Misty Brown - Bio
Nancy Tentman-Brown – also known as Misty Brown, is a Southern California Native who began singing and playing the piano at an early age. Heavily influenced by Soul, R&B, Gospel, and Jazz artists such as Aretha Franklin, Sarah Vaughn, Nancy Wilson, and Lionel Richie, the self-taught pianist learned to play by ear at the age of nine and soon began singing, playing and directing the choir at her father’s church in San Diego, CA as a high school student. While attending San Diego State University in the early 90’s, she revived the Black Gospel Choir on campus for a short time as director/musician.
From San Diego, to Washington, D.C. and then back to Los Angeles, this educator has taught elementary school while feeding her passion for the arts by performing impromptu at open mic nights, accepting singing engagements for special events, keeping her ear sharp by jamming with local musicians, and serving as a musician at Second Baptist Church of Santa Ana. Seeking to define her own personal style and sound, this avid lover of music and art began seriously exploring her own natural abilities in 2011, trying her hand at songwriting and creating original works in oil pastels. A student of the arts, she is currently writing, producing, and recording her own music and developing her personal art portfolio.
In 2017, she founded Inspiration Nation, an after school art experience offering elementary students a creative space to explore a variety of art experiences across multiple genres. She has created a curriculum that incorporates music appreciation, performance art, guided instruction of the seven elements of art through the application of paints, pastels, paper mache, sketching, collaging, gardening, and doll making. She has partnered with local art galleries and community partners to bring in local and international artists as guest speakers to share their art and expertise with the group.
In 2022, she formed Inspired Eye, LLC.