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Planning a wedding is an exhilarating experience, filled with countless decisions and details that come together to create a magical celebration of love. When it comes to organizing your dream wedding in East Kent, one aspect that should never be overlooked is the entertainment. The right music and performers can set the tone, captivate your guests, and create memories that will last a lifetime. At Dixiebird Records & Events, we specialize in providing premium world-class wedding entertainment services in Kent and London, offering an array of talented musicians, self-contained acts, and event packages to ensure your special day is nothing short of extraordinary. Captivating Solo Saxophone: The saxophone is so popular, and there is a reason why. Firstly the saxophone looks amazing, setting the tone of absolute class and elegance. A versatile instrument, saxophone can be classical, pop, jazz and swing, and Ibiza dancefloor fillers. Booking a solo saxophone for your wedding can Imagine the soulful melodies of a solo saxophone gracefully filling the air as you walk down the aisle,, enjoy your first dance as a married couple, and set the night on fire by pairing it with a DJ. Our roster includes incredibly talented saxophonists who between them have performed for BBC Radio 1, the legendary Staks Band, Syd Lawrence Orchestra all of which add an elegant and romantic touch to your wedding ceremony or reception. With their captivating performances, these skilled artists are sure to create an atmosphere of pure enchantment, leaving a lasting impression on you and your guests, not to mention ultimate selfie-mode opportunities as the night goes on! Live Music to Set the Stage: When it comes to creating an unforgettable ambiance, nothing beats the magic of live music. Our team at Dixiebird Records & Events works with a diverse selection of exceptional musicians, from talented vocalists to accomplished instrumentalists, who are ready to bring your wedding to life. Whether you envision a lively band that will have everyone on their feet or a soothing acoustic duo that provides the perfect backdrop for conversation and connection, we have the perfect musical act to suit your style and preferences. Tailored Event Packages: Planning a wedding involves coordinating numerous elements, and we understand the importance of simplicity and convenience. To make your life easier, we offer customizable event packages designed to meet your specific requirements. These packages can include a combination of entertainment options, such as a ceremony performance, cocktail hour music, and a full reception band. With our expertise and attention to detail, we will work closely with you to curate an unforgettable entertainment experience that reflects your vision and ensures a seamless flow throughout your special day. Our recent wedding entertainment packages have helped couples add something really unique to their big day, creating memorable moments for all their guests. Get in touch for us to make a bespoke plan for you. End-to-End Events with Ease: At Dixiebird Records & Events we believe that planning your wedding should be an enjoyable journey from start to finish. That's why we offer end-to-end event solutions, taking care of all your entertainment needs. From the initial consultation to the final performance, our dedicated team will be there every step of the way, ensuring flawless execution and an experience that exceeds your expectations. You can trust us to handle the logistics, coordinate with your venue, and bring together the finest talent to create an entertainment package tailored specifically to your wedding. Your big day is as important to us as it is to you, and we pride ourselves on attention to you both as a couple, what your needs are and executing it to the best Your wedding day is a celebration of love, and every detail should be meticulously planned to create a truly unforgettable experience. When it comes to wedding entertainment in East Kent, Dixiebird Records is your ultimate partner. With our exceptional roster of talented musicians, self-contained acts, and personalized event packages, we are committed to providing the perfect soundtrack for your special day. Let us elevate your wedding to new heights, leaving you and your guests with cherished memories that will last a lifetime. Contact us today and embark on a musical journey that will make your wedding an extraordinary celebration of love and joy. Book a complimentary consultation with us here for some bespoke ideas for your East Kent Wedding. Dixiebird Records are a live music and events agency based in London, UK. With National and International clients, they are known for crafting unique, bespoke event concepts and live music landscapes for private celebrations. Captivating audiences and creating unforgettable moments, founded in 2017 by Singer and Creative Event Producer Kerri Layton, they have an impressive client list including The BBC, Radio 1, The Savoy, Alexandra Palace, and a firm favorite amongst their celebrity friends. Establishing themselves as a bespoke events partner behind the scenes within the live music and events industry. Their diverse roster of talented award-winning musicians, vocalists, and instrumentalists who have played with some of the world's leading artists, such as Madonna, Elton John, Adele, and more, makes them the perfect partner for your next party.

Great news! It's the time of year when it's perfectly acceptable to eat a cheeky mince pie on your lunch break and not feel guilty about it. We all deserve a HUGE Christmas this year after the past few years we have had, and the event music for your Christmas Party should be no exception. As event music bookers and specialists in providing event musicians for UK events, we have seen a real trend in companies booking high-end solo acts for their Christmas parties, rather than spreading the budget too thin on multiple acts or bands, investing in solo acts gives a real high-end touch and it can be cleverly scheduled for maximum impact. So to help you with any last bookings for your Christmas Party this year, we have rounded up our top, most popular 4 solo acts that our clients have been booking this year; perfect for bringing the Christmas cheer! Harpist: Hire a harp player for your event this Christmas! Harp is one of those instruments which lifts an event to another time and place. A timeless heavenly instrument, positioned at your event it can provide a delicate and glamorous atmosphere to any drinks reception, tea party or office cocktail party! Our amazing harpist; Camilla, is a London-based freelance professional harpist, hugely in demand for session work, concerts & live events. She graduated from the Royal Academy of Music and has since been made an associate there for her outstanding contribution to the music world. Continuing to forge a unique career, combining the concert platform, recording studio, and television. Her session work includes recording tracks for many well-known artists including John Legend, Ellie Goulding, Sam Smith & Morrissey. She also has played on the soundtracks for several Hollywood films & television dramas for composers such as Danny Elfman & James Newton-Howard. On television she has performed on all the major shows, including Strictly Come Dancing, The Graham Norton Show, Later with Jools Holland, The Jonathan Ross Show, and many more, with artists including The Killers, Bette Midler & Beyoncé. Here she is playing at the start of this BBC clip with Lianne Le Havas. To enquire about hiring a solo harpist for your event, contact us here. Violin: Hire a solo wandering violin player for your Christmas event! 🎻 Solo violinists have been in demand this year. Performing for your event, our players can be stationary or wandering for an immersive and glamorous atmosphere. Booking a solo violinist who also lights up can add to creating a really festive and dynamic solo show! We have many solo violinists on our books, and showcasing here is the amazing Oriana; an established and in-demand performer and musician. The 2020 Grammy contender was born and raised in France with multicultural roots, she relocated to the UK ten years ago and has since established herself internationally as a performer in venues such as The Royal Albert Hall, Wembley Stadium, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, The Carlton in Cannes, in the Middle East or at the Edinburgh festival. Here she is playing at the start of this video with her jazz band: Bad romance (Lady gaga cover) To enquire about hiring a solo violinist for your event, contact us here. Saxophone: Hire a saxophone player for your Christmas party! 🎷 One of the biggest misconceptions people have when asking to hire a saxophone player is, "it's too blowy" (the technical term! or "is it too screechy!" well, in short, the answer can be YES, absolutely if a sax player has a big band behind them and they are growling up the rear end (excuse us!) of a horn section, then yes, it's going to be 'blowy' and loud, but, when hiring a solo saxophonist for your event, people are often surprised to hear and feel a much warmer, softer side of the instrument. It's the perfect solo act to book at an event like a Christmas party! We work with high-end solo saxophonists all over the UK, like Katy! An International, Amazingly Versatile, Lyrical Club & Jazz Saxophonist. Warm rich tones & Endless Energy, Katy is mostly found performing at exclusive clubs, Festivals, and private events. From New Year’s Eve on boats, glamorous weddings across the UK. Katy tours with her saxophone around the globe. The sounds of a saxophonist can perfectly integrate atmospheric music into your wedding ceremony, event, or Christmas party. Wandering your event, in a costume, the sax is one of our number 1 'gramable selfied instruments of all time! It truly adds some glitz and sheen to the event. To enquire about hiring a solo saxophone player for your event, contact us here. Soul Singer! Hire a sparkling soul singer for your Christmas party! ⭐️ Who doesn't need a bit of Motown and Soul at this time of year! Motown was the most streamed music genre during the lockdown and we can see why its timeless feel-good vibes and warm funky melodies warm us to the core and they get everyone up dancing and keep them up! Our award-winning, star of a soul singer Tashara has a smooth and soulful voice, spreading sparkle wherever she performs, each performance is delivered with absolute energy and world-class sophistication. Touring the world singing with music legends such as Soul II Soul, Jazzie B and Caron Wheeler. Tashara has also worked with Paloma Faith and the Faithettes, James Arthur, Leona Lewis and Jools Holland. Influenced by Diana Ross, Martha Reeves, Tina Turner, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill, Corinne Bailey-Rae, and many more. 1960’s to the current which includes Motown Soul, Disco, Rnb, Jazz, Pop, Gospel, original music and Tributes to Motown Soul, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Disco, Whitney Houston, and 90s Divas, check the repertoire! To enquire about hiring a solo soul singer for your event, contact us here. Here are some clips with Tashara and her amazing band!

When we receive enquires for a live wedding band, often, one of two things happen, we either get a really low budget (sometimes £500 for a 6-piece jazz band!) or, when the client receives the quote, we will hear, 'Oh, we can't afford that! Why is it so expensive?!' We think the reason for this is that when couples are booking live entertainment for their wedding, it will be a first time experience for many of them, with no prior knowledge of booking a live band, the fee's of nearly £2000 for a show can be a little stifling! Hopefully, by explaining the process that goes into supplying amazing, high quality live music for your wedding, we can begin to dispel some of the myths and hopefully help you on the way to getting a great band, a great deal and share with you the investment you'll need to make your very special day go off with a snap, crackle and a pop!! To see the price range of hiring a live jazz band for your wedding, please see our other blog post: How Much Does It Cost To Hire A Vintage Jazz Band? First of all, I think it's important to explain pro and Non-pro musicians, and also the different price points for booking. There are many part-time musicians who are happy to supplement their income with gigs on the weekend at the pub, who then go on to get booked at weddings and charge the same fee. This can sometimes be as low as £300 per band! That's completely up to you, however, if you want a professional band, the old adage goes here, you really do get what you pay for, and it's your wedding, so why skimp on the quality of the entertainment. All of our musicians and bands her at Dixiebird Records are well-seasoned pro's who will turn up on time, play what you have asked them to an extremely high standard, play when they are contracted to, show up on time, in neat and ironed costumes and have the right equipment for the job. Between the musician's on our books and the bands they play in, they have performed with Madonna, Herbie Hancock, Adele, Kula Shaker, Roxy Music at prestigious venues such as The BBC, The Royal Albert Hall, The Hideaway Club and so many more! For the rest of this blog post, we are going to be focusing on full-time, well-seasoned pro's, as you see above! ('coz that's who we work with!) Also, worth noting, is that full-time musicians may have residency gigs at local venues, and charge the venues much less. This is because it is generally easier to get to and play and also it serves as a great showcase for private gigs, as well as entertaining a local following they may have. Most events that are booked through us at Dixiebird Records are Private and Corporate gigs and therefore don't really act as a showcase, the fee reflects this so both the player's time and talent is truly honored, we will talk a little about what goes into a day for a musician below to. Ok, let's get this show on the road, shall we!! We don't charge an hourly rate for our music and shows, this is because so much goes into just getting to the gig, that it doesn't make sense, nonetheless, I can see why some people think that £2000 for 2 X 45 mins seem completely off the Richter scale! So, let's break it down... £2000 ÷ 5 band members = £400 per musician (it is worth bearing in mind that a lot of bands cut an imaginary member of the band to receive a share to go into the 'band pot', covering insurance, merchandise, advertising costs, etc, on top of the band fee's already, or, what can happen is the bandleader and manager of the band will take a much higher cut to accommodate the work they do in getting the gigs, and the band will take more like £200 each. For the purpose of this exercise, we will calculate this at approx £2000 ÷ 6 = £333 per band member..now here is where that money goes... Band expenses (marketing, Public Liability Insurance, PAT testing, etc) Agency fees, insurance fee's any commission they had to pay when securing the booking (if made via an online event platform such as Poptop, Entertainers Worldwide, etc) Travel expenses (petrol, tax, and insurance, usually .45p per mile) Meals: If the venue is far away and food is not on the rider, there may be a need for the band members to pay for their lunch and/or evening meal out, this can be very expensive! Coffee's on the road etc Maintenance of the equipment and instruments, purchase of new instruments and sound system, etc Maintenance and creation of costumes (making them, buying them, dry cleaning, tailoring, etc) Development of skills and craft (vocal masterclasses, physiotherapy massage for arms, backs, professional development for sight-readers, jazz improvisation - the list goes on!) Hair and Makeup! (Especially for vintage acts and performers, the average cost of creating a 'do' for an event, if doing it yourself will be around £15 and if the band has hired in an MUA and Hairstylist it can be anywhere between £60 - £150 extra per gig!) So, we can see by this list above, that £333 needs to go across the board of the business to make the band viable, that's before any outlay of time or talent has happened yet!! Here is an average day for one of our performers and musicians on a gig day... 1.30 pm Hair and Makeup, hair is set and base makeup is applied! 3 pm departure (allowing time for potential traffic delays) 7 pm arrival time 8 pm set up and sound check 8:30 to 9:30 first set performance 10:30 to 11:30, second set performance Encores and background music played after the performance for a potential 45 mins extra if there is no DJ or other act 00:15 am to 01:00 am loading out of equipment back into the van 01:00 to who knows!!!! (it is common for a band to travel up to 3 hours to a show, so they often tend to get home very late at night/early in the morning!) So, we can see here that a gig day is easily 12 hours for a band member, so £333 ÷ 12 = £27.75 As well as this, there are other costs that each individual has for being self-employed and running a business, such as tax and National Insurance, Public Liability Insurance cover (each member must carry their own!!) website design, promo videos and so much more. We are advocates for musicians, their health, mental health, and financial recompense is extremely important to us, that is why we started Dixiebird Records! To campaign for, and, secure the talented working musician a decent wage and a diary full of shows, so they can thrive whilst spreading joy and making people happy with their music! I hope you can see by this breakdown above, exactly where your money goes when booking a live band, and why we charge £2000 for a show and I hope you'll agree that you are making a worthwhile investment on your big day! If you would like us to help you plan your special day, please drop us a line on hello@dixiebirdrecords.com also, check out our amazing Big Christmas Competition here where you can win over £500 worth of prizes for your big day, including a £300 voucher for entertainment on your wedding day!

Professional Party Starters Dixiebird Records & Events. Premium Live Music and Creative Event Production for national & International Celebrations Book a Complimentary Consultation ~ Consultants of Swing ~ ​ Starting out as a Jazz Label and Live Jazz Booking Agency, our experience as musicians and bookers has led us to offer you a personable, fun, sty lish , creative live events agency, with music sitting at the beating heart of it. F or your special moments in life, use our list of suppliers worldwide, a thorough end-to-end, hands-on approach to bring you the event of your dreams. Your event's success is as paramount to us, as it is to you. ​ ~ Events of all flavors, for people with great taste ~ ​ From Vintage Tea Parties at Glastonbury Festival to a Bollinger Champagne launch; w e have provided unique music entertainment and events for our grow ing list of celebrity clients, and events at The BBC, The Savoy, The Royal British Legion, The British Army, Alexandra Palace, and more. Our musicians appear on Strictly Come Dancing, major films, and Uk TV series and play with well-known stars like Madonna, Adele, Bruno Mars and so many more. We only work with quality acts, musicians, and suppliers, working with our contacts both Nationally and Internationally to bring you carefully considered, well-programmed, concepts that will enchant your guests, leaving them with beautiful memories for years to come. ​ Book Live Music Hire live music for your event. Book a solo singer for your venue, hire a jazz band for your wedding with dancers. Book meet & greet, roaming artists for your event. Blues, rockabilly, swing bands, soul bands, champagne pour acts and so much more! Residencies, Weddings, Anniversaryies, Award Galas and more. Our acts End To End Event's Specializing in private parties and celebrations, we create enchanting event experiences which makes you look great, creating magical memories in the process. We will create the end-to-end event with your personality or company values sitting at the heart of it. Take the stress out of planning your next gathering and bring in the eventperts! (Sorry, not sorry) Our services Event & Entertainment Consultation Event design consultation, corporate event design, and creative events. Entertainment activation plans and more. Hire us to create a bespoke event blueprint and concept for your celebratory event. Our first consultation is complimentary, wether you are organising a corporate celebration or a personal one, it's a great place to start, let us know about your event today and let's get the party started. Get in touch "Live Music and great events have the power to knit people together in ways that are lost to us in the modern world." Let's make a great event Complimentary Consultation Book a Complimentary Consultation today and share your wonderful event ideas with us. You will get some fresh insight into what you and your event need. You will leave this consultation with a very clear idea of your next steps and how we can help you make the best event yet. Book your complimentary consultation Event Advisory Session If you would like an event advisory session, book with us today. This Event Advisory Session can be used for building your creative concepts, and unique event styling ideas, creating a bespoke blueprint for you to take to your event production team, and more. If you desire some fresh ideas with a fast and actionable roadmap, book in with us below. Book your Event Advisory Session Join The Emerald Lounge: our exclusive backstage area for event organisers and musicians Are you: Agent Musician Venue Planning your own event Subscribe Thanks for submitting!

​ ​ Thank you for visiting us! We're thrilled to connect with you and learn more about your event and music requirements. Let's explore how we can make it truly unforgettable. Fill out the form below or book a Complimentary Consultation to discuss your fabulous occasion in detail. We look forward to speaking with you soon. With love, Kerri & The Dixiebird Team. ​ ​ Let's Chat! hello@dixiebirdrecords.com

Kerri Layton Music Kerri Layton is a singer-songwriter, bandleader, jazz vocalist, and creative entrepreneur. In 2018 she was a finalist in the prestigious Peter Whittingham Jazz Award, for her original composition 'Lady of The Dead' . Kerri has worked as a vocalist with various record labels such as Awesome Records and NYC label, Leesta Vall. Kerri performs with multiple bands, touring Europe and performing at Glastonbury Festival, Alexandra Palace, Hackney Empire, and more. Kerri has featured on BBC Radio 4, Alb TV, and ITV and lives and performs in the UK, where she runs her agency Dixiebird Records and her coaching business for artists. ED VUILLIAMY "The velvet of Deitrich, the silk of Diana Ross, the exposed nerve of Bessie Smith, the gravel of Billie Holiday, the lungs of Grace Slick and the soul of her own very special sound" "A rising star in the blues heaven’ MAX HAYMES, BLUES HISTORIAN JOOGLEBERRY “We love to book Kerri for our events because she’s enthusiastic, reliable and of course very talented!” Sue Popper, Joogleberry Agency THE STAGE "A million dollars at any years prices' KERRI'S MUM "Bloody amazing" MAX HAYMES