Amy Duckett Wagner - Amy Dee

Amy Duckett Wagner (her friends call her Amy Dee), was raised in a musical family with a Volkswagen pop-top camper and wanderlust,… and is always singing.  Her original Americana tunes travel down a crooked road to something new.  This full-time performing musician with an old guitar and scores of uplifting songs inspired by life’s adventures delivers on her mission “to help people improve lives through music.” 

Amy Duckett Wagner keeps busy with her genre-jumping collaborations, and has performed in lineups including David Crosby, Margot Price, Joan Osborne, Preservation Hall Jazz Band.  She showcased her original tunes during South by Southwest Music Festival (SXSW) in Austin, in Nashville, at Kerrville's New Folk Week (TX) at Folk Alliance Southeast (TN), Folk Alliance Northeast (NJ), and regional venues like the esteemed Philadelphia Folk Festival, John & Peter's, Godfrey Daniels, World Cafe Live, Brooklyn Hoot.

For her album "Southern Routes" (2017 ) Amy chose to record her roadhouse tunes in Louisiana's Cajun Country with members of The Revelers, a supergroup made up of members of The Red Stick Ramblers and The Pine Leaf Boys.  And, this dance band delivers… superb musicians with Grammy nominations who perform as the house band in HBO's "Treme” series.  

For "Come With Me,” (2018), her second all-original album, Amy teamed up with fine Bluegrass musicians including multi-instrumentalist Grammy nominees Jimmy Heffernan (producer) and Gary Oleyar.  Based in Nashville, Jimmy Heffernan toured in Joe Diffie’s band for a decade, then with Brad Paisley, Lucinda Williams.  Gary Oleyar toured with Bob Seger and Loggins & Messina for years.

"Ask New Orleans" (2022), Amy’s latest NOLA-inspired jazzy originals were laid down in The French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana by master of keys and multi-instrumentalist Bill Malchow (Dr. John collaborator), the transcendental horn player Aurora Nealand (Bill Frisell collaborator) and fortified by Ted Long on bass.  The closing track of Amy's New Orleans recordings with this hot-hot-hot French Quarter jazz trio says it all, "We're gonna have a Big Time tonight." 

The genesis of her music career is an “Aha” moment Amy calls her “Great Left Turn.”  After graduating with a Marketing degree from Penn State, she practiced strategic planning at the world’s largest advertising agency – Ogilvy & Mather New York and managed marketing for software companies.  Parenthood and soul-searching led to a revelation - apply these business planning skills to creative passions and spirituality.  Then, Amy completed a Music Degree and is a published author with Arcadia Press, 100’s of songs and 3 music CDs, who creates from Harmony Hill, her home between Philadelphia and New York.

Her Pennsylvania roots are both Town & Country… Old Country music from her Dad’s side - including a touring Bluegrass band and a traveling minister.  From her Mom’s side, she discovered the love of dance and Big Band and Jazz records.  When performing, she complements her originals tunes with jazz standards, the great American songbook, folk, blues and classic country.

This friendly songstress shares her bright light and authentic songs in diverse venues, performing in 13 states and overseas at festivals, community events, retirement communities and places of worship.  Amy Dee is active on social media and a networker through many organizations from the regional Philadelphia Folksong Society’s invitation-only Musician’s Coop to the International Folk Alliance. 

Additional Information…

In a different lane from her up-tempo albums “Southern Routes,” “Come with Me,” and “Ask New Orleans,” this genre-jumping songsmith’s fourth album of original tunes is in process and contains upbeat, topical and a few songs with a spiritual bent.  Amy is an active member of the Philadelphia music community who has strategized and networked herself into a full-time music career with a client list of 177 venues and supports not-for-profits including the Homeless Shelter, ALDEA Children’s Legal Services, Give-A-Christmas (a holiday compilation album she co-produced with L.V. Eaton "Christmastime Has Come to Town" featured her title track and raised $1,837 for charity).  You could ask her about her Bob Dylan experience when she worked in show management, about John Prine’s birthday night in 1983, or when Dr. Ralph Stanley stole that dollar from her son Jackson, but she only tells her best stories at paid gigs.

You travel down a crooked road to a good music spot or festival and you hear this singer/songwriter with an old guitar, engaging Americana tunes and stories to tell.  Her friends call her Amy Dee and her music takes you places, painting colorful pictures.  Her songs share a quest for interesting places, people and a musical life.  With songs as varied as the people you meet, she jumps genres:  from folk to swing, blues to gospel, bluegrass to old country.  
Ever the collaborator, Amy Duckett Wagner has launched three original music CD projects:  The Travel-inspired “Southern Routes,” recorded in Louisiana with members of The Revelers (Red Stick Ramblers), The Bluegrassy “Come With Me” made in Pennsylvania/New Jersey (with a tribute to Dr. Ralph), And the jazzy “Big Time,” laid down in New Orleans with the piano and horns of a hot French Quarter Jazz Trio.  Sojourns to Texas' Kerrville Folk Festival’s Songwriters School, Ashokan Fiddle & Dance Camps, bluegrass camps and Louisiana’s Black Pot Camp have influenced Amy’s musicianship.
 
Amy shares, "My songs visit many genres (Americana, swing, jazz, standards, blues, old country, folk, bluegrass),... weaving emotions, travel and musical experiences. I like to think they paint a picture of the way living a musical life can touch people and continually feed our inspiration.
"Back to the song,... back where you belong." (from Back to the Music)
A family of music-lovers and the power of song influenced me. Growing up, our parents were teachers with wanderlust, summers free, a Volkswagen bus and an insatiable appetite for live music, We were always on the go.
“Just like a skippin’ stone, just like a fallin’ star, it doesn’t matter where you are. As long as you’re movin’…” (from Skippin’ Stones)
As a songwriter, vocalist and guitar player, I revel in the way live music builds friendships and community. I am grateful to Ashokan Western & Swing week for the inspirations gained there. And, befriending The Revelers (when they were still the Red Stick Ramblers).  Southern music and culture have drawn me in since those cross-country family drives listening to Old Country on the radio. I’ve found much inspiration in the music and dance culture of Louisiana and Texas, where every gathering has live homegrown music, and all ages are dancing together!
I write songs in many genres, but lately I'm really enjoying writing swing tunes and learning jazz and classical vocal pieces. The songs I'm recording now are bluegrass influenced.
“Let’s dance to swingin’ music.  Let’s laugh a lot and sing. A few good friends, a few good songs, and we have everything…” (from Crooked Road Blues)
My favorite song could be the one I’m writing now, a jazz standard or a ditty from the 30’s dad taught me on those long cross-country drives!"
"So trust your life to your ear. Don’t wait for no one, you’ll have to go on, because this moment is the place where it happens…” (from Monk's Straight No Chaser)

"Connecting with people is most important to me.  Music touched me at an early age and in my work I strive to improve the quality of Life through Music.  This sounds kinda formal... When you meet me, ask me about that time when I almost kicked Bob Dylan out of his own concert or the night when Dr. Ralph Stanley fell for the dollar trick (I'm recording a song about it). I have scores of stories and songs to share.  See the video link tab for some snippets...
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I play solo alot, and for some events as a duo, or 4 pc band.  I have 2 newer CDs of all-original Amy Dee tunes. My CD "Southern Routes," recorded with members of The Revelers and Red Stick Ramblers includes a taste of swing, blues, country and rockabilly.  I'm working on another CD of my bluegrass tunes recorded at Colt's Neck Studios and produced by Jimmy Heffernan with help from Dave Ziler.  Then there's a third project produced by Bill Malchow, with help from Aurora Nealand and Ted Long, a French Quarter Jazz Trio in New Orleans. 
 
As a performer, musician, vocalist, songwriter with a music degree, I have many opportunities to share music at community events, from solo singer/songwriter work to americana and jazz ensembles, and church services. For my retirement community audiences, I play a variety of genres and many standards. In the folk circles, I am an active member of  the International Folk Alliance, The Northeast Folk Alliance, the Philadelphia Folksong Society, WXPN, and the Philadelphia Folksong Society's Awesome Music Co-op.
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My original songs paint a picture of the way living a musical life can touch people and continually feed our inspiration. I write alot and realized I wrote 12 Love Songs in 2017.  When I finished the song "A Dozen Love Songs," it became a Baker's Dozen which I hope will be a title track of a future album.
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For booking, Contact Amy Duckett Wagner
Email: amyduckettwagner@gmail.com.
 
My travels in Louisiana, Texas and the southern U.S. have influenced the current CD projects.  I returned from Louisiana where I recorded my original songs with a New Orleans French Quarter Jazz Trio after a week working at Blackpot Music Camp & Festival in Cajun Country. 
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 See you at an event soon!"