Thurane AungKhin

thurane's father was a Burmese immigrant and his mother was of German-Irish descent. She sang him lullabies at bedtime and many were Christian spirituals. thurane took piano lessons, struggled with the violin, sang in choir and played the baritone horn in concert band throughout grade school and junior high. He was introduced to the guitar and rock-n-roll through Elvis Presley albums his parents had, forming his first rock bands The Purple Platters and The Golden Pacers with friend Paul Cooley. Mesmerized by the Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Boston, Van Halen and some '80s rock, thurane rejected his peers' witness for Christ and formed various secular rock groups during high school including Malice and No Respect. Playing bars, parties and high school functions, he simultaneously achieved straight As in jazz lab in high school receiving a soloist award at the Arizona State jazz competition. He showed promise early on as an accomplished musician and guitarist. thurane moved from hard rock and metal guitar influences to rockabilly. "The roots of rock-n-roll come from Elvis, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Gene Vincent, Bill Haley, The Burnette Brothers, Eddie Cochran and the Do-Wop groups. The British Invasion is an extension of that music, taking it to the next level. Cream, Hendrix and Led Zeppelin took it further still," says thurane. His first professional achievement was the recording of a single, "She's My Baby" & "Goin' To Alaska", playing guitar on it with rockabilly artist Tim Evans. He also backed legendary Phoenix rockabilly artist Elgin Macmillan. While pursuing an intense desire to create music, thurane left home at eighteen. The pressures of earning a living and working with uncommitted musicians forced thurane to return home, which inspired his first steps towards God and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. thurane prayed to receive Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior. Two years later he briefly returned to secular music, co-founding Led Zeppelin stylized group Nowhere Fast. As he studied the bible and learned about discipleship, thurane learned about total spiritual commitment in all areas of life. Leaving the band and taking a sabbatical from the music industry, he was baptized. Rick Schell of Campus Crusade for Christ discipled thurane. They focused on prayer, fasting, church activities and serving God in various outreaches and homeless aid programs. thurane ran sound and assisted with supporting the artists who sang at his church, avoiding performance. However, motivated by a need for a music minister at his church, thurane led worship services for the small congregation at Camelback Community Church. Inspired by the energy of hymns, inspirational, praise and worship and adult contemporary Christian music, thurane played guitar with ministries Seeds of Salvation (SOS) and His Destiny. Douglas Scott Doiron asked him to play guitar and produce his "Winds of Change" EP. During that time thurane secured his first publishing contracts. He also laid down tracks for what later became the first New Jerusalem CD, and finalized additional publishing and distribution arrangements. Returning to secular music for a brief time, he played guitar with local Arizona rock legend Michael Nitro. They opened for notable artists Gin Blossoms, Rick Springfield and Gerry Riopelle. A notable appearance at the 98 KUPD radio station event "U-Fest" in Arizona was featured at the famous Compton Terrace outdoor arena. Still desiring to establish a Led Zeppelin stylized Christian band, thurane established New Jerusalem with Randall James Householder as vocalist. After releasing the EP "Foundation" and independent CD "New Jerusalem", he signed their first record deal with Gray Dot/Bulletproof Music. Selling respectably and reaching hard rock fans, their song "Take Me Home" reached #32 on the Christian rock charts and is included in the ABC made-for-TV movie "What We Did That Night"/"Murder At Devil's Glen". "Take Me Home" is published by DSM Producers/Warner/Tamerlane. "Living In the Light" reached #11 on the Christian Loud Chart. New Jerusalem is unique in that a special NJ trading card from the Cactus Game Design game Redemption is featured exclusively in the New Jerusalem CD; and NJ music is included in the CDROM game Saints of Virtue. "Con Express" features NJ song "Final Stand", penned by thurane. Moving into Adult Contemporary, Inspirational and Praise & Worship music, thurane formed Kenyon Grey with Kenn Long (from Phoenix group Destiny). They signed a deal with RCM Records, owned by Rudy Morales of King David, a national progressive rock group based in Phoenix. The first Kenyon Grey single "Heaven In Your Eyes" charted in the top 100 at the CCMA and is to be featured in "A Fairy's Tale", screenplay written by Kenn. After marrying and becoming a stepfather in 2001, thurane prayed and did a lot of soul searching concerning a solo career. He felt led by God to establish a solo music ministry, worshiping & praising God in song with music inspired by Him. thurane lives with wife Renada and stepson Torrey in Phoenix, Arizona. He loves spending time with his wife and stepson, watching movies and working out. thurane also likes to spend time in prayer and worship with an appreciation of art and music. Currently, thurane is the Worship Arts Director at Valley Community Church in Peoria, AZ..