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Johnny Bulford a Central
Florida Native, winner of the Colgate Country Showdown and newly signed writer to Warner Chappell Music Group has teamed up with an unlikely match for a new project. Well on the road to success and having
moved to Nashville early
this year, Bulford is kept
busy in co-writing sessions
with Nashville's top writers, attending meetings with record labels,
recording new music and performing
at concerts across the country. These days he spends his time with the upper echelon of the music industry. He has had the pleasure of performing with artists such as Tanya Tucker, Mongtomery Gentry,
Gretchen Wilson, Blake Shelton, Chris Young and Joe Nichols and Justin Moore. His amazing talent has brought him to a place where he can choose to work from
an array of music’s most gifted entertainers. So it might surprise
some that one of the collaborations he is most proud of isn't with a major artist or record company,
but with an 8 year old girl. That is until
you meet the girl. She is none other than
the phenomenal young lady that was dubbed the "Orlando Magic Good Luck Charm", Gina Marie Incandela. The two met at one of Florida's
biggest New Year's Eve events in Celebration, last year and they bonded immediately. Bulford, an accomplished and successful singer-songwriter was
touched by Gina's story and her voice. "I saw
her backstage and I was not expecting very much. She was so little I figured she would sing like a cute little kid. When she started singing, I was
completely blown away by her vocals and by the way she commanded the stage and mesmerized the crowd. I knew I was watching something very special and I really wanted to know
more about her". Bulford sought out Gina's parents after
the show to learn more about the girl that had his undivided attention for the past several minutes. Bulford came to learn that Gina was diagnosed
with autism at a young age and in a short time has overcome her disabilities. She has since gone on to become one of the
country’s most recognizable young stars. The child that once didn't speak was able to find her voice
through music and has not stopped singing and sharing her inspirational story with the world. As the several thousands of people who have seen her perform live at events across the country
and on national TV can attest, Gina is a unique and special performer.
She sets foot on stage before thousands as though she is in the comfort
of her living room and proceeds to capture her audience by the heart strings. By age 8 Gina
had achieved more than many artists do in an entire career. She recorded a CD at age 6, performed on several national TV shows,
has sung alongside entertainers such as Jordin Sparks, recorded a duet with legendary Chaka Khan and
had the honor of singing the National Anthem during 3 games of the 2009 NBA Finals which were
broadcast live to an international audience of millions. Bulford recalls "At that age I was playing
with GI Joe’s and Leggo’s and she's appearing
on national television and singing to bigger crowds than most recording artists. It's just amazing to me what she has accomplished and I really
wanted to work with her". This
was more than fine with Gina who can be seen at Bulford's concerts alongside the stage dancing
and humming along to his music. The
respect between these two artists was mutual. She
was immediately one of Bulfords biggest (and smallest) fans. Johnny actually wrote the song at Gina's request. "I knew there would
be opportunities for us to sing together but, I hadn't thought about writing a song for her until she
asked me. Honestly, I was a little intimated at the task of writing something that would be a good fit for an 8 year old. I was concerned about whether I could write something suitable
and whether she would like it and be able to sing it." Experienced, talented adult performers
have difficulty imitating his songs so he couldn't help but wonder how would an 8 year old fare? "Then I reminded myself that she
is no ordinary 8 year old. I just thought
about her and how she used her voice to overcome the odds and the song came to me easily. I was
in a session with co-writer Trisha Fogle and we started talking about Gina and the music just flowed". "I thought about things from her perspective. I wanted her to be able to sing a song she could relate to
and feel was her own. It has a strong
melody, a huge range and a tricky key change which could pose a challenge to even the most experienced
singer but, Ihad a pretty good feeling Gina could pull it off." Apparently Bulford's instincts are as good as his music. "I Sing" is an incredibly beautiful
song that is only enhanced by the purity and power of Gina's voice. The mix of his writing and her vocals resulted in a moving, emotionally charged ballad that many
will try to emulate and few will succeed. This is a song that will transcend all age groups and these two artists can feel good about the many who will
be inspired and moved by this very special collaboration. Any musical project, no matter how well intentioned is only as
good as the quality of the people involved on the technical end. So
when it was time to have this song produced, Bulford turned to one of the industry greats, long
time producer, engineer and friend Chris Latham. Latham was studio manager and head engineer for EMI Music Publishing Recording
Studios in Nashville,Tennessee on
music row for over 18 years. As the owner of StudioGorilla he has produced several of Bulford’s
songs and is among the most highly respected producers and engineers in Nashville.
When asked about the day he received a call to work on Bulford’s new project Latham recalls, “Right
off, I knew the song would be great because Johnny wrote it, but when I found out the singer
was eight years old, I initialy thought, well, this will be..."cute". But then
Johnny sent me a video of Gina singing the national anthem at a basketball game and immediately I saw what he sees in her.
She delivered a confident performance of the rangy melody that had the crowd cheering. It's obvious that Gina is not your average eight year old.” Typically the artist goes to the producer.
But, Latham left Nashville and flew to Orlando, Florida where on a beautiful sunny afternoon
he met Gina for the first time at The Imagination House recording studio and the session which was arranged by Frank Snipes of Show
Systems, Inc. was nothing short of magical. "Gina was refreshingly outgoing and excited about singing. She was
well prepared, so even the most challenging aspects of performing the song, the wide range of the melody, the vocal ad
libs and key modulation, all came easily to her. Her intonation and timing came naturally,
and best of all, she sang with conviction. She has a gift." In addition to making a positive difference by inspiring listeners,
they have taken things a step further. Knowing the
two of them who each have awards for their contributions to the community, it's no surprise they wanted to give back in a
bigger way. A percentage
of profits from the digital sales of
"I Sing" will be donated to the Autism Society
of America. Perhaps Gina summed it up best
when she said "I'm happy and I want to help kids so they never give up on their dreams. Everybody helped me and I want to help everyone. That's what it's all about, right?". I couldn't have said it better myself. “I Sing” is simply a great song with a noble purpose, written by one of Nashville’s
most talented artists and recorded by one of the worlds most gifted young singers. It
is truly as inspiring as the individual artists. It should however, come with a warning that Kleenex will be needed. The
song is available for purchase on itunes and AmazonMP3. To learn more about Gina Marie visit www.GinaMarieIncandela.com
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