Vanessa Collier

Vanessa Collier Family and Personal Life

1. Vanessa N. Collier was born in Dallas, Texas, and grew up in Columbia, Maryland. Her early years in Maryland helped shape her love for music, especially the blues genre.
2. Vanessa Collier’s birth sign is Scorpio.
3. Vanessa’s family played an important role in encouraging her musical talents. They supported her passion for music from a young age, allowing her to explore different instruments and genres.
4. Vanessa’s interest in music began at the age of nine when she picked up the saxophone. Her family’s support allowed her to pursue private lessons, which eventually led her to become a professional musician.

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Vanessa Collier Biography and Facts

1. Who is Vanessa N. Collier?: Vanessa N. Collier is an American saxophonist, singer, and songwriter. She blends blues, funk, and soul in her music. Vanessa has been nominated for twelve Blues Music Awards and has won four of them, including Horn Player of the Year and Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year.
2. Musical Influences: Vanessa’s musical influences include iconic artists like Bonnie Raitt, Norah Jones, and Ray Charles. She also draws inspiration from The Wood Brothers, Tedeschi Trucks Band, and Aretha Franklin. Other notable influences are jazz legends like Herbie Hancock and Cannonball Adderley.
3. Education: Vanessa Collier attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she earned dual degrees in Performance and Music Production & Engineering. She graduated in 2013 and performed alongside artists like Annie Lennox and Willie Nelson at Berklee’s Commencement Concert.
4. Early Career: While studying at Berklee, Vanessa worked with artists like Kathy Mattea and Bill Cooley. After graduating, she toured with Joe Louis Walker in the U.S. and Turkey between 2012 and 2013. This experience helped her gain recognition in the blues music scene.
5. Debut Album: In 2014, Vanessa released her debut solo album, “Heart Soul & Saxophone.” The album featured a mix of original compositions and covers, receiving positive reviews, including praise from Dan Aykroyd’s blues radio show. Her national debut tour followed later that year.
6. Vanessa’s second album, “Meeting My Shadow,” was released in 2017 on Ruf Records. The album included original songs and covers and featured musicians like Charles Hodges and Laura Chavez. She toured in 12 countries, performing in Europe, North America, and Brazil.
7. Awards and Nominations: Vanessa was nominated for a Blues Music Award in 2017 for Instrumental – Horn Player of the Year. She won first place in the Lyrics Only category of the 2017 USA Songwriting Competition.
8. In 2018, Vanessa released her third album, “Honey Up,” which spent nine weeks on the Billboard Top Blues Albums Chart. She was nominated for multiple Blues Music Awards that year.
9. Fourth Album: Vanessa’s fourth solo album, “Heart on the Line,” was released in August 2020 on Phenix Fire Records.
10. Discography: Vanessa Collier’s discography includes the following albums: “Heart Soul & Saxophone” (2014), “Meeting My Shadow” (2017), “Blues Caravan 2017” (2018), “Honey Up” (2018), and “Heart on the Line” (2020). She also released a live album in 2022 titled “Vanessa Collier: Live At Power Station.”