Cover Story

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.

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

University of Central Arkansas. The couple married that same year. While in Conway Jim formed the Jim Ranger Band, “I played all around Arkansas during that time and developed as a writer and a performer. All the while leading worship and serving at local churches.” 2005 would find Jim and Camilla back in Bakersfield, “I took the job as worship leader in my dad’s church, New Life Church. I’ve had many roles in the church since then.” The couple currently serves as Campus Pastors.

Jim has quite the performance portfolio that spans the last 25 years, “I have performed at House of Blues in Hollywood. I sang the National Anthem for the Lakers around 20 times. I played music in Orlando, Dallas, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Arkansas, Tennessee, Seattle and the Crystal Palace in Bakersfield. I’ve always known that I want to perform.”

Jim received the call to come audition for The Voice in December of 2019. The show started in the summer of 2020. Jim performed Keith Urbans “Blue ain’t Your Color” for his blind audition, and nailed it! Judge John Legend turned his chair in the first 15 seconds, followed by Gwen Stefani at the 29 second mark. Jim’s wife and their three children Laila, Caen and Deagan watched on, ecstatic and overjoyed by the response their husband and father was receiving. If you watch the video you can see Kelly Clarkson is singing along when Blake Shelton slams the red button and turns his chair at one minute 28 seconds. The trash-talk between the judges ensued with John Legend showing a campaign ad portraying Shelton as a liar! Good hearted laughter followed and Jim was finally left to make his decision. After a few deep breaths and nervous inner deliberation, Jim picked Blake Shelton.

Blake would coach Jim through the 2020 season and perform a duet of Dwight Yoakam and Buck Owens’ “Streets of Bakersfield’’ during the Live Finale Part 2 on The Voice. Jim shared with Blake, “I was just hoping to sing in front of you when I came here. Now I get to sing with you! This is spectacular!”

Jim would find himself runner-up at the end of the season. He has many memories to carry forward with him into his life wherever it might lead. Jim shared the biggest reason he auditioned, “I wanted to show my children it is never too late to follow your dreams.” * “Streets of Bakersfield” is a 1973 song written by Homer Joy and popularized by Buck Owens. N

“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.”