Meet Tammy Harper | Professional Pianist/Vocalist & Music Executive

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tammy Harper and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tammy, how do you think about risk?
Risks are the foundation of who I am in a lot of ways as it is in a direct parallel with faith. In the secular world it could be called daring greatly…a book I love by Brene Brown. She states that daring greatly is vulnerability is a strength and not a weakness. I resigned from my job of 15 years as a single mom of a 5 year old daughter because God spoke and said “It’s time”. March 30, 2023 marks 11 years of being a full-time professional musician and added music executive in 2020. Taking risks takes a belief in one’s abilities and the courage to make a mistake which can be called failing forward and learning the lesson. I believe in divine order and walking in the direction that God has for me. Every day is a new surprise and it is fun and a joy!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I began playing the piano at 3 years old and formal lessons at age 7. Attended Spelman College in Atlanta, GA and received my bachelor of arts degree in music, concentration piano. For the last 30 years since graduation I have been a part of several bands from R&B/neo-soul, to hip hop, to reggae and even a corporate band and two bands of my own, currently Tam Tunes and The Gents (three piece band). I worked in Human Resources for many years with Boys & Girls Clubs of America and left that role March 30, 2012 to pursue a career in music. I have always had several jobs all of my adult life so being an entrepreneur is very similar. It is not easy as there is not always a paycheck in a large amount every two weeks like a standard job, but the trade off is doing what I love every day. On my musician side, I play for two churches, have 20 plus students for private piano and voice instruction, play at an assisted living center, teach a music class for senior citizens and also play for weddings and funerals and private events. On the music executive side, I am a senior leader within the company, Wealth Nation, that provides artist development and brand management services for independent artists. I have learned a lot along the way and have hired A&Rs, lead a team of A&Rs and I am the A&R for a few independent artists as well. What makes me unique is the combination of my musical talent in piano and voice to play classical music, and play by ear and sight reach music with close to perfect pitch and do vocal arrangements. I have an outgoing personality and friendly so it easy to get a long with others and I am also very receptive to constructive feedback and thrive under pressure! I also set aside time to read as I am a creative intellectual…LOTS of books are on my long list and a recent one I think is my life changing book of 2023 is The Surrender Experiment by Michael A. Singer. The key to success for me is putting ACTION behind my faith and my word for 2023 is intention and Bible verse is Joshua 1:9.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Atlanta has sooo many fun things to do! Let’s start with food – all types for whatever your pallet is! No Mas Cantina for delicious Mexican food and atmosphere as they have a store and a cafe connected to it as well! For a nice stroll, we could pick a quiet part of the Beltline where lots of restaurants and shops line the path! For concerts – you can go hear the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at the Woodruff Arts Center and while there visit the High Museum of Art! You can also catch the Atlanta Hawks play basketball or see Janet Jackson in concert at State Farm Arena! Right near Centennial Olympic Park downtown you can ride the ferris wheel as well as check out the Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola and the Center for Civil and Human Rights! Another cool part of town is called Little Five Points where you will see eclectic people and shop in cool stores like Moods Music or shop vintage at Rag-O-Rama! For night life, I usually will go where my favorite DJs spin like DJ Kemit, Kai Alce, Salah Ananse and DJ Rasyrious and it varies from restaurants/bars like Kat’s Cafe to Buteco to the new Thompson Hotel’s Lobby Bar to Rock Steady to the Southern Feedstore! Ponce City Market has a lot of stores and restaurants and has a rooftop ice skating rink and and area that is like a fair with games! Lastly, a new spot I enjoy is Puttshack in West Midtown that is a restaurant/sports bar and indoor miniature golf! PS – a secret find for those who enjoy vegan food is Tassili’s in the West End part of town and you must try the kale wrap! YUMMM

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate this shout out to my teenage daughter, Gabrielle, who holds my heart in her hand and inspires me daily and loves me unconditionally! I would also like to dedicate this shout out to my professor at Spelman College, Dr. Joyce F. Johnson, who truly gave me the discipline to excel as a classically trained pianist! Third, I would like to give a shout out to my sister, Melissa Davis, my “voice of reason” who keeps me level headed when I need to be and supports my out of the box thinking and decisions and gives me amazing financial advice and is my best friend! And lastly, dedicating this shout out to my mom, Gladys Harper, my inspiration – from humble beginnings, she has built and has established a business that celebrated its’ 40th anniversary in January 2023!

Website: www.tamtunes.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/tamtunes

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/TammyHarper

Twitter: www.twitter.com/tamtunes

Facebook: www.facebook.com/TammyHarper

Image Credits
Jafari Jeter