Dara Tucker was born into a musical family. So
it’s no surprise that her love affair with music began at such an
early age. The product of a music minister father, and a songstress
mother, she began singing in her Tulsa, Oklahoma church at age 5. By
age 8 she was playing simple melodies on the piano and soon began
accompanying her brothers and sisters at performances. Says Tucker,
“We performed as a group in churches and youth events throughout the
city. It was a real proving-ground for us. We grew our own musical
legs, independent of our parents. That was a very important learning
time.”
Throughout her college years, Tucker continued to hone her skills as
a vocalist and musician. After obtaining a degree in International
Business and German studies, she worked for a time in the corporate
language-training field, eventually relocating to Interlaken,
Switzerland to study German. It was there that Tucker began to write
the first of her very personal songs.
“I discovered my own creative voice during my time abroad,” Tucker
says. “That’s when I began to realize that true artistic expression
comes from a very personal place. You can’t fake it. My songwriting
speaks of some hard-learned lessons, and long-fought battles.”
Rather than allow those experiences to breed bitterness and distrust
of the world, she channeled them into a unique musical discovery. “I
found something within myself that I didn’t realize was there ??”
music’s ability to ensure my spiritual and emotional survival. No
one can ever take that away from me,” says Tucker.
Tucker’s original songs speak to her life philosophy. Among the
first songs she wrote during her time in Switzerland is an ode to
the importance of risk-taking -- I Dare Not Dream. Songs such as
Golden Time and It All Works Together were soon to follow. With
their R&B edge, songs Beautiful Sun and Loving You highlight her
versatility while staying true to a common theme of living life to
the fullest. Dara Tucker’s original songs fuse her gospel roots with
jazz’ subtlety and free spirit, while paying homage to American Folk
music. Her style, while difficult to pigeonhole, can best be
described as Urban Singer-Songwriter. With subtly soulful undertones,
she seeks to convey her pensive, searching, but always-hopeful
outlook on life through her music. Since moving to Nashville, TN to
pursue music fulltime, Tucker has begun to establish herself as a
strong presence in Nashville’s burgeoning jazz scene. Displaying a
love for standards and swing that belies her years, Tucker’s
reverence for the Great American Songbook can be felt in her careful
delivery of these timeless songs.
In January of 2009, Dara's long-awaited debut CD release, “All Right
Now,” was released independently. Dara’s music can be heard on local
Nashville jazz stations, 89.5, WMOT and 88.1 WFSK.
She performs regularly at Sambuca in Nashville's trendy gulch
district, the legendary F. Scott’s Restaurant and Jazz Bar in the
Green Hills district, & the long-standing Jefferson Street Jazz and
African Street Festivals. She has also performed at Snug Harbor in
New Orleans, The Rutledge, Boscos and The 12th South Taproom.
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