Urban Design Group Principal, Ken Rhyne, Creating Award-Winning Interiors

Noted Native American Designer Ken Rhyne, a Principal with Urban Design Group, has won many awards for his interior design and architectural projects over the years. Now, his veteran blues ensemble, the Ken Rhyne Band, is once again making the charts and gaining popularity.

·         Rhyne’s music charted at #17 on AirPlay Direct’s “TOP 50 Blues Albums” for April 2011.

·         Listen to Ken’s complete songs on AirPlayDirect at www.AirPlayDirect.com/KenRhyne.  (Radio stations with an account can download the songs for airplay.)

Atlanta (GA), April 19, 2011 – Ken Rhyne, a Principal with Urban Design Group, is a noted interior designer and pivotal part of the leadership team at the firm. He is also a former professional athlete and a legendary blues and southern rock artist with a band that is once again climbing the charts.

“Ken is a true renaissance man and adds depth and dimension to our firm,” said Don Buenger, fellow Principal with UDG. “I’m proud to be Ken’s business partner and also his friend.  Ken is a true creative genius in terms of his interior design abilities and musical skills. I am delighted to see his music gaining popularity because he really is a great performer, and I look forward to showcasing his talents at special performances for our team and clients.”

Rhyne believes his creativity in music and design compliments each other and helps him develop unique solutions whether in the design studio or the recording studio. Rhyne’s music intertwines with his design work in a number of ways. He has created jingles and songs for clients and projects to help reinforce the design concept and spur creativity. Rhyne also enjoys entertaining fellow employees and clients at special performances, and he plans to host a special UDG event in the near future. 

He is also very interested in having the band play at gaming conferences the firm participates in such as the National Indian Gaming Conference (NIGA), Oklahoma Indian Gaming Association (OIGA) and the Reservation Economic Summit & American Indian Business Trade Fair (RES 2011). Ken’s band is scheduled to perform at the Avi Casino Resort owned by the Fort Mojave Apache in Laughlin, NV on September 10, 2011.

“We are also planning to cross promote UDG and the band with performances to benefit animal rescue groups,” said Rhyne. “I am also developing a pro-bono design for the proposed Jackson County Humane Society, since they currently do not have a shelter and are working to raise funds with a Fur Ball and other special events to construct a future facility. As individuals, and as a firm, we look for unique ways to lend our talents and give back to our local communities.”

Rhyne is regarded by many as one of the most accomplished blues rock/southern rock artists of our time. His album “Caught You White Handed” went to #1 across the Canadian charts upon release in 2008, followed by an “Album of the Year” nomination at the Native American Music Awards.

In January 2011, songs from the album were re-released to radio programmers internationally breathing new life into his music throughout the US and other countries. Songs from the album are once again finding their way onto music charts. The album charted at #17 on AirPlay Direct’s “TOP 50 Blues Albums” for April 2011, and the Ken Rhyne Band was ranked as one of the “Top Nine Unsigned Bands in the World” by the International Blues Challenge, Memphis, TN.

“The great thing about Native America is that its diversity is as pure as its similarities. Language, arts, clothing, food and even music parallel while at the same time venturing a stray. Ken Rhyne is one of these Yen and Yangs,” said Chipa Wolfe, respected Native American educator and founder of the cultural arts production company, Rolling Thunder Enterprises. “A Tuscarora man of many talents, Ken ventured to the south where he has pursued his love of the Blues, singing them, writing them, and musically, living them. With 30 years of Blues Harp under his belt and over a quarter century of nightclubs, juke joints and taverns showcasing his masterful sounds, it is no wonder that Ken Rhyne is always on top of his game.”

The Ken Rhyne Band is currently performing throughout the Eastern seaboard and is also working in the studio completing a new album titled “One Last Time” with a tentative release date for the summer of 2011. Rhyne plays harmonica and lends his vocal talents to the band. Other band members include: Ric Seymour (guitar and vocals), Bobby Mobley (keyboards), Ned Suddreth (percussion and vocals) and Van Miller (bass). The band is based in Atlanta and records with the Fat City Records label

Rhyne’s album may be heard on AirPlayDirect at www.AirPlayDirect.com/KenRhyne.  Radio stations with an account can download the songs for airplay. For additional information about the Ken Rhyne Band, please contact Myra Chapman, Publicist/Promoter/Media Relations at 864-8980-0376 (office) 864-404-0338 (cell) or visit www.Allindianz.com or www.AirPlayDirect.com/Allindianz.

Through his design, music and civic involvement, Rhyne has served as an advocate for Native American issues throughout his life. He is a Tuscarora Indian and a nationally-recognized designer with a talent for respectfully incorporating tribal culture into museums, cultural centers and other types of facilities. Rhyne is also a member of the Pfeiffer University Baseball Hall of Fame and was a minor league player for the Washington Senators and Texas Rangers.

Rhyne, Allied AIA, is a member of the American Indian Council of Architects and Engineers (AICAE). He has over 35 years of experience in conceptual architectural and interior design projects. His national portfolio includes the Museum of the Seven Feathers in South Carolina, Weedon Island Preserve Educational Center in Florida, Red Hawk Casino in California and the award-winning Cultural Resources Center for the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian and the Kampen Eagle Wing Center in Indiana.

Urban Design Group offers architectural, interior design, planning and urban design services to its worldwide clientele from studios in Atlanta, GA, and Dallas, TX. A market leader in the application and advancement of Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology, UDG’s personnel work on a wide range of projects from hospitality and gaming to corporate and mixed-use.

In the firm’s 36-year history, Urban Design Group has completed more than $6 Billion dollars in projects worldwide. The firm has received more than 80 design excellence awards and honors, 15 design competition awards and has been featured in hundreds of magazine articles, newspaper pieces and design resource books. For more information, please visit www.urbandesigngroup.com. 

Source: Tilt Marketing