Judy Wolter-Bailey is an award winning harpist; television, radio, and gospel recording artist heard around the globe. She has just completed her 15th album with Chapel Music, that join her two albums by Verlag Schulte & Gerth in Germany and her two music videos. Again her arranger/orchestrator is Tom Keene, best known for his arrangements on the Maranatha “Praise” albums. Tom is a Dove award nominee for his “Praise” albums. Judy is an twelve-time recipient of the coveted Silver Angel Award presented yearly in the famous historic Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California. She is a four time winner of the Best Inspirational Album of the Year Award. She is a three time winner of the Excellence in Media Award.
Judy is a native of Morganton, North Carolina and is the daughter of Pastor and Mrs. James Wolter of Fletcher, North Carolina. Her parents are the inspiration behind Judy taking harp lessons. Her mother as a child always dreamed of someday having a little girl who played the harp. While living in Glendale. California, Judy became enamored with a friend’s harp and her mother’s dream came true. Her father ended up driving her fifty miles one way to harp lessons each week.
Judy has been playing the harp since the age of nine and has performed on television, radio and in concert with choirs, symphonies and orchestras across the United States.
Judy’s first television appearance was in 1972, on Pastor Roy Naden’s program “Come Alive.” recorded at the Adventist Media Center then in Thousand Oaks, now in Simi Valley, California. She has recorded with “It is Written” television since 1987.
She has played with the Bratislava Orchestra, Czechoslovakia in 1987 (recorded on her album “Amadeus.” The same Orchestra that did the sound track to the Oscar Award Winning Movie “Amadeus”, the life of Mozart.
She is principal harpist of the Hendersonville, North Carolina Symphony. She is a member of the: Blue Ridge Harp Ensemble (Six of the area’s best harpists), Rosewood Trio, Braidstream, and American Harp Society. She is featured regularly worldwide on: “It Is Written religious telecast, Three Angels Broadcasting Network (Dominion Sky Angel channel 9710; Satellite GE-4 Channels 1-4; Intelsat-K channel 2V in Europe), Voice of Prophecy Weekend Edition Radio, Family Radio Network, Bible Broadcasting Network, Adventist World Radio Network, Hope Channel (hopetv.org), Quiet Hour Television Ministry, Kenneth Cox’s “Dimensions In Prophecy.”
Her music is distributed in Australia, Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, Germany, Grand Cayman, Great Britain, Guam, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Sweden and the United States.
Judy is a graduate of Loma Linda University-Southern California, and has a Master Degree in Nursing Administration. Before moving to Fletcher, North Carolina, she was the Director of Nursing at the Loma Linda Community Hospital in Loma Linda, California. While living in Fletcher, her nursing career has been on hold because she has been so involved with her music and her two most important “Angels”-Jillionna, born 6/19/89 and Josianne, born 8/9/90.
Judy’s husband, Dr. Royce Bailey, is a Cardiologist and Director of Cardiac Services at Park Ridge Hospital, Adventist Health System, in Fletcher, North Carolina. He first remembers meeting Judy at the White Memorial Church in Los Angeles, California when he was eleven and she was eight years old. He claims that it was the frilly blue hat that framed her pretty little face that caught his attention. After dating off and on since high school, they finally tied the knot in 1985 and are now enjoying mixing music and medicine schedules with their two daughters. Of interest, Judy’s dad and Royce’s dad, Dr. Harold Lee Bailey, sat together in Chapel each week during college at Andrews University, Michigan; never dreaming that their children would one day marry.
