Avery Sunshine
| AverySunshine | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Denise Nicole White |
| Born |
22 May 1975 Chester, Pennsylvania |
| Genres | R&B, soul |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Piano, vocals |
| Years active | 1993 - present |
| Labels | BigShine, Shanachie |
| Website | www.averysunshine.com |
Denise Nicole White, professionally known as AverySunshine (sometimes stylized as Avery*Sunshine, born 22 May 1975) is an American singer and pianist.
White was born in Chester, Pennsylvania, a small city southwest of Philadelphia, to Ruth Eleanor White and Irving Cyril White. She began playing piano at 8, after she saw a classmate perform, and learned to read hymns before beginning to study classical music at 11. At 13, she expanded her repertoire to include jazz and had her first recital. Three years later, her aunt, a church choir director, asked Sunshine to fill in for her during a Sunday service at a Catholic church; she was subsequently hired by churches of all denominations, including the AME Church, where she performed with the award-winning Wilmington/Chester Mass Choir.
White, who sang in her high school choir, graduated from the Country Day School of the Sacred Heart in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, in 1993. She attended Spelman College in Atlanta, and although she enrolled as a piano major, she changed course after she became disillusioned with the music program. Sunshine graduated with a degree in philosophy in 1998.
In college, White met Maia Nkenge Wilson, a vocal major, and together they formed a gospel and R&B singing duo, DaisyRew. In addition to performing in Africa, DaisyRew performed at churches in the area and at clubs, including the Apache Café, which was noted for launching the careers of several prominent artists, including India.Arie. Wilson was cast in a Broadway role following college, and Sunshine was hired as the Minister of Music at the St. Paul AME Church in Atlanta. DaisyRew continued to perform when Wilson, on breaks from her theatrical career in New York, returned to Atlanta.
While working at the St. Paul AME Church, White met Dana Johnson, a guitarist, producer and songwriter who had previously worked with India.Arie. White, Johnson and Wilson began working together in 2003 with Johnson writing and producing the music, in addition to managing DaisyRew's career. Soon after, Wilson was again cast in a Broadway production and she left for New York. White then adopted the name AverySunshine.
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