring. As a child, his parents took him along on their tour bus through the United States and Europe.

Thanks to his family’s strong musical influence, Morton learned to play the drums at 7, and also sang at an early age. He learned to play guitar at 21 and formed his first band in 1988. Throughout the years, Morton’s soulful voice and unique sound have received the attention of the major television networks, various cable channels, and local television stations and radio stations.

Bert Gillespie—The Professor—plays drums and all percussion as well as harmonica in UnderCover Acoustic. He has an impressive classical music background, and holds a master’s degree in music. Gillespie has played in symphony orchestras, Broadway productions, and jazz ensembles; and has performed with many famous musicians over the years, including Doc Severson, Aaron Copeland, Sheila E, and Pete Escovedo.

For the past six years, Morton and Gillespie have been creating music that blends blues, roots music, and acoustic tunes in Delta and traditional blues styles. Their latest CD, Lay Me Down, has received national play on the radio. “You Don’t Have to Go,” one of the selections from the CD, led them to win an international blues contest.

Morton describes UnderCover Acoustic’s style as “a blend of acoustic blues with the beach sound of Jack Johnson and the jam band sound of Dave Matthews, while blending the three rhythmic sounds of Latin Santana styles.”

“The Professor plays all of the specialty percussion, from congas and djembe to bongos and even triangle,” Morton says. “It is a very unique sound, and you will even see The Professor play the spoons and harmonica, which will take you back to the great blues clubs from Memphis to Chicago.”

And for anyone wishing they could experience UnderCover Acoustic in an intimate setting, the duo offers exclusive concerts in private residences throughout the valley. Fans will have a chance to win a free concert at their own home by registering on UnderCover Acoustic’s Web site. These concerts allow UnderCover Acoustic’s fans to see their music on a personal level that provide more interaction between the audience and performer.

“Our exclusive Home Concert Series is a great musical arts evening where we set up at private residences and perform an actual concert for a one and a half hour show,” Morton said.

“We offer a fantastic specialty show that is a traditional blues anthology, starting from cornfield hollers field work songs and then delta blues standards, leading up to modern-times music and how it all relates together.” You can also find UnderCover Acoustic performing at RA in Kierland on Thursday’s, or catch one of their shows this summer in Austin, Southern California, Portland, Chicago, and Detroit.

To hear UnderCover Acoustic, get information on upcoming shows, or register to win one of three free exclusive home concerts, visit undercoveracoustic.com.

Countless people grow up wanting to be sportscasters or singers, but rarely does anyone get to do both. That is, unless you’re Mike Chamberlin or Chris Coraggio. Being in the same profession, it’s easy for anyone to see that Chamberlin and Coraggio have a lot in common. But it wasn’t until 2004 that the two realized that their shared passion went a lot further than sportscasting. In April of that year, Coraggio approached Chamberlin at a Suns game back when the two were still sportscasters at different stations, and they began talking about their musical interests. Chamberlin had been singing and playing his guitar around town; and Coraggio, a piano player and singer himself, was interested in hearing more about it. Chamberlin invited him over to his house to see if they were compatible musically, and it took only that quick meeting for them to realize that they were. Rather than keep their love for music a behind-the-scenes hobby, the two formed the unique musical duo The Singin’ TV Guys, and started booking gigs all over town.

They’re now at the same station, CBS 5, where Chamberlin is a morning and afternoon anchor, and Coraggio is the news sports director. They’re currently closing in on their 250th performance as The Singin’ TV Guys. While most of their performances are private, they do play a few concerts every year that are open to the public. They’ve played at such places as the Wrigley Mansion, SunDome, Carefree Resort and the Paradise Valley Senior Center.

Their music consists of some cover songs, including “Take Me out to the Ball Game,” “What a Wonderful World,” “‘Till There Was You,” and the Chamberlin and Coraggio original, “Newsroom Blues.” Chamberlin sings lead vocals and plays guitar, while Coraggio plays piano and guitar and also sings. The duo has performances booked all the way through 2008, and they recorded a self-titled CD a year ago.

But it was their love of animals that led them to give a portion of every $20 CD sale to the Arizona Humane Society. And during gigs, they always make sure to mention the treatment of animals to the crowd to help spread community awareness about animal cruelty.

Outside of the Singin’ TV Guys, Chamberlin does some solo singing and performs at his church. He recorded his own Christmas CD, Mike Chamberlin’s Christmas Collection, with original music and a song he wrote titled “The Whisper.” Chamberlin sings this particular song in every performance, whether solo or with Coraggio, and he even performed it live with an orchestra at the North Phoenix Baptist Church on Central.

Both CDs are available at www.singingtvguys.com. The Singin’ TV Guys can be booked by emailing mpcputt@aol.com or calling (480) 217-1389.