caption years_active background instrument genre image article_title name occupation
kim massie 1999-present solo_singer vocals soul , gospel , funk , jazz , blues , r & b kim_massie , _ november_5 , _ 2010_in_san_francisco . jpg kim massie
 kim massie singer
kim massie

kim massie is an african-american blues and soul singer who performs mostly in her native st. louis , missouri .
though her earliest musical experiences were schooled in the gospel choirs of east st. louis , illinois , she has had no formal training as a vocalist .
she spent her formative years in the cleveland , ohio area , returning to st. louis in 1999 to pursue her dreams of performing as a vocalist .
she was discovered when she sat in with the great st. louis saxophonist oliver sain -lrb- 1932 -- 2003 -rrb- , and soon afterward formed her own band , the solid senders .
she makes frequent appearances at blues dance events and festivals coast to coast , including blues rising -lrb- san francisco , 2007 -rrb- , the emerald city blues festival -lrb- seattle , 2009 and 2010 -rrb- .
massie has won two `` best female vocalist of the year '' awards from the riverfront times and starred in the 2003 production of `` it ai n't nothin ' but the blues '' by the st. louis black repertory theatre .
in 2005 , she won a grand center visionary award .
