Katie Whittaker

Katie has always loved singing, singing along with her mums albums and literally wanting to be baby spice in the spice girls from 6 years old she began singing in public at the ripe old age of 10, 

"My school from age 9 through to high school was small and rural. I had 4 people in my year, around 14 in my classroom and 30 - 35 in the whole school. It gave us all a great opportunity to learn one on one but also as a whole team from bottom to top. Our head teacher Mrs Grant was amazing, a really creative, patient, talented and loving woman. She loved music and dancing and singing and taught us all to love it too. Every single student had a part to do, say or sing in all the school shows. a lot of which Mrs Grant wrote, choreographed and directed herself :) our prize givings were full of jokes and showcases of each individual's talents and achievements. I'm not sure if I'd have gone to any other school my talent for singing would have been discovered and nurtured. Rogart was also a great place to grow up just fields and hills for miles, barns full of hay bales, rusty gates to swing on, lambs, cows, dear, horses proper country side living, we had miles and miles to explore." 

Katie took part in her first competition at 10 years old Singing Gaelic at her regional mod, she also took part in summer music festival/workshop feis chataibh, where she learned Caledonia, acapella, one of her most requested songs to date which also landed her her first paid gig later at 19. 

By the time Katie was 11 - 12 it was Shakira and Christina Aguilera she was singing along to. "High School was more difficult but I survived, I was really not cool, I had am awful nickname from day one! I studied violin, recorder and piano through all four years. I didn't stay on but whilst I was there it wasn't easy to shine but I tried, I took part in all the Christmas Shows, mostly choir stuff but I usually had at least one minor solo and occasionally whole solo songs, as I didn't stay on to 5th and 6th year I missed out on all the main parts cos I was a bit small, I was absolutely delighted when I got the part of 'young Belle' in Scrooge one year, a whole beautiful song, I was terrified about the paragraph of acting but i was in my element singing to the crowd of mums and dads and locals. I remember I missed the second day of that show cos I had to go to Nottingham for a call back audition..  That was a fun road trip with my dad :) mum and dad sent in a tape of me singing Shakira's whole album to stars in their eyes kids hahaha, thats how I ended up with my first backing track 'Objection Tango', I didn't get in the show but I had a great time at the audition, I had no fear at all back then, I just loved singing in front of people. I wouldn't really say I was a soundalike, I sing the song great and I put in an awesome show haha but I don't sound exactly like Shakira.' 

Throughout high school Katie took on any opportunity to sing, auditions, battle of the bands, karaoke competitions, anything at school

"I remember once a boy kicked a ball in my face I went inside to get an ice pack and one of the teachers gave them so much trouble because it was my face. She said they could've ruined my whole career.. Hahaha I took it as a compliment that she believed I could really be a star one day."

At 15, after being unable to perform in the school talent show for save the children, Katie decided to put on her very own solo concert for DebRA, a charity that she had learned about in RMPS class. She hired the school hall, organised tickets, promotion, security, half time refreshments, support acts, charity inclusion and performed a night of pop old and new with her backing tracks with her dad there on the sound. The night was a great success and raised over £350 for charity. From here she began to sing at local music festivals and played her first bikers rally at 17. 

"Bikers rallies are brilliant! My first one I played off the back of a Lorry in Cromarty to a field full of tents haha, you wouldn't think that a 17 year old lassie singing Pink and Natalie Imbruglia would really be there thing but they really appreciate a good voice irrespective of genre." 

By 18 Katie had her first daughter Amy-Lee and decided to go back to education and study music performance. 

"Amy-Lee was 4 months old when I heard that this years music course at Alness college had no girls haha, I called up Peter who ran the course, who I knew from starting the course a year earlier and asked if he had room for a last minute female addition to the course, I started the following Monday. Their 2 year HNC course is brilliant, I learned so much about recording, performing, writing, theory, warming up, scales it was a great group and probably still is every year, more like a music camp than a college haha."

At 18 Katie began to learn acoustic guitar.

"I began listening to Taylor Swift, I had her first two albums and she inspired me to learn guitar, I loved all her songs, I started with two of hers, I'm sure there is still an awful video on YouTube of me playing a Taylor Swift song, my strumming is all down strokes hahaha it took me a while to nail strumming. I also wrote a few songs myself whilst I was in Alness, we had a monthly songwriting competition and two of my songs entered and won :) they recorded one of them for me and played it on our local Moray Firth Radio!" 

After completing her HNC Katie her now husband Barry and Amy-Lee moved to Perth for Katie to study to Degree level. On her first night in Perth Katie and her sister-in-Law headed into town looking for somewhere to sing. 

"I was convinced that there had to be somewhere in a big town that I could sing on a Wednesday night.. Even just karaoke, we went into every bar we passed and asked and someone, who I now know as John Ramsay old me that there was an open mic on in Greyfriars and took me along the road. That's when I met Gav and introduced myself to the Perth music scene"

Within months Katie was settled in Perth taking part in all the open mics in town and entering karaoke competitions too. By February 2011 Katie was a fully fledged member of Red Pine Timber Company a then 6 now 8 piece Americana band with songwriter and frontman Gavin Munro, Katie is Red Pines only female member and provides the beautiful harmonies that any country band needs as well as some soulful solos covering Etta James and Janis Joplin and some originals penned by Munro. 

Since joining the band Katie focused mainly upon being available for them and learning her craft on the road, the band recorded and launched their debut album 'Different Lonesome' in 2014 to critical acclaim and have managed to gain a good solid, loyal fan base across Scotland and beyond. 

After the bands first manager moved on, Katie took up the reigns in November 2014 starting by transforming the bands social media presence, within a couple of months Katie had brought the page to life and organic reach remains to this day well above average. She also built the band a brand new up to date, easy to work website, as well as keeping on top of emails and bookings. Katie worked closely with Gavin and all her band mates to progress the band and make the most of opportunities. 

"My respect for the talent in the band and the amazing songs meant there was no one better equipped to sell the band. I know what they are truly worth and where we want to be, I am also quite good at negotiating and sales haha." 

With online presence and incoming enquires kept well in control Katie attempted to branch out and with the help of Andy Shearer of Perth concert hall and Southern Fried festival boosting the bands credentials with two successful headline slots at Perth Concert Hall in 2015, she set out aiming for theatres and festivals, managing to secure two slots at the Byre theatre in St Andrews, one in Pitlochry festival theatre and two massive slots at C2C 2016 at the O2 in London. 

After years of describing the band as Celtic-Country-RocknRoll-Jazz-Blues-Soul whilst trying to steer clear of 'alternative country' the term 'Americana' became a thing and RPTC found a home in the Americana Music Association. Katie and band lead guitarist Michael attended the AMAUK conference and awards as delegates. 

"I had ordered some awesome USB flash drives that looked like wooden business cards with our logo, website, phone number and Facebook on them. Everyone thought they were cool, I'm not sure how many got looked at haha but they were 8gb drives so hopefully they will keep them forever." 

In December 2015 Katie wrote a song, her first since leaving Alness college in 2010, her worry and concern over the thousands of helpless people seeking refuge and  her need to lead by example led to the wonderful, warm, welcoming lyrics of 'Welcome to Life', after buying her ticket for The AMAUK conference Katie signed herself up to sing her song at their songwriters workshop. 

Katie stood up in a room full of fellow artists and music professionals and sang her accapella song to the panel of 4 hit makers and songwriters including Kimmy Rhodes and Boo Hewerdine.

"The room was silent, the place went electric, it was truly a magical moment, I had to sit down when I finished before I fell down, at this point the song was still so new and so personal and I had no idea if it was any good really. The feedback on the song was wonderful and I came away with a new title but no 'deal' or 'come and sing with/for me' or any phone calls afterwards, I asked someone, what should I do with the song, I have written it but I have no idea how to make it make a difference, I was simply told, make a video, put it on YouTube and tweet to everyone who has ever tweeted about refugees, this seemed like a good idea, but in practice it seems to be a lot more complicated than that! Luckily that evening at the awards ceremony I managed to have a really great chat with Billy Bragg and he gave me a wonderful pep talk and talked of us all doing 'Woody's Work', our conversation was almost through when I said; "I sang my song for Kimmy earlier" and pointed across the room to Kimmy Rhodes and he said "you've written a song, what's it about?" And I said, well, it's for refugees and I really have no idea what to do with it. He repeated me and stood up and said "Would you do me the honour of coming to play on my stage at Glastonbury festival in June, you'll need 4 or 5 topical songs just like that one!" Oh my god I nearly fainted, I couldn't believe it, I still can't to be honest and I've done it!" 

Katie headed back to Scotland with a smile on her face and a mission to write another 4 'topical' songs in 6 months. With the help of her husband Barry and professional musician friend Stuart Nisbett Katie had a set if 5 ready just in time for Big Bill's Radical Roundup on Sunday afternoon at Leftfield Stage! Her songs went down great and Katie hopes to return again in a couple of years after honing her writing skills and writing even more topical songs,

"Living in Scotland I had become more politicised during the referendum in 2014 but after meeting Billy and having to open my eyes to all that is going on in the world I have definitely become more determined to try and make a difference, I want my songs to mean something, I have a great voice, how many great country, soul, pop singers are out there right now trying to change people's perceptions of politics or engage people in what the country is really feeling? There is nothing really 'current' it's all mindless love and distractions, nothing about what it really means to be a young person at the moment, nothing to really engage young people in voting or changing things. I'm not a rebel or much of an activist but I am an idealist." 

Katie recorded and released her single 'Welcome to Life' on 20th of June 'World Refugee Day' as part of Refugee Festival Scotland and Refugee Week 2016 to raise money for Refugee Councils in England and Scotland and plans on having the other 4 songs she wrote for Glastonbury recorded and made into an EP as soon as she is able. 

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Katie continues to be Red Pines leading lady but has taken a step back from management preferring now to advise new 'assistant' manager for the band Andrew, and focus on building up her own name and reputation both as an artist and as a performer as she has done for the band for the last 2 years. 

"Red Pines second album will be out later this year and there are a lot of hungry fans out there who have been waiting years for it to be released! It's gunna be a great record, I just can't wait to get it out there and start touring it!"

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Katie has also recently launched herself as a proffesional function singer having played at weddings and birthday parties with her fabulous unique half acoustic half backing track, country pop night of dancing, laughter and sometimes even tears, singing songs from artists such as; Dolly Parton, Janis Joplin, Tammy Wynette, Patsy Clyne, Paloma Faith, Donna Summer, Lana Del Rae, Etta James, Norah Jones, Tracy Chapman, Florence and the machine and many many more, contact details on contact page for enquiries.