Kevin Marcy, a California native, was born into a musical family. His great grandfather bought a violin instead of bringing home the money from running logs down the river. That fiddle was passed on to his grandfather who used the fiddle to help put himself through medical school. His other grandfather played in the Navy “Big Band,” as well as with other well-known artists of the time. His mother is a classical pianist, and his father played “Boogie Woogie” piano. His aunt, a Mammoth resident, was first chair cello at her college. Much of Kevin’s influences were passed to him by family members who were audiophiles – something that shows in his music with flavors of blues, country, and that of a singer songwriter.

 

Kevin started school in Southern California and went to high school in Hay Springs, Nebraska -- the same school his father attended. Kevin moved back to Northern California to attend college and started playing music with his brothers -- eventually leading to the formation of the Marcy Brothers band. The diversity in his life, as well as the influences from his family, gave Kevin a large well of experience to draw from in his songwriting.

 

After forming the Marcy Brothers band, Kevin and his brothers secured two major label record deals with Warner Brothers Records and Atlantic Records, yielding a top 40 song with Cotton Pickin’ Time and three #1 videos -- each remaining at #1 for 10 weeks. During their time with Atlantic records, the Marcy Brothers recorded the Achy Breaky Heart song before Billy Ray Cyrus did -- creating quite a controversy. Kevin describes what really happened: “I felt the Atlantic album needed something fun on it, and went to a publishing company in Nashville, requesting something with an old time rock and roll feel. They played us Achy Breaky Heart, by Don Von Tress, and I thought, ‘you know, it’s a trite but fun song -- let’s try it live.’ And the response was overwhelming! We recorded it and Rick Blackburn, head of Atlantic at the time said he hated it, changed the name, and said it would never see the light of day. The rest is history.” He went on to say, “That is just the music business, and things happen for a reason. Maybe it was so there would be a Miley Cyrus!” (Laughs)

 

Thereafter, Kevin focused on his songwriting. He went on to write for three major publishing companies in Nashville, resulting in a body of work comprising of hundreds of songs, several of which have been cut by various artists. One of his more recent songs (364 Days To Go) was cut by Brad Paisley for Paisley’s Christmas album. Kevin’s influences run from Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson and Johnny Cash to Buddy Holly, and James Taylor, with some additional influence from Texas Blues. His original songs are described by Kevin when he says, “I think I tend to write in a somewhat ‘bi-polar’ way. I love to write and sing the sad, ‘rip your heart out’ songs in the vein of Kris Kristofferson, but I also have what my mom describes as a ‘wicked sense of humor,’ and love to make people laugh with my songs.” During his Nashville songwriting years, he also toured with Brad Paisley as a sound technician.

 

After years of touring, Kevin wanted to be home with his children. He became a firefighter/EMT in middle Tennessee and, after getting hurt on a call, he started a nonprofit called 119 Frontline to give free treatment to fire, police and returning military for PTSD. He also opened an addiction clinic for pregnant women and another clinic for opioid addiction, which had the highest recovery rate in the nation.

 

His children now grown, Kevin has returned to California. Shortly after arriving, he was called upon again to write and sing. Kevin said, “I wrote so many songs based on the experiences of my life up to that point, I thought I had reached a place where I had said all I needed to say. But now, I realize I have more to say -- more to express from a different place in my life. I’d like to think that all I have seen, good and bad, gives me a new perspective, and will allow me to share and connect with people on a personal level.”