BIO

It's not unusual to hear a female vocalist say that she has been influenced musically by Etta James and Billie Holiday … it's also safe to say that it's not unusual to hear a female vocalist say that she has been influenced by such legends as Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard. It is, however, unusual when that female vocalist is not even old enough to get a driver's license in the State of Texas. But Cirby Ryan is not your "usual" kind of female vocalist. Although she has also been influenced and inspired by current stars like Norah Jones, Mariah Carey, Jessica Simpson, Joss Stone and, her all-time favorite, Faith Hill, she grew up in a household where strains of recordings by Willie, Merle and George (both Jones AND Strait) were often followed by strains of recordings by Ray Charles, Patsy Cline and Harry Connick, Jr.

The result has been an interesting vocal style which ranges from sultry renditions of blues standards to rousing and playful versions of obscure rock and country classics. Cirby, who doesn't have a "formula" for finding material for her shows, says "I find most of my songs on the radio because you want to have songs that people recognize but a lot of my favorite songs are "B" side tracks on CDs and old records that rarely get airtime. If I like it, I am going to try to get it on the stage." The desire to perform songs she likes shows up in her set list: songs from three decades of hits from artists with cult followings like Commander Cody to huge rock megastars like Cheap Trick, and country traditionalist Martina McBride. "I like songs that make me feel the most emotion, whether that emotion is happy, sad or somewhere in between. For example, one of my favorite songs is "Concrete Angels."

It's about child abuse and it makes me realize that this type of thing happens on a daily basis and how lucky I am to have a loving family that I come home to everyday and a bunch of amazing friends to hang out with." The oldest of three girls, Cirby sets a hard pace to follow but a good example for doing what you like to do to the best of your ability. The family hits the ground running every day and somewhere between dawn and dusk of any given day in any given week will find them in several basketball gyms, rodeo arenas and livestock barns. From deer hunting, to mudding and spotlighting for alligators, to riding horses and showing steers, fishing, dancing, playing basketball or singing, you'll find Cirby somewhere in the mix with either or both of her sisters and her parents not far away. "I don't have to look any further than my own home to find all the support I need for whatever I try to do. I know I can count on my family to be there for me and I can turn to my parents for anything - they are my heroes and my biggest fans. Not everyone is that fortunate and I am grateful every day." Cirby has a lot of goals, many of which do not involve her musical talent. But where her music is concerned, her goals are very clear. "I believe that when I hear a song that touches me, it probably also touches other people. That's what I want to do first - record a song that other people will hear on the radio. That would be awesome." Awesome, indeed.