# Kitt Wakeley

Kitt Wakeley is an American Grammy Award-winning composer, songwriter, musician, and music producer. His album Symphony of Sinners & Saints (featuring Joe Satriani) peaked at #1 on Billboard's Classical Crossover and Classical charts, and at #18 on Hot Hard Rock Songs. Singles "Conflicted", "Forgive Me", and "Sinners and Saints" all peaked at #1 on Billboard's Hard Rock Digital Song Sales as well as charting on the Top-10 Hot Hard Rock Songs chart. He has released four studio albums that feature Nuno Bettencourt, Nita Strauss, Kenny Aronoff, Andy Timmons, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and London Voices.
In 2023, Wakeley's An Adoption Story won a Grammy Award for Best Classical Compendium.
In 2024, Wakeley produced, Impossible Dream for Aaron Lazar which includes duets with artists such as Josh Groban, Neil Patrick Harris, Leslie Odom Jr, and Loren Allred as well as Sting performing on the title track. The album charted at #2 on Billboard's Classical Crossover Album chart and was nominated for a Grammy Award in November, 2024. Wakeley was also nominated for a Grammy Award for "Mythologies II" for "Best Classical Compendium" in 2024.

## Early life and education

Wakeley was born in Memphis, Tennessee and grew up in Holdenville, Oklahoma. He played trumpet in his elementary school band and later began playing the drums, piano, and guitar. During high school Wakeley played in several bands and received scholarship offers from state level music programs but chose to pursue a bachelor's degree in Pre-Law and Sociology and a Masters in Public Administration from East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, where he was in the Gamma Xi Chapter of Phi Kappa Tau in 1987.

## Music career

Wakeley is a composer, songwriter, musician, and music producer whose genres have been classified as rock, hard rock, EDM, and orchestral. His professional career began at age 16 when he was hired to write the intro for one of Oklahoma's top radio DJ's shows. He wrote, produced, and recorded songs for the rock band Mydion. They released one album, Ashes and the Angel.
His first rock and EDM solo album, Cinematic Chaos, was released in 2013 under his pseudonym, AudioKaoz.
His third orchestral rock collection, Midnight in Macedonia (recorded in Skopje, Macedonia), featuring the Macedonian Choir and Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra, was released in 2015.
Wakeley released his fourth solo studio album, Symphony of Sinners and Saints, rwhich was recorded at the Abbey Road Studios in London with the Royal Philharmonic and London Voices. The album tour included shows at Carnegie Hall, the Civic Center Music Hall in Oklahoma, and South by Southwest.
The first three singles from Symphony of Sinners & Saints hit number #1 on Billboard's Rock Charts, with the album itself hitting #1 on Billboard's Crossover Classical and Classical charts.
Throughout his career, Wakeley has received numerous awards for his music. At the 2019 Indie Music Awards he won awards in eight categories, including, Best New Male Artist of the Year, Best Special Live Performance, Best Instrumental Producer, Artist of The Year, and Best Instrumental Songwriter. He won, Song of the Year at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards and two Josie Music Awards in 2020 for, Songwriter of the Year and Producer of the Year. In 2021 he was inducted into the Indie Music Hall of Fame, along with winning Album of the Year for Symphony of Sinners and Saints.
In 2023, Wakeley's album, An Adoption Story, won a Grammy Award for Best Classical Compendium. The album was recorded at Abbey Road Studios and features Joe Satriani, the London Symphony Orchestra, and Wouter Kellerman.
In 2024, Wakeley produced, Impossible Dream, for Aaron Lazar and was included in Spin magazine's "10 Rising Artists to Watch". In 2025, he was honored by the ALS Network with an Essey Spotlight Award for his production work on Impossible Dream.

## Solo discography

* Mydion – Ashes and the Angel
* AudioKaoz – Cinematic Chaos
* Midnight in Macedonia
* Symphony of Sinners and Saints
* Adoption Story

## Discography

| Year | Album | Artist | Credit |
| 2022 | Gimme Love (Dance Remix) | Matt B | Producer, arranger, composer |
| 2022 | Never Get Away | Justine Blazer | Artist |
| 2023 | A New Chapter | Vahagn Stepanyan | Producer |
| 2023 | Alkebulan | Matt B | Producer |
| 2023 | Lolo, Montana | Chuck Leah | Producer |
| 2024 | Alkebulan II | Matt B | Producer, arranger, composer |
| 2024 | Impossible Dream | Aaron Lazar | Producer, arranger |
| 2024 | Echoes of Grace: Choral Music of Patti Drennan | Sterling Ensemble Los Angeles | Producer |
| 2024 | Abstractions | Noshir Mody | Producer |
| 2024 | Mythologies II | Danaë Xanthe Vlasse | Producer |

## Billboard charts

| Year | Work | Category |
| Year | Work | Category | Billboard US |
| 2021 | Symphony of Sinners & Saints (album) | Classical Crossover | 1 |
| 2021 | Symphony of Sinners & Saints (album) | Classical | 1 |
| 2021 | Symphony of Sinners & Saints (album) | Hard Rock Albums | 12 |
| 2021 | Kitt Wakeley | 2021 Year-End Classical Crossover Albums Artists | 10 |
| 2021 | "Conflicted" (featuring Joe Satriani (single) | Hard Rock Digital Sales | 1 |
| 2021 | "Conflicted" (featuring Joe Satriani (single) | Hot Hard Rock Songs | 18 |
| 2021 | "Forgive Me" (featuring Joe Satriani) (single) | Hard Rock Digital Sales | 1 |
| 2021 | "Sinners and Saints" (single) | Hard Rock Digital Sales | 1 |
| 2022 | An Adoption Story (EP) | Classical Crossover | 1 |

## Awards

| Year | Nominated work | Category | Award | Result |
| 2025 | Impossible Dream | Production | ALS Essey Spotlight Award | Won |
| 2024 | Mythologies II | Best Classical Compendium | Grammy Award | Nominated |
| 2024 | Various Works | Best Production/Producer | Josie Music Awards | Won |
| 2024 | Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot | Best Production/Producer | Hollywood Independent Music Awards | Nominated |
| 2024 | Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot | Best Music Production/Producer | Josie Music Award | Nominated |
| 2023 | An Adoption Story | Best Classical Compendium | Grammy Award | Won |
| 2023 | Best in Music Genre | Contemporary Classical | Hollywood Independent Music Award | Nominated |
| 2023 | An Adoption Story | EP of the Year (Male) | Josie Music Award | Won |
| 2023 | The Storm | Best Instrumental Song | Intercontinental Music Award | Won |
| 2023 | Stairway to Heaven | Best Rock Song | Intercontinental Music Award | Won |
| 2022 | Live and Recorded Sound | Outstanding Musical Ensemble | Josie Music Award | Won |
| 2021 | You Gave Me Wings | Best Instrumental Song | Hollywood Music in Media Award | Won |
| 2021 | Symphony of Sinners & Saints | Album of the Year | Josie Music Award | Won |
| 2021 | | Indie Music Hall of Fame inductee | Indie Music Hall of Fame | Won |
| 2021 | Forgive Me | Instrumental Song of the Year | Hollywood Music in Media Award | Won |
| 2021 | | Outstanding Stage Production | Josie Music Award | Won |
| 2020 | | Musician of the Year | Josie Music Award | Won |
| 2020 | You Gave Me Wings | Best Instrumental | Hollywood Music in Media Award | Won |
| 2019 | End of my Journey | Best Gospel Song | Hollywood Music in Media Award | Won |
| 2019 | Midnight in Macedonia | Album of the Year | ISSA (Independent Singer-Songwriter Awards) | Won |
| 2019 | Closure | Best Instrumental Producer | Indie Music Channel Awards | Won |
| 2018 | Closure | Best Instrumental Producer | Indie Music Channel Awards | Won |
| 2019 | An Evening in Gotham | Best Instrumental Songwriter | Indie Music Channel Awards | Won |
| 2019 | Closure | Best Male Instrumental Artist | Indie Music Channel Awards | Won |

## Personal life

Wakeley is married to Melissa Wakeley. They share four biological children together, and three adoptive children.