Whitnye Raquel is one of Texas’ rising new artists. She continues to make an impression with her songwriting, live performances, and continual contribution to the local music scene in Fort Worth. Her talent and style are admired by a rapidly expanding fan base, and she is praised by her contemporaries for her grit and integrity.
Her roots run through America’s heartland, where folks dream big in places like Boulder County, Colorado, where Whitnye was born, and Ryan, Oklahoma, where she was raised to the tunes of Merle Haggard and Joe Stamply. Still a child, her family moved to the outskirts of Wichita Falls, Texas, where she got her first guitar at the age of ten. It was a half-sized Harmony guitar.
Whitnye came from generations of family players, but broke the mold as the first lady in the family to play music. She quickly grew into the sounds of Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, Neil Young, and Bob Dillon. By age 16, she was performing any place she could, sometimes even lying about her age to make a gig. Songwriting became as essential to her as playing and performing, the release and self expression being evident in lyric and melody.
College drew her to the DFW area, where she quickly learned that on the FW side of the Metroplex a talented, hardworking musician can earn a living. She started out doing open mics at the White Elephant Saloon in the Fort Worth Stockyards with Jordan Mycoskie and Brad Hines. After a few key pointers from friend and mentor Cody Jinks, Whitnye started climbing, determined to make it to the top.
Since 2008 Whitnye has played over 150 shows a year and has shared the stage with fellow artists: Guthrie Kennard, The Bellamy Brothers, Luke Wade, Sam Anderson, Josh Weathers, John Anderson, Cody Jinks, Scott Copeland, Charlie Schafter, Amos Staggs, and Blacktop Gypsy.
Whitnye’s first work was her debut EP titled All My Truths, which was released in November of 2012 and is available on iTunes. The tracks are a soulful blend of creative and wistful, with inspiring lyrics and music that create a sense of longing for a loved one, or a time gone by. The EP was published by Late August Publishing. Additionally in 2012, Whitnye signed on with Smith Entertainment. These are two steps toward the top for the budding young career of an all-American artist, who with talent, dedication, and determination, has already made it far beyond what many dare to dream.
Raquel recently recorded her second project at Solarity Studios, an EP that is not easily pigeonholed into any single genre. The new album consists of a melodic blend of electro, folk, and school yard grunge. The EP, titled "Snowmobiles" was released in 2018.