64-year-old rocker Connie Brannock drops hot new soul-jazz ‘Miracle Mile’
TUCSON, AZ – You’re never too old to sing or to chase your dreams. Connie Brannock is a perfect example of that.
The Tucson, Arizona transplant has a story that one would think comes straight out of Hollywood. And the fact that she’s a 64-year-old rocker who is chasing her dreams of being a professional entertainer at this later stage of life is only one of the highlights.
Audiences are getting a taste of her unique blend of Jazz, Blues, Rock and Soul with her latest single “Miracle Mile” which also comes with a high quality and professionally done music video. The song showcases one of Tucson’s most recognizable landmarks – the iconic strip colloquially referred to as Miracle Mile.
“It’s the place where all the prostitutes used to work,” Brannock said. “It’s an iconic part of town with all the neon and all the old motels – the Ghost Town Motel, Monterey Court, Ghost Ranch Motel, No-Tel Motel, Tropicana, and one bowling alley. There’s some prostitution there still but not nearly as much. This song is a nod to those women who are doing whatever they have to do to put food on the table. But the song is about more than that. It’s about how you can find love anywhere, even in the darkest, grittiest places. Folks from around here who have heard it talk about how it’s reminiscent of Tucson in the 80s, but anyone could listen to it and relate. It has universal themes about how dreams really can come true. And of course, every town has their own Miracle Mile.”
The song is the first off an upcoming six-song EP from Connie called “Last Call” which is set to debut in June. But this isn’t the first time that Brannock has made a foray into the music industry. In fact, she was one of the hottest names in the industry in the 1980s. As the winner of a show called Stroh’s Superstar Talent Search (a precursor to American Idol), Brannock landed a deal with MCA records. She bounced around in the industry for a few years – working with Caleb Ruffin in Atlanta and joining a band called SOS that fell apart shortly after the lead singer suddenly died. Successive attempts to produce projects fizzled and Brannock eventually became fed up with the music business. So she decided to enlist in the U.S. Army … at age 35.
She made a career as a truck driver in the Army for 20 years during which time she was deployed to Iraq twice and made a name for herself as one of the oldest First Sergeants to be deployed. While in basic training, she was given the nickname “The Running Wrinkle” and by the time the U.S. invaded Iraq in the 2000s, she was one of the most respected noncommissioned officers in the military.
When she left the military in 2012, she felt a longing for music again and decided to pick up where she’d left off 20+ years earlier. Since that time, she’s been developing her sound and putting together some new hits. She leads the band Little House of Funk, voted Tucson’s best R&B band in 2018 & 2019, and performs four or five times per week at local establishments. Over the past few years, she’s been writing her own songs and recording with members of her band.
“Last Call” – with songs like “Miracle Mile” and “Carry” – is some of her best work, she said. And she’s excited for fans all over the U.S. to hear what she has to offer.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XagZrNJNlpU]
To listen to Brannock’s music or to follow her on social media, please visit:
https://conniebrannock.bandcamp.com/releases
https://www.facebook.com/connie.brannock.1
https://www.facebook.com/LittleHouseOfFunk/
https://www.facebook.com/ConnieBrannock/
https://www.instagram.com/conniebrannockmusic/
https://twitter.com/ConnieBrannock
Several mixes from Upcoming EP:
https://soundcloud.com/connie-brannock/carry-mix-03-28-20/s-COplg9EunxD
https://soundcloud.com/connie-brannock/last-call-mix-3-30-20-1/s-qaF6EsLkrDe
https://soundcloud.com/connie-brannock/morning-sun-mix-01-07-2020/s-2c2x1ibQtpJ
https://soundcloud.com/connie-brannock/been-thinkin/s-Ul7YRM5l4VJ