Saratoga Springs native returns ‘home’ to showcase her music
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. >> Spa City native Tammy Renee is returning to the stomping grounds of her music career for a special tour across Saratoga County.
Tammy Renee Frechette started singing with her uncle’s country band when she was just nine years old, at local venues in the Saratoga area as well as on tour.
She grew up in Greenfield Center where her parents Bonnie and Al Anderson still reside.
With the family band, Frechette even had the opportunity to perform with artists like Kitty Wells, Tanya Tucker, Randy Travis and Mary Chapin Carpenter as a young performer.
As she grew up, got married, had kids and moved to Florida, Frechette’s musical dreams were put on the back burner, but the flame never went out. “It was still there,” she said. “It was still a piece of me.”
A few months ago, Frechette and her husband relocated to Nashville, Tenn. to finally focus on pursuing a career in music once again, on a greater level than ever before.
“It’s always been in me, and it’s always been something that I’ve done, just never on the scale that we want it to be,” she said. “So, Nashville is the place for that!”
Since moving to Tennessee and concentrating on Tammy Renee Music, Frechette has had the chance to work with some great music professionals, she said.
While Music City, U.S.A. is treating her well, Frechette is excited to get back to her hometown this August and share Tammy Renee Music with the folks in upstate New York.
“I can’t wait to get back there and do some shows and see some friends and hopefully make new friends,” she said.
This second wave of Frechette’s music career is partly thanks to her children’s urges for their mom to share her talents on social media.
“Once I started doing that I realized that people really cared about what I was saying, or singing,” she said, “and they enjoyed it, they really, truly liked it - because I wasn’t getting on there pretending to be something that I’m not.”
Frechette believes this is a trap that a lot of musicians fall into, trying to put themselves into a box. “They’re trying to be cookie-cutter,” she said. “Everybody wants to be the next Garth Brooks or the next Loretta Lynn or the next Reba McEntire — and I just want to be the next Tammy Renee.”
Frechette prides herself on being unique and different. Her eclectic style incorporates Americana, country, gospel and folk music with hints of blues.
This varied repertoire has brought Tammy Renee Music to many different types of venues. “I’ll sing anywhere. I’ll sing in a church, and I’ll sing at a festival. I’ll sing at a bar ,and I’ll sing at a restaurant,” she said. “Whenever a door opens for me to share, I’m gonna go.”
Tammy Renee Music will soon begin her tour around the greater Saratoga County, which includes about a dozen shows. “We’re just excited to get out on the road,” Frechette said, adding that she’s looking forward to sharing some new tunes off of her latest record Steps.
The tour will include a barn concert, a cancer benefit, a show at The Studio in Greenfield Center.
On August 16, Frechette will be holding a special concert at The Studio at 165 Wilton Rd from 8-10 p.m. and tickets will be $10.
No matter what type of show she’s playing, Frechette’s goal is always the same: “Just to do what I love and share my heart,” she said.
A full list of Tammy Renee Music’s upcoming local performances, including several free events, is available online at www.tammyreneemusic.com.
Following the New York tour, Tammy Renee Music is headed to do some more appearances in Kentucky.
As Frechette’s musical endeavors take her far and wide, she will always have a special place in her heart for Saratoga Springs. “I’m from there; it’s my home,” she said, “and no matter where I live it’s always my home.”
More information about Tammy Renee Music is available online at www. tammyreneemusic.com as well as Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, and Pandora.