Evette's BIO
Evette grew up in Colorado, the daughter of a struggling rock musician. Influenced by the constant musical environment, she developed an early love for singing and playing instruments. After years of financial struggles and insecurities, her father returned to school at the age of 35 to become a pharmacist. Evette was then 12 years old. Evette’s mother wanted to support her daughter in developing her talents but because the family finances were tight she had to get creative. She made a deal with the local piano teacher to give Evette piano lessons in exchange for housekeeping services. Once a week Evette went to the teacher’s house to clean and then have her lesson. She would practice for hours a day and within a short 6 months the teacher informed her mother that she had nothing left to teach her. At the same time a man started going to their church who taught voice lessons. Evette soon began babysitting his four small children in exchange for lessons and added another hour to her practice regimen.
She started performing regularly at community events around the area and by the age of fourteen she was winning competitions with much older performers. She was constantly in rehearsal for some event or other and even sang the national anthem for the inaugural season of the Colorado Rockies. At fifteen she started doing background vocals for a local rock alternate band and by 17 she was a full time professional entertainer. She did more musicals than she can remember and was constantly auditioning and getting involved in whatever would advance her career. She even sang occasionally with her Dad’s new “hobby/event/wedding band” She ploughed through months with little to no sleep in order to memorize lines for a play or perfect a dance part while still working and going to school full time. It was all going well though and she was able to support herself with her art while still advancing and finding new opportunities. At age 20 she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dream. As fate would have it, as soon as she got a good look at what the industry was really like, she began to have second thoughts about her career choice. She still loved to make music but she didn’t feel that she could really be the person she hoped to become if she continued down the path that is forged for so many aspiring young musicians.
It was at that point that she did a complete turn around. She decided to focus first on becoming who she truly wanted to be and then let the career happen if it would follow. She went on a mission for her church less than a year later and spent a year and a half in North Eastern Argentina. It was in the jungles of the Amazon that she found peace in life with herself and regained confidence in who her parents had taught her to be. When she returned to the U.S. her parents had moved to Branson, MO. She lived with them and worked full time doing marketing and lights for The Dutton Family Theater. She saved all of her money in hopes of quickly returning to the scene in Los Angeles to continue on her path with a renewed sense of self discipline and dedication. It was there in Branson however that she met and fell in love with Joshua Dutton. They were married within five months and although Joshua too was a musician (his family has a show in Branson) she assumed that her career would probably have to end in order to support his.
After a couple of years of incredibly happy married life, (and after the birth of their first child), all of her musical passions were rekindled and Evette started to feel frustrated with her situation. She was surrounded by music everyday but was largely on the outside looking in. She began then to write songs and practice again with a renewed vigor. It wasn’t long before she began collaborating with her husband Joshua and their ideas and styles began to really mesh into something that they both loved. What followed was the formation of Freely Bound and the completion of their first album “He said She said”. They now perform a selection of their songs in The Duttons show in Branson, MO. and in the Phoenix/Mesa, AZ. Area.
