DEBUT SOLO ARTIST RETA WATKINS UNVEILS STUNNING MUSIC VIDEO VERSION OF BELOVED CONTEMPORARY CAROL, ‘MARY DID YOU KNOW’

McCain & Co. Masthead
DEBUT SOLO ARTIST RETA WATKINS UNVEILS STUNNING MUSIC VIDEO
VERSION OF BELOVED CONTEMPORARY CAROL, ‘MARY DID YOU KNOW’
Reimagined Christmas Classic Features Watkins’ Impassioned Vocals
Backed by Stellar Big Band Orchestra in First Video from New Project, That Christmas Feeling
Worship leader, recording artist and vocal stylist Reta Watkins has unveiled “Mary Did You Know,” the first music video from her innovative new holiday themed project, That Christmas  
Feeling, due out November 17, 2017. (Robby Klein photo)

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (November 10,

 2017) – Worship leader, recording artist and vocal stylist Reta Watkins has announced the release of the debut music video from her much-anticipated holiday project, That Christmas Feeling. Her reimagined version of the beloved contemporary carol, “Mary Did You Know” releases this week, in advance of the album’s November 17, 2017, release date. That Christmas Feeling will be available from Suite 28 Records through Naxos of America, Inc., the nation’s leading independent classical music distributor.
The video, directed and edited by videographers Garrett Williamson and James Brown, features a highlight of Watkins’ debut solo project–a stunning, big band version of the beloved contemporary classic, “Mary Did You Know,” which retains the song’s reverential awe, while allowing Reta to inject a smoldering vitality that carries the tune from the familiar into uncharted territory. To view the video, which was shot on location at The Tracking Room, Ocean Way Studio, and Blackbird Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, click here.

“I guarantee you have never heard this song done this way before,” says Reta. “I love the new twist on this song, and I believe listeners are going to love it, too.”
“‘Mary Did You Know’ is my pet project on this record,” says That Christmas Feeling producer Scott Williamson. “Several years ago, I had this idea for a big band version of it, but I wanted to do it without defeating the message. Ours is definitely a fresh interpretation of the song, and I’m nuts about Reta’s vocal performance. I just hope Buddy Green and Mark Lowry won’t hate me for this!”
“Reta’s incredible vocal stylings are perfect for Jason Webb and Scott Williamson’s big band arrangement of the song,” says James Riley, VP of Promotions, Shamrock Media Group. “She has a way of making the song sound traditional, and contemporary and totally fresh, all at the same time. I can’t wait to share it with our friends at radio.”
For more information on Reta Watkins and That Christmas Feeling, visit retawatkins.com.
For all radio inquiries, contact James Riley at Shamrock Media Group at 615-945-5604 or james@rocktheshamrock.com.
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 This week, Reta Watkins unveils her new music video, “Mary Did You Know,” which was shot on location at The Tracking Room, Blackbird Studio, and Ocean Way Studio in Nashville. Pictured (L to R): Jeff Cox (filling in for Danny O’Lannerghty on upright bass for the video), Jason Webb (arranger, pianist), Reta Watkins, Scott Williamson (producer, drummer), Garrett Williamson (videographer/editor), James Brown (videographer/editor). (Reta Watkins photo)

About That Christmas Feeling:

“I’ve waited my whole life to do this record,” says Reta. “My father passed away 10 years ago. I loved my dad so much, and one of my fondest memories was of us singing Christmas carols together. Dad was an outstanding tenor who grew up in the heyday of the big band/jazz era. We would sit together, listening to and singing along with the greats–Nat King Cole, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Bing Crosby. In particular, he loved all things Christmas, and I loved what he loved, so I fell in love with the Christmas carols. I would listen to Christmas music all year long if I could.”
The gifted vocalist, who cut her musical teeth singing with her ‘musicianary’ family band, and later in the Christian acoustic pop band, Pilgrim’s Progress, breaks new ground with her debut solo project, That Christmas Feeling. On the new album, Reta revisits the rich repertoire of timeless holiday standards that have become the Christmas soundtrack for generations of Americans. The 10 lushly orchestrated tracks were produced by Scott Williamson (Point of Grace, Lincoln Brewster) and showcase Reta’s compelling vocal stylings. Tracks include the best of the big band era, along with a few more recent additions to the Christmas music lexicon.
The road to making That Christmas Feeling ran from Reta’s suburban Philadelphia home, straight to Nashville, where she enlisted the considerable talents of long-time friend and producer, Scott Williamson, who had been itching to produce a big band jazz record. Williamson enlisted the aid of his father, celebrated Dove Award winning composer/arranger Dave Williamson. When Dave unfortunately fell ill and passed away before the album could be completed, Williamson called on the talents of Jason Webb (Lauren Daigle, Amy Grant, Lee Brice, Richard Marx) to step in and complete the arrangements.
“Jason had to pick up the ball and run with it when my dad fell ill,” Scott explains. “Not only did Jason do five of his own incredible arrangements, but he also took the five that my father had started, and finished them in a way that blew everybody’s mind.”
A highlight of the project is the album’s first radio single, a stunning, big band version of the beloved contemporary classic, “Mary Did You Know” While retaining the song’s reverential awe, Reta injects a smoldering vitality that carries the tune from the familiar into uncharted territory. Reta wraps her mellifluous vocals around traditional big band holiday favorites like “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” and the delightfully jazzy “Sleigh Ride.” Her emotion-laden take on the slightly melancholy, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” will have you raising a cup of wassail to absent friends and loved ones…and maybe wiping away a tear. Reta jazzes up the Paul McCartney fave, “Wonderful Christmastime,” pulls back for a swaying, flirty version of the Irving Berlin classic, “I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm,” then evokes the smooth, silky delivery of Nat King Cole on “The Christmas Song.”

Producer Williamson pulled a pair of contemporary favorites from the songwriting team of Paul Marino and Jeremy Johnson to complement the album’s classic carols–the worshipful and peace-evoking piano ballad, “Behold Emmanuel,” and the heartbreaking jazz number, “Christmas in Heaven.” Of course, no Christmas album is truly complete without the worldwide best-selling single of all time, “White Christmas.”

“Growing up in the northeast, I experienced many white Christmases. That’s what I think of when I think of Christmas music–big band orchestration, classic holiday songs, fresh arrangements. With the joys and family traditions of the season, That Christmas Feeling is the soundtrack for that Christmas feeling that has always remained deep in my heart. I know Dad would be proud.”
For more information on Reta Watkins and That Christmas Feeling, visit retawatkins.com.
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About Reta Watkins:
Worship leader, vocalist and recording artist Reta Watkins was just six years old when she recorded her first single. Growing up the youngest of five children in a family of musical missionaries, Reta remembers life was an adventure.
“We lived by faith,” she muses. “We slept in a camper or in people’s homes. We received love offerings and sold records and tapes to support the ministry. Everyone in the family played an instrument. I gravitated toward percussion, but mostly, I was a singer. I wouldn’t take any of it back.”
Reta shared tag-team vocals with her brother, singer/songwriter Steve Garrett, in the Christian pop/rock band Pilgrim’s Progress, and has honed her skills as a vocal stylist for more than 30 years. It doesn’t take more than a cursory listen to realize that her debut solo album, the holiday themed project, That Christmas Feeling, was well worth the wait. For more information on Reta Watkins, visit retawatkins.com.
About Suite 28 Records:
Suite 28 Records is an independent label that was established to serve talented artists whose music deserves to be heard outside of their local scene.
Recognizing a need to give musicians a voice that transcends genre or cultural constraints, Suite 28 Records produces and releases recordings that often combine genres, drawing influences from classical, jazz, and world music.
Suite 28 Records is proud member of the Naxos Music Group. For more information, visit Suite28records.com.
About Shamrock Media Group:
Founded in 2005, Shamrock Media started as a Christian radio promotion company that serviced the Hot AC/CHR/ROCK side of CCM. It quickly became one of the top promotion companies in the Nashville area. In 2010, Shamrock expanded and added a Soft AC/INSP division to radio promotions with a renewed focus in 2012 on RHYTHMIC promotions and the addition of music video promotions. The addition of Triple A promotions and music production services kicked off 2013. Promoting independent and nationally signed artists, our team of promotional experts at Shamrock Media have backgrounds in either the music or the radio industry, collectively holding more than 60 years of industry experience, and offering a high-quality brand behind your music and the necessary tools needed to promote your music to your intended audience. For more information, visit facebook.com/rockthshamrock.