Kim Gibbs and Ken Muhlbeier
Sierra Sound performing
Ken Muhlbeier
It is human nature to seek out and find a passion in life. Those who are most fortunate get the opportunity to pursue their passion, and find satisfaction in achieving moderate to great accomplishment in that pursuit. The greatest rewards of pursuing one’s passion are truly intrinsic. Our ability to try, and often fail, but still feel satisfied with how we went about things, should be the barometer by which we continue with our most passionate endeavors.
Passionate could be a term to describe the music of Sierra Sound. Starting together in 2016, Robson Ranch residents Kim Gibbs and Ken Muhlbeier found that they could share a mutual love of music and performing to satisfy their need to strive for accomplishment.
Kim, the vocalist for the group, brought a lifetime of singing experience going back to her youth when she sang with her mother in church. She continued singing in many different choirs and other vocal groups throughout her lifetime, often distinguishing herself as a soloist. Ken, under the guidance and encouragement of his mother, found himself playing guitar and singing at an early age. As the years went by, many kinds of opportunities kept him pursuing his passion for music.
Meeting at Robson Ranch was a rather serendipitous experience since Kim and her husband Ron are from Erie, Penn., while Ken and his wife Kathy are from Kennewick, Wash. They both learned very quickly that working together was an extremely rewarding and satisfying union of their passion. “As a guitarist/sideman it was immediately evident to me that this girl can ‘bring the goods,’” Ron says. “Her ability to invoke emotion as she sings is very evident to anyone who cares to listen. She has attracted many admirers who regularly attend performances and can only shake their heads and wonder how she seems to be singing from her heart to theirs.”
Using recorded backing tracks, created by Ken to provide a “full band” sound, this duo has a large repertoire of various genres and music styles to please large numbers of listeners. Classic rock and classic country is a short description of the music style for these two. Top 40 hits from the ‘60s to the ‘90s comprise the heart of the song list. More recently, covering artists like Donna Summer, Justin Timberlake, Bruno Mars, and Walk The Moon has provided a bit of modern pop sound to the traditional cover songs. Groups like the Doobie Brothers, Journey, Styx, and the Eagles are all routinely part of their performances. Individual artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Carrie Underwood, and Dolly Parton also keep the country hits coming.
Sierra Sound performs at many venues in the area and you can find their performance schedule on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sierrasoundeloyaz.
We invite you to come out and listen and enjoy our passion. We hope to fill your evening and your heart with what we love to do.