Amy Briggs has been singing ever since she can remember. Growing up in Rhode Island, she was surrounded by music and musicians. She began playing the accordion at age seven, winning competitions and traveling with an accordion band. Her father played in rock cover bands, and she grew up going to rehearsals with him. Beginning in junior high and throughout high school, she participated in gifted and talented music programs and theater performances of her own.
In 1989 she began a Music Performance degree at Rhode Island College, and in 1992, she moved to Maine and finished her degree – but in Music Education, not Performance – at the University of Maine. She taught K-8 vocal, instrumental and classroom music from 1993-1998, and spent the next 10 years singing a cappella music with the MDI-based group Acappellago. She also worked for the group’s director, Don Gooding, at his catalog and e-commerce business a-cappella.com.
Though she left the music sales industry in 2007 to work in Communications at The Jackson Laboratory, she never stopped making music. While waitressing at The Riverside Cafe in Ellsworth on the weekends, she would often sing with the jazz combo Joyful Noise, who played there every Friday night. She branched out to singing soul and pop covers with her musical friends in The Tumblers in 2009, and began performing with funk/soul/dance band Juicebox in 2010.
Currently, Amy sings with Juicebox, an acoustic guitar, vocals and accordion duo called Him and Her, and a nine-piece rhythm and blues band called Main Street R&B Revue. She still works at Jackson (but as a Maintenance Planner now), and lives on Indian Island in Old Town with her supportive, understanding, and also musical fiancee.
Amy is extremely grateful for all the wonderful people that performing music in Maine has brought into her life, and is thrilled to be singing with Scott Cleveland again here at Sandy’s.
From Scott Cleveland:
Amy Briggs is among the finest, most versatile and experienced singers in the area and beyond. As her pianist, Scott Cleveland, says; “It always impresses me when I perform with Amy, not only how many styles she can sing, but how many styles she masters!”