Kim Jackon's Ella Fitzgerald tribute concert

Trim-based singer Kim Jackson Grant is following up on “possibly the most rewarding concert of my career” when she performs the songs of Ella Fitzgerald in Trim early next month. The former Irish Eurovision entrant, who now runs the Royal County School of Music with her husband, Brian, says it will be her last live performance after more than 30 years in showbusiness.
Kim explains: “I first heard Ella Fitzgerald sing when I was seven years old. My mother was a wonderful connoisseur and record collector of all things swing, jazz, blues and bebop. A respected singer herself at the time, albeit on a small Dublin scene, I often thought how she seemed born in the wrong era. Such was her ability to trumpet out such songs as ‘The Birth Of The Blues’, ‘The Lady Is A Tramp’ and ‘Summertime’ with the resonance, power and intonation of the classic chanteuse that I sometimes wondered about her, and by association my, real heritage. I was the only sibling to inherit her love of music and - I am told - her voice, which remains the best compliment of my life.”
It was around that time that Kim started entering talent competitions, and by age 10, she was already fronting her own band.
“The band was a co-op, meaning that everyone got equal money (never a problem because we never earned any) and equal say, which was more problematic because that meant four completely different musical tastes. Compromise was ever the order of the day, a problem that went on to blithe a lot of my career. Pretty soon I was all grown up and struggling to make it as a singer. I took on lots of jobs to supplement my tiny income. So if a job came along that was singing related it was always first choice even if it did little to forward the direction I wanted to head. Soon I was the ‘go to girl’ for backing vocals. Bands, studio session work, TV and radio jingles - anything that paid well and within time I was no longer working jobs that had absolutely nothing to do with music. But there was a price to pay. I was getting further away from being recognised as a singer in my own right.”
Fast forward many years, and Kim says she can claim a compendium of wonderful jobs and experiences.
“I have travelled the world, I represented Ireland in the 1991 Eurovision Song Contest - a truly magical experience, but still something that wasn’t true to my swing and blues roots. I side-lined into acting at one stage and did some Shakespearean plays of all things, though I have loved the bard forever. Shakespearean language is just another form of singing.
“Five years ago, my direction changed once again when I opened The Royal County School of Music in Trim with Brian. I had long since taught myself to play guitar and piano and now I had time to focus more seriously on those instruments. Today, my obsession is with classical music. Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Scarlatti, Haydn, Debussy, Grieg, Schubert, the list goes on. And my other passion is passing on everything I have learned over the years to children and adult students alike. I think I have never been more contented.”
In 2010, commercial rents had come down and they were able to open a premises in the heart of Trim town. They began with 10 private students, and there are now over 250 students, children and adults, attending on a weekly basis. Brian and Kim employ six people, and the school is an official exam centre for The Royal Irish Academy of Music and the Registry for Guitar Tutors.
“I didn’t realise that when I opened the school I would be getting into a vocation rather than just a job,” Kim says. “But this could never be just a job.”
But she still had a niggle to do a show, and last year decided on a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald.
“And it was fantastic and magical, perhaps the most rewarding gig of my career. I thought I would leave it at that but the feedback was so wonderful and encouraging and we even took orders for tickets for the following year!”
The following year has arrives, with Kim singing the blues in St Patrick’s Cathedral, Trim, on Saturday 5th December at 8pm. Tickets are €20, with part proceeds to the MS Centre, Trim. Call (046) 948 3403; (087) 696 3491 or email royalcountyschool@gmail.com