INTRODUCING :
THE BRICKLEY BRAY PROJECT

The Brickley Bray Project is the fusion of spoken word poetry with various styles of music to create works of art. Each piece is inspired by life events. Sometimes these events are everyday experiences of everyday people. Sometimes these events have an impact on  everyday experiences of everyday people. No matter what the inspiration of each piece, the goal is to create something that will touch people. The goal is to create something people can listen to for comfort, validation, and  inspiration. 

Latest News

The Brickley Bray Project's "A Random Act Of Kindness" is on 5 Top 10 Lists,
Ohio #1
Production - Female Vocals #10
Production - Up Tempo #5
R&B - Contemporary #1
R&B #7
and "Be Silent No Longer" is still on Broadjam's Spoken Word Top 10, holding spot #7.

The Brickley Bray Project Bio

The Brickley Bray Project grew from seeds of creativity planted by Bill and Diane Bray.
Bill has been writing music and songs since early in his childhood. He began to record these songs on cassette tapes. He wrote, practiced, performed, and recorded his music in his home studio. Diane has been writing poetry since the second grade. After several years of Bill working on his music and Diane writing poetry, they finally decided that they should work together.

They started collaborating on songs in 2010. Either Diane wrote poetry and Bill created the music or Bill wrote the music and Diane wrote the lyrics. Often it was the former, rather than the latter.

Never having written lyrics, Bill had to teach Diane to cue on beats and rhythms to match patterns of words to music. The first success of this nature were songs included on the CD "So Much To Say" featuring local singer/songwriter, Leonard Todd. "So Much To Say" was released in 2013.

After the experience of "So Much To Say" Bill and Diane realized that they wanted to work together, without outside involvement. The couple wanted to be able to combine their respective talents and create something that could be enjoyed forever. They needed to find something to do together.

Bill continued writing music and recording songs. Diane wrote poetry and rhyming books for children. Books that she illustrated and he published. They tried other roads but none led to the destination they sought. At the time both were working at their "punch in jobs". Bill was working in their studio writing, recording, and producing songs whenever he had the time and energy. Diane wrote at home and on the job. She took any free moment she had to write down an idea or lyric. They both had the "punch in job" they financially needed and the job of creating that they loved. Their dream, to combine the two. The goal to make the job of creating, the job they financially needed.

Bill and Diane found that promotion of their creations is the key to success. And promotion is not easy. Promotion is a full-time job in itself. Plus, they needed something that they could work together, side by side as a collaborative team.

In 2014, Diane and Bill were following the "Occupy Wall Street" movement and watching it grow. They identified with and supported the issues that the movement took on. It was during this time that "Be Silent No Longer" was born. The poem was first completed on St. Valentine's Day, 2014. It started weeks earlier as an eight verse poem. By St. Valentine's Day, it had more than doubled. Today it is 4 minutes and 11 seconds of Poetry Fusion. It is a full 21 verses long.

"Be Silent No Longer" was first performed before the Unitarian Universalist Society congregation during their annual "Hyde Park Services" on July 12, 2015. It was well received and the couple was encouraged to continue to perform the piece. Bill accompanied Diane's reading of the poem with a song he had written several years earlier. Bill decided that the poem deserved its own music. He wrote new music to compliment the poem. Taking the words, the rhythm, and the message of the poem to heart, Bill gave "Be Silent No Longer" new life and a stronger voice.

The next step was to find a proper description for this genre. They needed to find a phrase that would correctly convey the creation that wrapped the spoken word in music. They needed something to allow people to understand how they had joined his music and her poetry. "Poetry Fusion" was born.

Now, came the task of finding a name for themselves. They didn't want to confine themselves to political messaging, romantic or playful themes, nor ballad like productions. These two had a vision that went beyond one type of poetry or music. They have collectively gathered nearly a century of emotion and experience in their poetry and music. It was more than a life's work for them. It is their life's project. It is something that they will both do always. The name had to reflect this. After much discussion and deliberation, they became The Brickley Bray Project.