Joshua Payne

小简介
Joshua Payne生下就先天失聪，幸好幼年手术成功听力恢复了大半。为了训练他的听力，手术后他父母在家不断播放各种类型的音乐，好让他浸淫在音乐的环境里自然康复。与此同时Joshua的父母发现他们的儿子拥有一副天生的好嗓子，因此就鼓励Joshua参加教堂及学校里的合唱团，Joshua最早的歌唱生涯就此开始。此后他就以这得天独厚的天赋战胜了先天的听障，为自己的人生道路以及乐团增添了一个传奇。大学毕业后他赢得多项古典乐大奖，后来为了生计在餐厅工作、演舞台剧。尽管如此，他依然没有放弃成为歌手的目标，直至有天遇到监制 Michael Omartian并深得其欣赏，一颗闪亮的星星就此诞生。
With a booming baritone voice and an opera background, singer and songwriter Joshua Payne brings an unique set of skills to the pop table. Payne was born almost completely deaf, although an operation while he was still a toddler managed to restore most of his hearing, and music became a big factor in his rehabilitation to a world full of sounds. Payne's early childhood was spent in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, but when he was eight, he moved with his family to rural Arkansas. Both his parents had strong musical backgrounds -- his mother as a classical singer, his father as a preacher and choir director -- and the home was full of music, from James Taylor to Prokofiev, but Payne preferred sports, although his strong singing voice was already apparent. He graduated high school in 1991, attending Ouchita College on a football scholarship, but a serious knee injury turned his attention back to music; he began studying voice , and soon was winning opera competitions. Payne enrolled in the Master of Fine Arts program in vocal music at the University of Memphis, and began touring with Opera Memphis, where his strong baritone won him several title roles.
Following graduation, he relocated to Nashville, which was where pianist Jim Brickman heard Payne sing in 2002, quickly offering him a spot on his package tour. At tour's end, Payne was introduced to noted producer Michael Omartian, who was impressed by this kid from Arkansas with the big booming baritone and a trunk full of songs. The two put together a demo and were shopping it to labels when Ron Goldstein at Verve Music Group heard it and signed Payne to a deal. Payne's debut album on Verve, Your Love, My Home was produced by Omartian and released in 2004.