"The best of Detroit Country Music shines through in this relevant and very poignant song from a present day soldier’s mother's point of view. 'He's Still My Boy' is a well-written piece of American pie that really hits home. Our heroes give of themselves every day and their families pay just as big of a price and that is what this song is all about. Julianne can sing and she can ever more write a good song. When I read about this on Twitter I downloaded it right away. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!" - Joe Bonsall / Oak Ridge Boys
"Julianne Ankley exemplifies dedication to her art and is focused on her craft. She is very talented...a true artist and songwriter." - Cowboy Troy / Warner Nashville
(about "Christmas In Your Heart") "Amazing song…perfectly done. Brings back the feeling when I was a kid coming back from my Aunt and Uncles house with my parents. Instantly puts you back in time when Family, Friends, and Love is all that mattered at Christmas instead of buying the next new thing that won't be played with by February. Congrats Ms. Ankley…Job well done. - Deb Roysdon / Hoosier Music News
(about "Vivid") "Julianne put together the perfect combination when making this cd .. Heartfelt lyrics, soulful singing and a groove you can get lost in for days!! Vivid is like an emotional kaleidoscope twisting and turning through heartbreak, inspiration, anger and just plain fun! Go on and color your world Vivid!" - Dee Carpenter
"Julianne is what music is all about ... unique, talented, capable of singing with emotion, and delivers a powerful, original message." - Tim Roberts, Program Director, WYCD-FM Detroit
"Julianne's songs are so honest and heartfelt, they hit the listener like a sucker-punch directly to the soul. She pleads her case in a strong and vibrant voice, wringing every nuance from her lyrics. A stand-up gal and an emotionally committed writer/performer indeed!" - Nolan Mendenhall, Producer
NAMED 2013 INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARD NOMINEE for BEST COUNTRY ALBUM "VIVID" ! (IMAs)
NOMINATED FOR SIX 2012 DETROIT MUSIC AWARDS!
Outstanding Country Recording
Outstanding Country Songwriter
Outstanding Country Vocalist
Outstanding Country Artist/Group - Julianne & The Rogues
Outstanding Acoustic/Folk Vocalist
"VIVID" - 2012 DETROIT MUSIC AWARD WINNER FOR OUTSTANDING COUNTRY RECORDING! (DMAs)
NOMINATED FOR SIX 2012 DETROIT MUSIC AWARDS!
Outstanding Country Recording
Outstanding Country Songwriter
Outstanding Country Vocalist
Outstanding Country Artist/Group - Julianne & The Rogues
Outstanding Acoustic/Folk Recording - "Vivid"
Outstanding Folk Artist/Group - Julianne & The Rogues
NOMINATED FOR TWO 2011 DETROIT MUSIC AWARDS:
Outstanding Country Songwriter
Outstanding Country Vocalist
NOMINATED FOR THREE 2010 DETROIT MUSIC AWARDS :
Outstanding Video / Independent Budget - "No Place For A Lullabye"
Outstanding Country Recording - "It Ain't Over"
Outstanding Country Vocalist
With a sultry voice that captivates from the first note, Julianne is a dynamic singer-songwriter paving her own musical road with her first solo CD, “It Ain’t Over” (2010 Detroit Music Award nominee for Outstanding Country Recording). Julianne’s vocals and songwriting equally shine on the CD, which has lead to her first music video for the song “No Place For A Lullabye”, directed by Stephen Clark from WXYZ-TV in Detroit. The video and song were used by HomeAid of America (22 chapters nationwide) in PSAs for their 2010 & 2011 campaigns to build temporary housing for the homeless. June 2011 brought the release of Julianne’s much anticipated second CD, “Vivid”.
Julianne burst onto CMA Fest 2011 in Nashville, hosting and performing on two stages. 2010 was a banner year, as she garnered a top three country finalist spot in the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest with a performance at MerleFest, was named a CBS Detroit "Best Of" country artist, and snagged the coveted slot representing the Country genre in performance at the 2010 Detroit Music Awards. Nominated five times as Outstanding Country Vocalist for the DMAs, Julianne’s songwriting has been recognized with a 2011 and 2009 DMA nomination for Outstanding Country Songwriter and by taking honors in the 2008 and 2009 Great Lakes Songwriting Contest (2009 1st Place - "No Place For A Lullabye"). As well, Cowboy Troy will be including a song co-written with Julianne in his 2011 tour with Big and Rich.
Following up on five years as lead singer of the Detroit country group REDHILL, a captivating solo performer and audience favorite, Julianne has performed with the sax accompaniment of Grammy winner Alto Reed (of the Bob Seger band) and was featured in several Alto Reed's All-Star Concerts with Jeff Daniels, Mark Farner and Mitch Ryder. She has appeared live on television & radio shows, and opened for John Michael Montgomery at Detroit's DTE Music Theatre, Victoria Banks at the famous Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, as well as Whitney Duncan, Phil Vassar, the McClymonts, Steve Azar, Zac Brown Band, Darryl Worley, David Nail, Julianne Hough and over 60 other country artists in here career.
Growing up on a large cattle farm and riding her horses in the rural thumb area of Michigan, Julianne was raised on country music. She would often ride in the tractors along side her father when he worked the huge fields...and the radio was always on. "There was always music in our lives. Dad would come home after a long day and one of the first things he did was spend 10 minutes taking the day’s frustrations out at the piano. I loved those moments listening to him play." Around age three, Julianne decided to teach herself how to play the piano, and anyone that knew her growing up would often hear her singing wherever she went.
Julianne has been a single mom raising three children on her own for the last 7 years in one of the worst economies in modern times. It was during this time that she turned to her songwriting and dug in. "Giving up was not an option. Sleep wasn't an option either, though" She laughs. "I felt a need to get my songs out there, because there are now more homes in the U.S. that are run by single moms than ever. Women just like me who don't know how they are going to make it til the end of the month, taking it day by day and doing their best for the ones they love. I felt that if I could convey my feelings in a song regardless of the subject, it might help other women out there feel like they're not alone. We're still kicking and hanging in there."
She's a true American farmer’s daughter, granddaughter, and great granddaughter who loves to perform, sing, and write songs. With names like Tubbs, Babcock, and Tremble in the family, country music is in her blood! "I don't know how closely, or if we are actually related to the famous Tennessee Tubb family, but my father and his whole family are musically inclined and often had Sunday musical "sit ins" with the whole family back in the 40's and even earlier. They'd leave the Sunday dinner table and pick up banjos, fiddles, guitars, and sit around the piano and jam. My dad still has my grandma's fiddle and mandolin in the living room. Maybe I'll learn to play them one day too. Why not?"
Julianne is proud to be endorsed by Luna Guitars for over three years now, and she was a featured artist on a 2008 retail store poster distributed by the company to dealers world-wide. Julianne has also performed the national anthem for numerous sporting teams, including the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers, the Toledo Mud Hens, and belted out nine seasons (2002-2010) as the anthem "Voice of the Icehawks" for the Port Huron IHL hockey team.
