Christopher Kent Biography

The short version:

Christopher Kent is a lifelong singer-songwriter and recording artist, and a past winner of the New York Songwriters’ Competition; he’s also a professional writer and editor who has authored more than 200 published how-to, science and general-interest articles. He’s currently releasing new fully produced recordings and written-word pieces  on this website every month; his songs are now getting more than 20,000 streams per year (via online services like Spotify, Pandora, etc.). Christopher has released seven albums, four of which are available on CD,  and is currently releasing new tracks that will be part of  albums #8 and #9: Who Are You, Anyway? and Journeys. He’s also released numerous singles, including several original Christmas songs that will soon comprise a Christmas album, Songs of the Season.

Christopher still occasionally plays live at music festivals and clubs in the tri-state area. He’s currently finishing his second book, The Tyranny of Certainty, and working on a how-to songwriting book based on the course he taught in New York City called Songwriting Demystified: What To Do, How To Do It, and Why It Works.

The long version:

Christopher Kent is a lifelong singer-songwriter and recording artist; he’s also a professional writer and editor who has authored more than 200 published how-to, science and general-interest articles. He’s currently releasing new fully produced recordings and written-word pieces  on this website every month; his songs are now getting more than 20,000 streams per year (via online services like Spotify, Pandora, etc.)

As a young musician Christopher spent four years touring North America, Europe and Japan with the American Boychoir, where he received intensive training in voice and music theory. In high school and college he taught himself to play guitar and began writing songs and performing in local venues. During this time he also began writing essays and short novels and developed a lifelong interest in human behavior, leading to a Bachelor’s degree in psychology at Haverford College.

After college Christopher moved to New York City where he continued to nurture his twin interests in music and writing. In the ensuing years he became a winner of the New York Songwriters’ Competition, held at that time by the major music publishers of New York. Meanwhile, he performed in dozens of clubs throughout the region, including the Bitter End; in addition to solos shows, he opened for well-known acts like Grammy-winner Janis Ian. Christopher also served as a musical representative for the New York City Parks Department and Hospital Audiences, Inc. (since renamed the Healing Arts Initiative). During this time Christopher also taught a highly praised songwriting course for five years, attended by more than 300 students. Meanwhile, to keep his written-word skills honed, he helped pay the rent by creating educational materials for several companies, eventually becoming a staff writer for two science/medical trade magazines.

In the Philadelphia area, Christopher appeared multiple times on the Kid’s Corner radio program on WXPN, opened for Francis Dunnery at the Tin Angel, and gave a popular five-part songwriting lecture series at the Barnes & Noble superstore in downtown Philadelphia.

Christopher has released seven albums, four of which are available on CD,  and is currently releasing new tracks that will be part of  albums #8 and #9: Who Are You, Anyway? and Journeys. He’s also released numerous singles, including several original Christmas songs that will soon comprise a Christmas album, Songs of the Season. The first Christmas song Chris released — the title song, Songs of the Season — was reviewed at axs.com, an industry website; the reviewer called it “Christopher Kent’s holiday masterpiece….perhaps the best holiday standard you’ve never heard.” Songs of the Season was also a finalist for Best Holiday Song in the JPF International Songwriting Competition. Chris’s recordings have been heard on radio stations across the country, and the recording he made of his poem ‘Twas the Day of Thanksgiving has become a holiday staple on many of them.

Today Christopher devotes most of his time to writing and producing new written and musical material,  although he still occasionally appears at music festivals and clubs in the tri-state area. He’s currently finishing his second book, The Tyranny of Certainty, and working on a how-to songwriting book based on the course he taught in New York City called Songwriting Demystified: What To Do, How To Do It, and Why It Works. He  currently lives in Pennsylvania with his wife Lynn, where he recently completed his 170th song.