Krista Branch
Encyclopedia
Krista Branch is a singer from East Texas
. Branch was a contestant on American Idol, but was eliminated early in the process. She is known for her 2010 single "I Am America" that has been called the anthem of the Tea Party movement
. The song became the official song of Herman Cain
's presidential campaign
. Krista married her husband Michael Branch in 2000. Michael is a pastor and wrote "I Am America" for Krista. He also works for Cain's campaign. Krista and her husband currently live in Nashville, Tennessee
with their three children.
in East Texas
, but moved out-of-state with her family at the age of 14. Krista also lived in Oklahoma
for part of her childhood. Krista married her husband Michael Branch in the year 2000, and they have since had three children together. When Krista Branch and her husband were living in Colorado Springs, their youngest child, Kenna, nearly drowned in their bathtub. Kenna was resuscitated by EMTs after being without oxygen for an estimated eight to ten minutes. Despite being without oxygen for such a duration of time, a CT scan showed the child's brain activity to be normal. Michael and Krista attributed their child's survival and health to the power of prayer. This event would later be the subject of a story on the 700 Club.
In order to focus on her music career, Krista and her family moved to Nashville, Tennessee
in 2010.
, she auditioned for the seventh season of American Idol and was chosen by the judges to move on to the preliminary round in Hollywood, though footage of her performance was not included on the show. A week later she was eliminated from the competition.
Two years later, Krista would release her first successful single "I Am America" on YouTube
. Her husband Michael wrote the song in response to criticism of the Tea Party protests from Democrats
. In an interview for Billy Kelly of the Washington Times
' Tea Party Report, Krista told how soon after her husband wrote the song he had her quickly learn the lyrics and then recorded her performing the song. In the music video, footage of Tea Party rallies is interspersed with scenes of Krista singing on a sound stage and kids holding signs containing political messages and scripture.
The single was played on the July 7, 2010 broadcast of Glenn Beck
's radio show and a week later Fox News host Bill O'Reilly
devoted a portion of his “Pinheads and Patriots” segment to the song, saying that "for honoring legitimate protest" Branch was a patriot. Glenn Beck played another Krista Branch song titled "Remember Who We Are" on his radio program early in August of that year. This song was featured in a video from Branch promoting Beck's Restoring Honor rally
on August 28, 2010.
"I Am America" was later adopted by 2012 Republican presidential primary
candidate Herman Cain as his campaign
's official theme. Cain said when interviewed about the song, "The first time I heard that song, the message was so right-on I felt goose bumps just listening to it." A campaign ad featuring the song was shown on The Colbert Report with comedian Stephen Colbert satirically claiming Cain got the line "I Am America" from his book I Am America (And So Can You!)
. Several parodies of the ad were then shown on the program using the song.
Krista released a new single on August 22, 2011 called "Lead Me On", a cover of the Amy Grant song. The song was described as "pro-Israel" with a corresponding music video containing imagery related to the history of the Jewish people, including a prominent emphasis on the Holocaust.
Outside the United States Krista has performed for audiences in Guatemala
and Slovakia
. In Slovakia she performed at concerts, rallies, and school assemblies for 20,000 teens.
East Texas
East Texas is a distinct geographic and ecological area in the U.S. state of Texas.According to the Handbook of Texas, the East Texas area "may be separated from the rest of Texas roughly by a line extending from the Red River in north central Lamar County southwestward to east central Limestone...
. Branch was a contestant on American Idol, but was eliminated early in the process. She is known for her 2010 single "I Am America" that has been called the anthem of the Tea Party movement
Tea Party movement
The Tea Party movement is an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009...
. The song became the official song of Herman Cain
Herman Cain
Herman Cain is a candidate for the 2012 U.S. Republican Party presidential nomination.Cain has a background as a business executive, syndicated columnist, and radio host from Georgia. He served as chairman and CEO of Godfather's Pizza from 1986 to 1996...
's presidential campaign
Herman Cain presidential campaign, 2012
Businessman, radio host, former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, and former United States Senate candidate Herman Cain of Georgia began a campaign for the 2012 Republican Party nomination for President of the United States shortly after the 2010 midterm elections.Although he was...
. Krista married her husband Michael Branch in 2000. Michael is a pastor and wrote "I Am America" for Krista. He also works for Cain's campaign. Krista and her husband currently live in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
with their three children.
Personal life
Krista was born in Mount PleasantMount Pleasant, Texas
Mount Pleasant is the county seat and largest city of Titus County in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2000 census, Mount Pleasant's population was 13,935. It is the county seat of Titus County, and is situated in Northeast Texas. This town, by city ordinance, is dry to sell alcoholic beverages....
in East Texas
East Texas
East Texas is a distinct geographic and ecological area in the U.S. state of Texas.According to the Handbook of Texas, the East Texas area "may be separated from the rest of Texas roughly by a line extending from the Red River in north central Lamar County southwestward to east central Limestone...
, but moved out-of-state with her family at the age of 14. Krista also lived in Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
for part of her childhood. Krista married her husband Michael Branch in the year 2000, and they have since had three children together. When Krista Branch and her husband were living in Colorado Springs, their youngest child, Kenna, nearly drowned in their bathtub. Kenna was resuscitated by EMTs after being without oxygen for an estimated eight to ten minutes. Despite being without oxygen for such a duration of time, a CT scan showed the child's brain activity to be normal. Michael and Krista attributed their child's survival and health to the power of prayer. This event would later be the subject of a story on the 700 Club.
In order to focus on her music career, Krista and her family moved to Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
in 2010.
Music career
Branch began singing in her youth at church in Texas. While living in Bixby, OklahomaBixby, Oklahoma
Bixby is a city in Tulsa and Wagoner counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and is a suburb of Tulsa. The population was 13,336 at the 2000 census and 20,884 in the 2010 census. It is nicknamed "The Garden Spot of Oklahoma" for its rich agrarian heritage...
, she auditioned for the seventh season of American Idol and was chosen by the judges to move on to the preliminary round in Hollywood, though footage of her performance was not included on the show. A week later she was eliminated from the competition.
Two years later, Krista would release her first successful single "I Am America" on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. Her husband Michael wrote the song in response to criticism of the Tea Party protests from Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. In an interview for Billy Kelly of the Washington Times
The Washington Times
The Washington Times is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. It was founded in 1982 by Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon, and until 2010 was owned by News World Communications, an international media conglomerate associated with the...
' Tea Party Report, Krista told how soon after her husband wrote the song he had her quickly learn the lyrics and then recorded her performing the song. In the music video, footage of Tea Party rallies is interspersed with scenes of Krista singing on a sound stage and kids holding signs containing political messages and scripture.
The single was played on the July 7, 2010 broadcast of Glenn Beck
Glenn Beck
Glenn Edward Lee Beck is an American conservative radio host, vlogger, author, entrepreneur, political commentator and former television host. He hosts the Glenn Beck Program, a nationally syndicated talk-radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks...
's radio show and a week later Fox News host Bill O'Reilly
Bill O'Reilly (political commentator)
William James "Bill" O'Reilly, Jr. is an American television host, author, syndicated columnist and political commentator. He is the host of the political commentary program The O'Reilly Factor on the Fox News Channel, which is the most watched cable news television program on American television...
devoted a portion of his “Pinheads and Patriots” segment to the song, saying that "for honoring legitimate protest" Branch was a patriot. Glenn Beck played another Krista Branch song titled "Remember Who We Are" on his radio program early in August of that year. This song was featured in a video from Branch promoting Beck's Restoring Honor rally
Restoring Honor rally
The Restoring Honor rally was held on August 28, 2010 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. and was organized by Glenn Beck to "restore honor in America" and to raise funds for the non-profit Special Operations Warrior Foundation. Billed as a "celebration of America's heroes and heritage,"...
on August 28, 2010.
"I Am America" was later adopted by 2012 Republican presidential primary
Republican Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2012
The 2012 Republican presidential primaries are the selection processes in which voters of the Republican Party will choose their nominee for President of the United States in the 2012 presidential election. The primary contest began with a fairly wide field, and is the first presidential primary...
candidate Herman Cain as his campaign
Herman Cain presidential campaign, 2012
Businessman, radio host, former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, and former United States Senate candidate Herman Cain of Georgia began a campaign for the 2012 Republican Party nomination for President of the United States shortly after the 2010 midterm elections.Although he was...
's official theme. Cain said when interviewed about the song, "The first time I heard that song, the message was so right-on I felt goose bumps just listening to it." A campaign ad featuring the song was shown on The Colbert Report with comedian Stephen Colbert satirically claiming Cain got the line "I Am America" from his book I Am America (And So Can You!)
I Am America (And So Can You!)
I Am America is a 2007 satirical bestseller book by American comedian Stephen Colbert and the writers of The Colbert Report. It was released on October 9, 2007, with the audiobook edition released several days earlier. The book is loosely structured around the fictional life story of Stephen...
. Several parodies of the ad were then shown on the program using the song.
Krista released a new single on August 22, 2011 called "Lead Me On", a cover of the Amy Grant song. The song was described as "pro-Israel" with a corresponding music video containing imagery related to the history of the Jewish people, including a prominent emphasis on the Holocaust.
Outside the United States Krista has performed for audiences in Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
and Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
. In Slovakia she performed at concerts, rallies, and school assemblies for 20,000 teens.