Published: January 29, 2009 04:15 pm      

On the rise

Sisters from area in Christian vocal group that has signed record contract

ASHLAND — Two sisters from the Ashland area have begun to find success in Nashville.

The Christian pop vocal band Amanda Wilcox and Brianna Wilcox are in, Kimber Rising, has made a record deal with INO Records in Nashville. Their music takes includes original pieces and ones written for them.

Amanda Wilcox, a 2000 Russell High School graduate, said details of the contract depend on the success the group has. Kimber Rising is recording its first album, which is expected to be released in the fall.

“There’s just some details still being worked over, so it just depends on how well you do,” Amanda Wilcox explained of the nature of negotiating a contract with INO Records. “You sign and then it depends on how successful you are as an artist.”

The sisters and another sister, Alyssa, moved to Nashville about five years ago to pursue musical careers.

“I think a career in music has been our dreams since we were young,” Amanda Wilcox said. She moved to Nashville upon graduation from high school; her sister Brianna spent two years studying at Kentucky Christian University before making the move.

The three worked together for a while, then Alyssa Wilcox moved to Los Angeles to pursue a solo career. The other two sisters went their separate ways for a while, but eventually, Brianna and Amanda Wilcox reunited and tried again to get their careers going in Nashville.

“Sometimes you don’t realize exactly what your purpose is or what God has you for when things don’t work out. You start losing a little bit of hope,” Amanda Wilcox said, reflecting on their days of uncertainty. But she said having doubts about the future helped to prepare them for what they’re experiencing now.

“We’re an inspiration group and we inspire others to follow their dream and find their purpose,” she said. “It took a while for us, but in that process of waiting that’s how we learned who we were and learned what we were supposed to do and how we should do it. I wouldn’t change it because now everything is going exactly how it was meant to.”

Kimber Rising will embark on its second tour in a few days, traveling for about 30 dates with Building 429. “We’ll be on the road full time and we’ll have an EP with three songs,” Amanda WIlcox said.

Their father, Jim Wilcox, is part-time minister of music at First Baptist Church, Russell. He said after his daughters split up their act, the thought the possibility of them attempting to break into Christian music was slim to none.

“We were all together in Nashville and having lunch and I thought God was leading them to go into Christian music,” he explained. “I asked them if they would go back into it and they said no.”

That was in February 2008. By April, they had been approached by a management group that works with INO Records who told them INO was looking for a girl group. After a few talks with the management group, the two who remained in Nashville said they’d give it a try. Needed a third member, they auditioned singers and eventually hired Danille Cruz, a singer from Oklahoma City.

For more about Kimber Rising, visit kimberrising.com or the band’s page on myspace and facebook.

LEE WARD can be reached at lward@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2661.