Performing at Chicago Singer Spotlight on Wednesday, April 14 at FitzGerald's.

Anna McClafferty
Anna McClafferty is thrilled tonight to be back performing at Chicago Singer Spotlight and truly honed to be sharing the stage with such extraordinary musicians -thank-you Becca & Amy! An London, England native, has been residing in the Chicago area for the past 10 years. Having grown up listening to such diverse music from Streisand, Fitzgerald, Ellington's Satin Doll, Annie Lennox and Diana Krull. Anna encompasses all of these styles into her very own. A graduate of the Italia Conti School for the Performing Arts, her career began singing and dancing in musical theatre. For the past five years Anna feels lucky to work as a featured vocalist for some of Chicago best event orchestras and bands. Many thanks to my family and friends for your support. Special thanks to Manus for always being in my corner! and last but certainly not least Michael YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE!

Chris Long
Most teenagers grow up listening to the songs of the day -- not Chris Long. Chris grew up listening to the blues; his older brother, Erik, made sure of it by spinning records of Muddy Waters & Howlin’ Wolf. At the age of 12 Chris Long bought his first guitar. After a few years of lessons, his fingers were drawn to the sounds of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. At 14 Long started his own blues-rock band called “Cornerstone” in Madison, WI. By the time Chris was 17 Cornerstone venues were sold out and Long was known all over Madison as the local guitar wizard. Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame drummer Clyde Stubblefield was inspired by Chris Long’s amazing guitar ability and offered Cornerstone his assistance with the production of the band’s first studio release. The mid-nineties brought along Chris’ first original rock band, “Jamora Bell”, a heavier and more complex version of Cornerstone that was the training ground for Chris’ original writing. After playing with Jamora Bell Chris moved to Minneapolis, MN where he focused on writing songs and developing his voice through lessons and session work. Chris who now resides in Naperville, IL has recently recorded at The Chicago Recording Company and Paragon Studios with the help of Matt Walker (formerly of Filter, Smashing Pumpkins) and Sol Snyder (formerly of Cupcakes). Chris Long is a guitarist/singer/songwriter that has done session work for Clyde Stubblefield, improv jams with Matt Sorum, and has written music that can help fill the void on the radio dial today. To hear his record is inspiring, to see him live is awesome.

Tony Gordon
Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, music has been a part of Tony's life from the very beginning. His father, a minister, and his mother, a Christian educator, gave him the gospel influences that planted the seeds for his love of singing. By the time he was 10 or 11, he had been inspired by artists such as Vanessa Bell Armstrong, The Hawkins Singers, and Andrae Crouch. Tony has been pursing singing as a career seriously since May of 2002. Participation in numerous showcases such as The Vocal Venue, as well as the "Are You Man Enough" segment of Chick Singer Night, he knows that singing is what he was born to do. Although sidetracked by obstacles that life throws in front of him, he refuses to give up on his dream. Whether popping into a local karaoke bar, auditioning for radio and television roles, or singing the National Anthem in front of a packed house, Tony states, "I just can see myself singing." A new CD project is currently in the works, set for a fall release, and in April of 2004 he started his own business, Singsations Singing Telegrams. Tony also hosts his own karaoke show twice a week at Brunswick Zone in Naperville, IL. Inspired by artists such as Will Downing, Donnie McClurkin, and Daryl Coley, Tony brings a melodious, soulful sound to the stage. Covering several genres and styles ranging from Frank Sinatra to George Benson, he remains versatile as well as entertaining.

Tammy Boyd
Tammy had an interest in singing from a very early age. In high school, she participated in school musicals landing the lead role in "Bye, Bye Birdie" her senior year. She also was an active member in her church youth choir, which toured around the state singing at different churches. Tammy briefly minored in music at Taylor University where she was also a member of the Gospel Choir. Tammy currently sings in the diverse Christian women's singing group UNITY who has toured different churches, sings for weddings, funerals and wrote and produced their first CD in 2002. She is honored to be performing tonight in her first major solo performance with a band. She feels this will give her great experience and confidence whatever her future singing career holds. Tammy lives in Oswego, IL with her husband Brandon and 2 year old son, Alec.