Ashley Michelle Crawford, a Memphis, TN native, was born into a musical legacy. Influenced by her father, Hubert "H-Bomb" Crawford; her late grandfather, Hubert Crawford Sr. of "The King Riders Band"; her brother, producer and bassist Anthony Crawford; and her cousin, legendary saxophonist Hank Crawford, Ashley was destined for a life in music. She began playing flute at 11 and has since built a career in performance, education, and advocacy.
Ashley earned her bachelor’s from Tennessee State University, where she studied under Belinda Laupp, led the piccolo section of the "Aristocrat of Bands," and received the “Director’s Choice Award” and a full scholarship. She studied abroad in Vienna and Florence before completing her Master’s in Instrumental Pedagogy and Classical Flute Performance at Belmont University in 2014, where she studied under Dr. Carolyn Totaro, won two concerto competitions, and published two theses.
A dedicated educator, Ashley has taught in the Metro Nashville Public and Memphis Shelby County School districts, instructed at the Nashville Fine Arts Academy and ELG Summer Band Camp, and now serves as flute professor and woodwind coordinator at TSU. She conducted the Nashville Philharmonic Flute Ensemble (2016–2024) and was the founding President of the Nashville African American Wind Symphony (2020–2024). Her leadership earned her recognition in Belmont’s 2022 Top 100 Entrepreneur Awards.
Ashley is a frequent guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator for the National Flute Association, Umoja Flute Institute, and Midwest Clinic. Her trademarked brand, “FluteBae,” launched after her viral #MaskObChallenge video. She has performed the National Anthem at the Staples Center for the NBA and WNBA and collaborated with artists such as 2 Live Bre, Kenny Lattimore, Louis York, Old Crow Medicine Show, and The Shindellas.
Her work has been featured in The Flute Examiner, Nashville Scene, Urbannite, NPR, and WPLN. She was a featured artist on the Grammy-winning The Urban Hymnal by the Aristocrat of Bands and co-produced the World Entertainment Awards-nominated album Kampan.
Ashley’s TSU flute choir, Ambiance, will perform at the 2025 National Flute Association Convention, the first HBCU appearance in its history. She is a contributor to “From Our Eyes and Ears” by Dr. Lorin Green and “Teaching Music through Performance in Jazz, Vol. 3” by Richard B. Mills and the late Ronald Carter. She is a member of Sigma Alpha Iota, Tau Beta Sigma, the Recording Academy, and Moms in Music, Inc. Recently, Ashley was awarded Belmont University’s 2025 Encore Award, becoming the coveted award’s first African-American recipient. Her debut album, Black Prelude, will be released in Summer 2025.
Ashley Michelle Crawford, a Memphis, TN native, was born into a musical legacy. Influenced by her father, Hubert "H-Bomb" Crawford; her late grandfather, Hubert Crawford Sr. of "The King Riders Band"; her brother, producer and bassist Anthony Crawford; and her cousin, legendary saxophonist Hank Crawford, Ashley was destined for a life in music. She began playing flute at 11 and has since built a career in performance, education, and advocacy.
Ashley earned her bachelor’s from Tennessee State University, where she studied under Belinda Laupp, led the piccolo section of the "Aristocrat of Bands," and received the “Director’s Choice Award” and a full scholarship. She studied abroad in Vienna and Florence before completing her Master’s in Instrumental Pedagogy and Classical Flute Performance at Belmont University in 2014, where she studied under Dr. Carolyn Totaro, won two concerto competitions, and published two theses.
A dedicated educator, Ashley has taught in the Metro Nashville Public and Memphis Shelby County School districts, instructed at the Nashville Fine Arts Academy and ELG Summer Band Camp, and now serves as flute professor and woodwind coordinator at TSU. She conducted the Nashville Philharmonic Flute Ensemble (2016–2024) and was the founding President of the Nashville African American Wind Symphony (2020–2024). Her leadership earned her recognition in Belmont’s 2022 Top 100 Entrepreneur Awards.
Ashley is a frequent guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator for the National Flute Association, Umoja Flute Institute, and Midwest Clinic. Her trademarked brand, “FluteBae,” launched after her viral #MaskObChallenge video. She has performed the National Anthem at the Staples Center for the NBA and WNBA and collaborated with artists such as 2 Live Bre, Kenny Lattimore, Louis York, Old Crow Medicine Show, and The Shindellas.
Her work has been featured in The Flute Examiner, Nashville Scene, Urbannite, NPR, and WPLN. She was a featured artist on the Grammy-winning The Urban Hymnal by the Aristocrat of Bands and co-produced the World Entertainment Awards-nominated album Kampan.
Ashley’s TSU flute choir, Ambiance, will perform at the 2025 National Flute Association Convention, the first HBCU appearance in its history. She is a contributor to “From Our Eyes and Ears” by Dr. Lorin Green and “Teaching Music through Performance in Jazz, Vol. 3” by Richard B. Mills and the late Ronald Carter. She is a member of Sigma Alpha Iota, Tau Beta Sigma, the Recording Academy, and Moms in Music, Inc. Recently, Ashley was awarded Belmont University’s 2025 Encore Award, becoming the coveted award’s first African-American recipient. Her debut album, Black Prelude, will be released in Summer 2025.