Monica Ramey

"Now that the trend of aging rockers cutting albums of show tunes and standards seems thankfully to have run its course, we're back to vocalists with a real feel for and understanding of the jazz tradition doing them justice. Nashville's Monica Ramey is a shining example. Her excellent release Make Someone Happy offers resourceful, soaring and engaging interpretations of material from The Great American Songbook." - Ron Wynn, Nashville Scene

This kind of reaction is a reoccurring theme in the case of Midwest native Monica Ramey and artists like Michael Feinstein, Beegie Adair, Anthony Wilson, Jeff Coffin, Donna McElroy, Jim Ferguson, Denis Solee, Jeff Steinberg, Lori Mechem, Roger Spencer, George Tidwell and Sandra Dudley are just a few who are singing her praise.

Monica is a native of Francesville, one of Indiana’s smallest towns. The youngest of three children, her father is a retired farmer and her mother a retired music teacher. As a child, Monica would sing and dance on stage with her mother’s high school show choir, and at the age of 3, she stood on the grand piano at the school’s cabaret and performed Tomorrow from the musical, Annie. By the age of 11, she had become well known in Indiana after starring in several local and professional Broadway musical productions. As a teenager, she studied at the Los Angeles County High School of the Arts, and in 1995, Monica was selected to become a member of the GRAMMY National All American High School Jazz Band and Choir.

This break would become one of the most important opportunities in Monica's life. Being one of 12 selected nationally for the choir, While performing with some of the music industry's finest, she discovered the impact of jazz music in her own life and in our society. The responsibility all performers have to its preservation and authenticity left a profound and lasting impact on her.

Monica studied Music Performance at Indiana State University and was a member of the ISU Jazz Singers. She became a favorite singer among many faculty members and even the President of the university. This led to many performances at university functions and sporting events. She interned for the NARAS Foundation in Los Angeles, where the preservation of jazz music became a focal point of her responsibilities.

In 2000, she moved to Nashville to pursue her singing career, where she discovered the Nashville Jazz Workshop. NJW has given Monica the opportunity to study under some of Nashville finest musicians including Lori Mechem, Roger Spencer, Sandra Dudley, Beegie Adair, Jeff Steinberg, Rod McGaha, Jim Ferguson, Roy Agee, Annie Sellick as well as create a family away from home.

On her debut album, Make Someone Happy, Monica is joined by the Lori Mechem Trio and special guest, Beegie Adair. This special project hosts many standard tunes with horn arrangements by Denis Solee and two original tunes by Lori Mechem, Beegie Adair and Hal Stephens. Produced by Lori Mechem, Roger Spencer and Sandra Dudley, the album captures the finest example of Monica's musical capabilities at this point in her career. Make Someone Happy is receiving international airplay on jazz radio, Pandora, Music Choice and DMX to name a few.

Her second album, Monica Ramey and the Beegie Adair Trio, accentuates the undeniable chemistry of one of the world’s most successful jazz trios (Beegie Adair, piano; Roger Spencer, bass; Chris Brown, drums) with a vocalist (Ramey) who elegantly interweaves lush, lyrical sophistication to an already immaculate musical conversation. Produced by Adair and Spencer, the album also features on two of the trio and Ramey’s most endeared musical mates, jazz masters George Tidwell and Denis Sole, on several tracks. The result is the introduction and re-introduction of some of jazz’s most beloved and forgotten songs and the introduction of an original tune, co-written by Adair.

Her third album, Some Enchanted Evening, is her “dream project”; a piano/vocal duo album with Beegie Adair. The album, released in April 2016, features some of the greatest Broadway tunes ever written like “Someone To Watch Over Me”, “My Funny Valentine” and “Some Enchanted Evening”. This album was produced by Ms. Adair’s long-time producer, Jack Jezzro, and released by Green Hill Music and Burton Avenue Music. In 2019, the duo created a Christmas album, Some Enchanted Christmas, featuring holiday classics with Adair/Ramey's signature sound and includes an original tune, co-written by Adair, "(Wouldn't You Like) An Old Fashioned Christmas".

2020, Ramey was featured on the Clifton Davis project, CLIFTON DAVIS AND THE BEEGIE ADAIR TRIO: NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE, singing the Henry Mancini classic "Two For the Road" with Davis. The project featured the Beegie Adair Trio and Take 6. She is an executive producer on GROVER'S HAT PROJECT and TOO MARVELOUS FOR WORDS, both AMG music releases. During the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic, Ramey began producing a YouTube series called "HAPPY HOUR with BEEGIE", a bi-weekly broadcast featuring the jazz legend in virtual, casual conversations with musicians, friends, actors, writers and others. Some of the guests include Roy Blount Jr, the Beegie Adair Trio, Bill Crow, Billy Stritch, Dirk Blocker, Delbert McClinton, Clifton Davis, George Tidwell, Jeff Steinberg and Marvin Stamm.

In addition to recording and performing, Monica is co-producing and presenting VARIETY ON MAIN, a new monthly variety series at the Franklin Theatre in Franklin, TN with singer Mandy Barnett. She is also producing THE GREAT AMERICAN SONGOOK SERIES for the Franklin Theatre through her production company, Little Black Dress Productions LLC. Monica also manages Adair Music Group, LLC and the Bobbe L. Adair estate.

Monica performs regularly in various venues, festivals and private events throughout the U.S. including annual appearances at the legendary Birdland, Feinstein’s/54 Below, Nashville Jazz Workshop and many others. When not performing, Monica enjoys spending time with her friends, traveling and gardening. Monica supports various animal and human rights organizations.