Kimberlee Dannette Thomas is a Chandler, Oklahoma native. She relocated to Jackson County in 1986. She has five children, five grandchildren, is co-owner and creator of Eye On Magazine. She is recognized from her years of co-hosting on many Cable Channel 15 & 6 broadcast with Bud & David Black. She earned her Associates from ASUN in Fine Arts.
Cover Story
Following His Dream
Being him-self is exactly what Jim Ranger showed the world on Season 19 of NBC’s The Voice. He put his unmistakable style to the lyrics of a menagerie of wellknown tunes. His soulful rendition of “Without You”, a power ballad written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans of British rock group Badfinger and best remembered from Harry Nilsson’s 1971 single release, sent ripples of goosebumps from my head to my toes. He put his heart and soul into every performance, which can be found on Jim’s Facebook page, or The Voice page on YouTube and Facebook. When asked about his time on the show Jim shared, “My journey on the voice was the ride of a lifetime. I got to sing with some of the most talented musicians and artist, as well as work with some of the biggest names in the music industry.” Jim recalls the blind audition as being the most intense of all of his performances, “Because it was the first, I had so much adrenaline that I could feel it in my toes! But after I got through that round, I realized that no matter how big the stage was, it was still just music; The same thing that I’ve been doing since I was a little kid with my parents.” From that moment Jim was able to settle in and really enjoy every moment from there on out.
Jim was born in Newport, Arkansas to James and Lydia Ranger in 1982. The family then moved to Conway for a short season before traveling the country and settling in Bakersfield, California. “I was raised in music. My mom and dad are musicians and singers.” The family lived in a motorhome for a while and would go from place to place so that Jim’s parents could perform music at churches and festivals. Jim and his brother Jonathan would often accompany their parents during performances. When Jim’s father was called into the ministry at a church in Bakersfield the family settled there. “I started taking guitar at 13 and joined my first band at 16. I joined chamber choir at the same age which really helped me develop as a singer.” Jim attended Ridgeview High school in Bakersfield graduating in 2000. Jim’s Jackson County roots are strong, “My connections run very deep in Newport and the surrounding area. My family still lives all around that area, from both my mom and dad’s side of the family. I spent most of my summers there, as well as many Novembers for deer hunting season. My family goes back at least four generations in Jackson County.” Jim’s wife Camilla is also a Jackson County native. They have known each other since childhood. In 2002 Jim returned to Conway where Camilla was attending the
