Published on March 27th, 2022 | by Dr. Jerry Doby

Kitt Wakeley – Making One’s Own Path In Life

Life as an entity is difficult to explain. From the beginning of time, many famous and genius minds have pondered on what the meaning of life is but to this day, no one can give a definition to it. The main reason is that all humans have different goals in life and aspirations they want to pursue. Although there are a few factors where the majority of gals co-align, there are still different paths taken to arrive at their respective destination. If put in layman’s way, life is a never-ending maze that only ends when the person does. This maze is different for everyone, and no one can guide another along its route. This is why no one actually knows what the right path to take is. Each turn in this maze involves making decisions and sacrifices that might seem impossible but are imperative for achieving higher goals. One person who made his way through this maze and conquered it from all aspects is a famous businessman, pianist, songwriter, and producer Kitt Wakeley.

During life, a person will face many decisions that seem impossible. Regardless of which option a person chooses, it might seem wrong at the time because the future is ever-changing and unseen by anyone. Because of this uncertainty, people often need to sacrifice many of their dreams in order to ensure their future. Financial stability has been the priority on everyone’s mind since the dawn of civilization. In modern times, only a wealthy and famed person is considered to have achieved success in life. Society has adopted a norm to push every newer generation to only prioritize wealth as it is considered that without money, happiness is impossible. Many talents have been lost due to the pressure imposed by social norms of devoting all efforts to only becoming rich. Kitt Wakeley almost became another name in the long list of people who gave their dreams up under the pressure of society.

Kitt is a Memphis, Tennesse native and was born on 3 June 1979 as an orphan Kitt had not much to look forward to with nothing to motivate him as a child. But this changed once the music came into his life. As a child, he would spend much of his time listening and trying to repeat beautiful melodies. Others constantly told him to devote his time to things that would benefit his future and not waste it on music. A child learns from their elders, and if it was not for his new adoptive parents coming into the picture, music would have never become such a big part of his life. Kitt was adopted at the age of 8 by Jack and Linda Wakely and moved to Holdenville, Oklahoma.

There Kitt started a new chapter in his life which was focused on improving his musical abilities. Jack and Linda were both openly supportive of Kitt’s interests and motivated him to do everything to achieve them. Kitt started his endeavors by mastering the trumpet and then moved on to the keyboards, from which he gradually transitioned to synthesizer instruments. At the age of 16, he had gained enough mastery over the art of music that he was awarded airtime on the Oklahoma radio. This achievement was a big confidence booster that helped him devote more time to his musical skills.

Growing up, Kitt played with bands of different genres in an endeavor to increase his exposure to the different types of music available. By the end of his high school years, he had gained enough experience and fame in his community that he was given multiple offers of sponsorship from music programs across the state. However, at this point, seeing and meeting with people of different walks of life brought his attention to the unfortunate realities of this world. Being afraid of going down the wrong road, Kitt decided to change paths towards one that was promoted by society. Therefore he enrolled in East Central University and secured a bachelor’s in Pre-Law and Sociology. He also opted to secure a master’s in Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma. During his studies, his love of music’s sheer intensity implored him to keep aside some time spent on practicing music. It was during these times that he developed an interest in the EDM genre. He tried experimenting with the genre and giving it his personal touch by blending electronica with rock and other genres.

After graduation, Kitt started a venture with his business partner John P. Jiles called Medicorp. The company dealt with medical billing, consulting, and cost reporting services. The business gained streamlined success to become a market leader and was later established as an umbrella corporation called Valir Health. Wakeley had achieved all that any person could want in life. The remaining of his days were guaranteed to be stress-free with the world as his oysters, but there was still a gap in his heart. His initial goal of becoming a star in the music industry did not let him become fulfilled with his current success.

Therefore, when anyone else would relax and enjoy the fruit of their labor, Kitt decided to restart his musical journey. His days spent experimenting with the different genres led him to focus his efforts on orchestration. Kitt, after hours of hard work and practice, released his first album called Cinematic Chaos. This album was a hybrid of rock and EDM. Due to the popularity of this album, he was invited to become a member of the National academy of Recordings and Sciences(NARAS). His musical journey continued on the different stages of Eastern Europe, with his name and talents gaining more recognition. In 2015, Kitt released his second album, Midnight in Macedonia, which was the debut for his personal-made genre of orchestral rock. Showcasing a new spin to highly regarded genres in music is a big gamble as it could either make or break a career. Fortunately, this gamble paid off in Kitt’s case as it gained mass applaud and recognition from the audience. This album received Grammy ballots in four categories that are testament to the superior quality of his music. His third release, Symphony of Sinners and Saints, hit number one on Billboard’s Crossover Classic charts.

Kitt’s name became so widely known and talent highly recognized that he was inducted into the Indie Music Hall of Fame in September 2021. His example can be gauged by being invited to perform at the famous Carnegie Hall of New York City.

Kitt is one of the few cases where a person was able to achieve both socially believed success and goals that were close to his heart. He was able to win on both planes because he never fully gave up on his aspirations. He is an inspiration to all who feel stuck and cornered by the difficulties in life. His story is a live example that with enough effort, one does not need to sacrifice all to achieve one goal.

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About the Author

Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.