Ashleigh Vocals Biography

Sultry, soulful, and sincere are what audiences have said of up and coming vocalist Ashleigh Smith. From the small town of LaGrange, this Georgia Peach is new to Texas soil; however, she is no stranger to the stage. On scholarship as a vocal jazz major at the University of North Texas,under the instruction of Rosana Eckert & Dr. Timothy Brent, music has always been Ashleigh's passion and first love. She has performed for thousands of people across the state of Georgia and has begun to do the same in Texas, singing at private parties and other venues around North Texas. She is making her mark on the DFW (Dallas Fort Worth) area performing with many of Dallas's top bands such as the TOP Band (lead female vocalist), Domino Effect, Downtown Fever, & The Knice 2 Know Band (K2K), & The Krewe of Swing.

She recently was awarded the prestigious Downbeat Student Award for Best Undergraduate Jazz Vocal Performance. Her vocal talent has also provided her the opportunity to travel and perform as a soloist and chorister in Washington D.C, Northern Ireland, Orlando, Florida, and New York City, and most recently she has shared the stage with the world renown vocal jazz group The Manhattan Transfer and the phenomenal Jon Hendricks during the Kennedy Center's "Swing, Swing, Swing" concert series. Some of her greatest musical influences include: Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Kurt Elling, Betty Carter, Anita O'day, Nancy Wilson, Carmen McCrae, Shirley Horn, Louis Armstrong, Dianne Schurr, Elaine Elias, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, Jane Monheit, Whitney Houston, Ledisi, India Arie, Amel Larrieux, Anthony Hamilton, Kim Burrell, Yolanda Adams, Michael Jackson, Chaka Khan, Roberta Flack, Lalah Hathaway, and many more.

Ashleigh's style is able to fit almost any genre with ease and finesse and while she takes perfecting her craft seriously she fills every performance with the same fun she fills her life with. With the ability, style and grace to move from jazz, r&b, neo-soul, and funk, Ashleigh's, charisma, sincerity, & energy make her a starlet worth watching.

Ashleigh