The Missing Chapter: Katie Ainge
In my effort to recapture the missing chapter of my life that I first wrote about here, I’d like to use my considerable clout to introduce all five, wait, now six! no, nevermind, still five of my readers to some amazingly talented, yet remarkably good-hearted artists you’ll want to keep an eye on, because I suspect they’re going places.
When Katie Ainge walked into the broadcasting facility, I think it would be safe to say that she was easily the most tatooed and pierced person on BYU’s campus at the time (although that’s probably not the most difficult title to claim on any given day).
Such a distinction in such a place might make a person feel defensive or reticent. Not Katie. She instantly lit up the broadcasting facility and seemed to radiate love to everyone who’d have it, and even those that wouldn’t.
But you could sense that the happy exterior was a choice, and that there was a heaviness of life experiences that had taken their toll, but had been unable to defeat Katie.
Katie’s dad, Ken, was frequently by her side throughout the three-day shoot. We learned that Ken was battling thyroid cancer. It was clear that Katie loved her dad very much and wanted to spend as much time as possible with him. As a father of three daughters myself, I couldn’t help but love how much Katie loved her dad.
Her audition song, called The Hardest of Fights, was about the loss of a loved one. I remember clearly that when she sang it in front of the studio audience on the final day, there was a moment when it seemed like she wouldn’t be able to get through it. But when she soldiered on, it made it all the more poignant and reduced the rest of us to blubbery messes.
She works a lot with her church’s child ministry with worship music. She’s in the recording studio now working on her new album. And she gigs all the time. In fact, I would dare say she is the hardest working woman in the local music scene. You can catch up with here here.
Here’s Katie on a happier note, with a song called Something Good. Aptly named. Enjoy, tell a friend, and keep an eye on Katie Ainge.
LOVED it! That is my favorite, favorite kind of guitar playing.
Ruth