61 year old, Gail Bliss secured a spot in blinds on the Voice competition due to the introduction of an instant replay feature. Rapper Snoop Dogg intervened and chose to rescue the performer when all the judges refrained from turning their chairs after her initial performance.
Gail Bliss was raised in a musical household in Southern Oregon. She and her sister honed our harmony skills accompanying our father’s guitar and vocals.
Gail Bliss posts on her website, “I started with the clarinet and later transitioned to the saxophone, actively participating in school bands until college. As a fun experiment, I even assembled a band and performed in front of my high school peers. It was during this time that I developed my ability to phrase and pitch by relying on my ear. Initially, I never considered pursuing music professionally until a sudden desire sparked within me. This led me to embark on my professional music journey in Los Angeles during the late 1980s, leaving behind my country home in the Pacific Northwest.“
Gail Bliss Bio
Gail Bliss became a member of a Louisiana-style rhythm and blues band called Bourre’ in LA. In this band, she played saxophone and contributed as a backing vocalist. They performed at well-known LA clubs such as The King King and The Mint. In 1990, Gail relocated to the mid-Atlantic region and formed two bands: the Bliss Blues Band, consisting of six members, and The Lone Starlets, a seven-piece western swing band. Managed by Cellar Door Entertainment, they played at festivals, colleges, and clubs throughout the mid-Atlantic.
They even had the opportunity to open for nationally acclaimed country and blues artists. Gail’s time with these bands led her to receive the Best Country Female Vocalist award at the Washington Area Music Association Awards (Wammies). It was during this period that she gained recognition as a performer by being cast as Patsy Cline in the First National Tour of A Closer Walk With Patsy Cline, out of a pool of over 600 hopefuls.
Gail Bliss, who was officially endorsed by the Cline Estate and stepped into the shoes of Patsy Cline, began her career at the Grand Palace in Branson, Missouri in 1995 with a tribute show called Patsy! A World-wide Tribute to Patsy Cline. During that period, with the support of Charlie Dick, Patsy Cline’s husband, and in collaboration with Sony Music, I released my debut album titled Gail Bliss and Patsy Cline. This album featured Patsy singing six of her songs and me performing another six of Cline’s popular hits.
Gail Bliss co-produced this album with Harold Bradley, a renowned guitarist who played on many of Patsy’s original hits. During her time in Branson, Gail Bliss had the opportunity to sing with Barbara Fairchild on Sunday mornings at the Glen Campbell Theatre and perform alongside the Jordanaires, Jim Stafford, and Kenny Rogers on several occasions.
Writes Gail Bliss, “In 1996, our show traveled to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Toronto, Ontario for an extended period. At the same time, the Gail Bliss Band embarked on a tour of Canada, performing at nightclubs, festivals, and headlining the Leblatt’s Brier tour with original and country music. After the Canadian tour, I relocated to Nashville.“
Adds Bliss, “There, I immediately began collaborating with the AFM-local 257 musicians’ union, the renowned C.G.P. Chet Atkins, and Tom Morales of TomKats in Nashville as the talent coordinator for the International Chet Atkins Musicians Days. Working closely with Harold Bradley, the then AFM President, I booked musicians from around the world for various venues in Nashville throughout the week-long event. As one of the five coordinators, I had the opportunity to co stage-manage the finale concert at the Ryman Auditorium in honor of Chet Atkins, just a few years before his passing.“
Says Gail Bliss, “After 30 years of touring with this show and its various incarnations across North America, my role as Patsy and my involvement with the theatrical Patsy story, that I love so much, was put to rest in the winter of 2023. I will always be grateful to Patsy and her family for the opportunity to further her legacy.”
Gail Bliss relocated to Little River, South Carolina to join the cast of ONE, The Show at the Alabama Theatre in Myrtle Beach, SC, right before the launch of her gospel album. She remained a member of this ensemble, consisting of 23 performers, for the following thirteen years until 2014.
An original Gail Bliss composition, titled Moon Over the Cumberland, from my timeless country album For The Good Times, achieved the top position on the International Western Swing music charts upon its debut, further fueling her ambition as a songwriter.
Gail Bliss performs various shows including Gail Bliss and the Nashville Barn Dance, Bliss & The Boys, Gail Bliss Classic Country Christmas Show, and Gail Bliss Gospel concert all over the USA. I am currently scheduling these shows and exploring new performance opportunities for the future. In 2023, my first Christmas CD titled Twinkle Twinkle Christmas Star will be released, featuring four original songs written by me. Being a wife to John, a mom to my beloved cats, and a member of my church praise team are some of my most cherished accomplishments.
