Did you listen to the Children’s Bible Hour on the radio when you were a kid? Do you remember the voice of Uncle Charlie? Charlie VanderMeer read Christian stories for children for decades in his warm, conversational voice and often posed questions for reflection on the program he hosted. My sister actually got to see him in person when he visited the children at a bible camp she used to work at.
To be honest, I was always hankering for Adventures in Odyssey to come on and only stayed tuned for CBH which aired afterwards if I was really bored and there was nothing else to do. Perhaps I had gotten too old for it at that point. But I am thankful for such a faithful man who loved God and cared about kids. We hear so much scandal going on everywhere in the church these days, unfortunately. But Uncle Charlie was a bright spot in our world, and was a godly ambassador for Christ who reflected God’s love for such a long time. Praise God!
Hi, there! Quick post tonight about one of my favorite audiobook voice over talents: Scott Brick. The reason why I hold him in high storyteller esteem is because he, Pat Fraley, and Hilary Huber have conjointly perfected many of the techniques behind the creation of audiobooks. Not only is he easy and interesting to listen to, he just downright knows how to tell a story and do it well. If you have listened to at least 5 audiobooks, chances are he’s probably narrated at least one of them. I think his current tally is 600+.
Recently I’ve become addicted to the youtube channel VO Buzz Weekly. Scott Brick was the featured guest on one of their episodes, which I am sharing here for those interested:
I remember seven years ago. With a little tinny microphone and Windows Movie Maker as my editing tool, I performed my first two short stories for Librivox.org and a whole new world was opened to me. Immediately I knew what I had been searching for for years: I wanted to be an audiobook narrator/voice artist! A counselor suggested I read up on all I could find on the subject so that I knew what it took to get there.
I started my research on youtube, of course! And I learned about professional studios, home studios, how audiobooks were made. This was just as the audiobook boom hit and was growing in leaps and bounds. I learned about big names in the industry: Simon Vance, Scott Brick, Jim Daly… and Katherine Kellgren. Each one had their own unique voice, but Kellgren’s was a voice that contained culture, beautiful diction, and soul. I enjoyed watching any video I could find with her in it because I found her to be inspiring. I learned her background story of how she became an audiobook narrator (reading to her father who had a fatal illness). Every year when the Audie Awards were announced, her name was nominated for at least one– usually several– and she was a winner.
I was sad to hear that Katherine Kellgren passed away just a few weeks ago. She will leave such a big void within the audio world. Her beautiful, classical voice will be missed by her captive audience, as I’m sure will her person by the people who knew her.
(For the record, I’m really loving her bookshelves behind her as well!)
I’ve been enjoying watching the tv series Once Upon a Timefor a few years now. Sure, there are parts of it that I find hokey, and I get upset at some of the choices characters make, but there’s also something about the show that keeps me coming back for more of the continuing story. I think it’s because I see so many illustrations from the Bible in the characters. Not one episode goes by that I can’t think of a principle or a verse or warning from the book of Proverbs that suits the theme.
One of my favorite characters on the series is Lana Parilla’s version of the Evil Queen (aka, Regina Mills). There are several reasons why I’m interested in her, but the one I will focus on here is because I absolutely love to listen to her voice. Listen to the clip below and take note of any characteristics of her voice that strikes you:
What did you hear? Right away, you probably noticed her rich, alto voice. It pairs perfectly with the character Parilla plays because as soon as she enters the room, the others are at her command. Her voice contrasts with the others’ higher, breathier tones. She is able to communicate sarcasm or threat at will with a low, light touch. Lana can also sound sultry and dusky when she chooses. She shows such command of her voice and it makes for an interesting performance!
How does how she make you feel when you listen? Maybe chilly? The smile heard in her voice when she makes a threat gives one the impression she takes delight in being evil. She is not an easy person to love, even as Regina transforms throughout the show. I often picture porcupine quills stuck out all over her because of the pain you hear from her.
You also hear a lot of confidence and control in her voice. Part of what helps to make this happen is her confident body posture, because the voice is a physical thing coming from the body. Her’s is well grounded in who she is. We can all take a tip or two from her!
What are some tv characters you appreciate in large part because of their voice? I’d love to hear about them!
Introduction: A few months back I was writing an article on what our voices tell about us (see here). As I was writing, I got the idea of doing a new series on booklearned about voices that I find to be inspiring. This idea was also partly gotten from a discussion thread on the LibriVox forum, which I participated in and which you can view here. So today I will writing the first post in the “Inspiring Voices Series.” I hope you enjoy it!
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Some golden voices are from the days of yesteryear. And others are front and center in today’s news. One of the most striking voices of our time is the Prime Minister of the State of Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu. I won’t make any bones about him being a hero of mine. In a terrible world where Israel stands alone among the nations in defending herself, Netanyahu doesn’t back down. He was a great speaker even in his 20’s, but he’s gotten even better over the years. His courage, determination, and bearing demand respect, as does the country he represents.
Bam! Wake up, people! Netanyahu’s words convey truth and conviction. What are some of the characteristics we hear present in his voice? For one thing, he doesn’t pull any punches. His voice illustrates his frustration and a sense of urgency. Personally, I find that his commanding voice makes me sit up and take notice. His booming voice resonates from his broad frame; physical stature does affect our sound.
What about his voice affects you subconsciously? If you could not understand the words or see the video but could only listen to his sounds, what would be the emotions you would be feeling right now? Maybe anxiety; shame; uncomfortableness; solemnity… These are appropriate considering the circumstances.
His accent is thick and heavy, but only serves to illustrate the seriousness of his speech even more. Netanyahu also uses ‘deafening silence’ to make his point loud and clear. Only those glazed over by the prince of this world will fail to be affected by it.
What are your thoughts on the sounds of the voice in this clip? What are some of your favorite voices (past or present)?
Did you listen to the Children’s Bible Hour on the radio when you were a kid? Do you remember the voice of Uncle Charlie? Charlie VanderMeer read Christian stories for children for decades in his warm, conversational voice and often posed questions for reflection on the program he hosted. My sister actually got to see him in person when he visited the children at a bible camp she used to work at.
I’ve been enjoying watching the tv series 
booklearned 