Biography

Kathy has been involved in music from a very early age.  She started singing at age five and playing piano at age eight.  Her parents, both singers and musicians, showed her what they knew and she took it from there.  She never had music lessons, but had a great love for music.  At age nine, she started singing with her parents and brother.  They soon began singing at many different churches and social functions across the southeast and they continued this for many years.  Since she didn't read notes that often, she picked out songs by ear.  Soon that became her “way” of playing - Listen to the music and then just play it!  She learned to love creating new melodies and at the age of ten, she wrote her first song. 

At age thirteen, she took her music to a new level.  She started listening to tapes of pianist and singers for hours—replaying the same songs over and over again.  After playing after different pianists and learning from different singers, she soon developed her own style.  At age thirteen she became the pianist at her church.  At the age of fifteen, Kathy started a trio consisting of her thirteen-year old brother (David Sutherland) and a nineteen-year old friend (Jeannie Hill).  They sang together for four years.  At sixteen years old, she started giving piano lessons (teaching how to play by ear) and began leading the youth choir at her church.  

Over the years she has been church pianist for three different churches.  She has directed three different church youth choirs.  Kathy has also helped direct music programs in Vacation Bible School and Church Youth Camp.  She is now 25 years old and still loves music as much as ever.  Her styles range from jazz, blues, soul, pop, to more traditional sounds!  Kathy recorded her first album at Maxwell Recording Studio in Athens, Georgia (with Mark Maxwell producing the cd).  She completed the album (titled Just the Way I Am) in July 2006.  The cd was released August 8, 2006.