Kelby Bruno
I began singing and writing music as a teenager in my hometown of Los Angeles. I remember walking on the beach in Baja, Mexico just singing my heart out to the miles and miles of empty beaches and thinking that I would love to write songs and sing them one day. I oftened listened to my dad’s collection of Charlie Byrd and Sergio Mendes (Brazil 66') albums when I was a young girl and remember trying to sing along with them. In Junior High School, I sang in the choir. Our teacher loved Latin songs and let me sing "Panis Angelicus" for a performance once and I was totally inspired. After high school I moved to the island of Maui. Everyone I knew dreamed of going to Hawaii after graduation, and fate took me there as well. I became very close with the founders of windsurfing and wanted to give windsurfing a try. A few years later I became a professional and started to compete on the world circuit. I traveled to Europe, Japan, Mexico, and even as far as South Africa to compete in events. My favorite part became wave- riding and wave-jumping at the famous “Hookipa Beach” on Maui. It was there that I became a world champion in windsurfing and won 5 consecutive world titles. It was all very exciting, but my songwriting took a back seat at that time. On one particular trip to Japan, I sat on the train and started to write a song while looking at the myriads of people coming and going off the train. I felt something deep in my soul stirring about the people and wrote one of my first songs called, “ Whisper To My Spirit.” It talks about God’s heart toward people, and I believe that I felt the same heart that day. After that time, I continually was inspired to write songs about what I felt in different situations, family relationships, heartbreak, memories, loneliness, and whatever else was welling up in my soul. I then began dreaming of doing a recording of my songs, and eventually in 1998 I released my first album, “The Whisper That I Heard”. God was showing me that I could communicate His love toward people in music as well as speaking to them. Songs for me are an expression of an inward working and sharing it outwardly through the avenue of music.
In 1993, I went on an Eastern European music tour with YWAM (Youth With A Mission). Our band traveled to three different countries, Holland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. We performed concerts in city centers, churches, and concert halls. "It was the most moving experience in my life watching people touched by the healing words of the songs." That summer inspired me more than I ever would have dreamed. Not only did I come back with new vision, but also decided to get married to my wonderful husband, Chris. Working on my first recording was a huge challenge. I went through many mountaintops and valleys in the whole process(like all artists!). God was teaching me how to turn to Him at every point, and to trust Him. I kept remembering that it was the process that was important, and that through it all I was learning more about God and myself. It took almost two years to complete. One of the wonderful delays was that I had a baby in the midst of it all. I remember recording my ninth song in my ninth month and thinking, "Am I ever going to finish?" That was the summer of 1998. My second album, “Captivated” was released in 2001. I decided with this album that I wanted to have a full band sound, so I headed off to Nashville to work with a wonderful producer, Dave Martin. He was able to produce the songs, adding each talented musician to the mix. It was great to work with such incredible musicians, and to have them contribute to the album. “Captivated” has more of a country feel with many songs about my family, faith, and holding on to what God has shown you. It also helped me to get in touch with my country roots. My grandma’s brother was a famous Country western singer named “Jess Willard” and he had his own country radio show for years in Auburn, California. I knew I had some country blood in me and I have uncle Jess to thank for that! After completing my second album my family and I moved to Australia for three years of pure adventure! It was a wonderful time of meeting new friends and sharing music around the beautiful country of Australia. At the end of 2003, we moved back to the U.S. and now live in Redondo Beach, California.I am now in the midst of writing songs and recording my third album to be released in the summer of 2008. It will be a mix of worship songs, originals, as well as a couple of hymns revised. My only hope for these songs is that they would minister to your heart in a personal way, and spur you on in a relationship with the living God!
Kelby Bruno
© Copyright 2001 Kelby Bruno