Kathy Unruh

It seems that music has always been an integral part of my life. One of my brothers was a drummer who played in several rock and roll bands while I was growing up, so I got an early start with my music education. This experience gave me a personal desire to learn how to play the guitar and write songs.

I grew up with a love for music and began playing the guitar when I was 15 years old. Though a self-taught guitarist, I have pursued different types of ongoing music education along the way. Some of this education included, but was not limited to, performing.

In 1987 I was asked to join a Christian band called "Wings of The Morning" whose focus was on sharing the gospel through music. We wrote all original songs and played our music at fairs, concerts, churches, restaraunts, schools and special events.

Several years later I formed another band with a friend which we called "Mission". We wrote our own original Christian songs and performed them at various public forums. In 1994 we were given the opportunity to record our music. The album was distributed throughout our local area and beyond.

I was a member of the Western Montana Classical Guitar Society for approximately five years and had the opportunity to participate in several Classical Guitar Master Classes featuring such notable instructors as James Reid, Professor of Guitar and Music History at the University of Idaho, Leon Atkinson, head of Jersey State College Guitar Department and the extension division of the Manhattan School of Music. I also wrote and performed some of my own instrumental guitar compositions during this time. One of my special memories was being able to participate in Christopher Parkening's 25th Anniversary Master Class and meet him personally. The highlight of this event was hearing this renowned classical guitarist perform in concert!

In the summer of 2009 I attended the Alex de Grassi Fingerstyle Guitar Workshop where I met and performed for one of my favorite guitar players... Alex de Grassi.

I have done quite a bit of performing over the years in coffee-houses, fairs, open-mics, restaurants, concerts, churches, weddings, funerals, nursing homes, college campuses, and special events.

Playing to a live audience offers a great opportunity to share the gospel through music. My heart is more into "music ministry" than "performing." I have a desire to reach out to people who are searching for truth and meaning in their lives. The world today can be a very dark place, so I want to offer people hope by telling them that Jesus is alive! He is "a very present help in trouble." It gives me a sense of fulfillment when someone is impacted by a song I've written.

In 2005, I was contacted by a television producer who had visited my website and really

liked some of the songs I had written. So, my husband and I agreed to let him use two original songs in a PBS television documentary he was creating called: Hurricane Katrina- A Test of Faith.

I've also had opportunities to play guitar for local radio and T.V. stations.

The Beatles (especially John Lennon), Bob Dylan, Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, Led Zepplin, The Moody Blues, Simon & Garfunkel, The Doors, Cream, Jethro Tull, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, Neil Young, my brother... The list could on and on.

My favorite Christian artists are: John Michael Talbot (early stuff), Keith Green, Mark Heard, Michael Card, Kim Hill, Jennifer Knapp, Lifehouse.

My Favorite Finger-style Guitarists are: Alex Degrassi, Michael Hedges, Don Ross, Christopher Parkening (classical).

I have two electric guitars, two classical guitars, 3 acoustic-electric guitars, 2 steel-string acoustics, 1 banjo, 1 keyboard, and 1 dulcimer.