She’s singing at the Grammy’s on February 10, then she’s singing live on stage at the Kate on February 16!

Audiences at the Kate will be experiencing 60 years of living history when the legendary gospel/rhythm and blues singer Mavis Staples takes the stage on Saturday, February 16.

A native of Chicago, Mavis joined her father, Roebuck “Pop” Staples and her siblings Cleotha, Yvonne and Purvis, in the early 1950’s as part of The Staple Singers, which became the most popular and influential spirituality-based singing group in the United States. In the early 1960’s, through their close association with the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., they became a leading musical force in the civil rights movement. The Staple Singers were also instrumental in popularizing the burgeoning folk music revival of the period, championing the work of such up-and-coming artists as Stephen Sills and Bob Dylan, who once asked for Mavis’ hand in marriage. (She declined.)

In 1965, “Pops” wrote the song “Freedom Highway” for the historic march fromSelma,Alabamato the state capital,Montgomery. Mavis today explains that she is “still marching that highway.”

The inspiring and moving music of The Staple Singers struck a chord with the country’s young people who were coming of age in the late 1960’s. Their songs made the top 40 charts eight times between 1971 and 1975, hitting number one twice and seeing their popular holiday song, “Who Took the Merry Out of Christmas” reach number two.  They continued recording through 1984 with their final album, “Turning Point,” which featured the group’s last top 40 hit, a cover of the Talking Heads’ ‘Slippery People.”  The group was embraced by a new generation after their song “Respect Yourself” was used by Spike Lee in his film, “Crooklyn.”  In 1999, Mavis and the family were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

A year later, however, following the unexpected death of “Pops” Staples, Mavis gave up singing. It was her devoted younger sister, Yvonne, who encouraged Mavis to return to her music in 2004, which started one of the most productive, creative and acclaimed periods of Mavis’s entire career, which continues up through the present day. Not only has she released four albums of gospel, spiritual and civil rights songs since then, including one produced by Ry Cooder, Mavis Staples has been invited to record with any number of artists from a wide range of musical genres. As a result, her voice can be heard on albums by such diverse artists as Salt ‘N Pepa, Ray Charles, Nona Hendryx, George Jones, Natalie Merchant, Los Lobos, Dr. John, Delbert McClinton and Johnny Paycheck. Her duet with old pal Bob Dylan, “Gotta Change My Way of Thinking,” was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals category.

She continues to tour with her own band, which includes as a back up singer, her supportive and talented sister, Yvonne.  It’s not unusual for established musicians such as Bonnie Raitt to climb up on stage to perform a number or two  Mavis is so respected by her peers that she served as a judge for the third and seventh annual Independent Music Awards which recognize outstanding independent artists. She was invited to perform at the Kennedy Center Honors in tribute to Sir Paul McCartney and sang at John Stewart and Stephen Colbert’s Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear inWashington,D.C.  Folksinger John Gorka, when he recently appeared at the Kate, performed his song, “When You Sing,” that he wrote to celebrate the great joy and love of Mavis’ music.

Mavis won her first Grammy in 2011 in the Best Americana Album category for “You Are Not Alone,” her groundbreaking collaboration with Wilco’s Jeff  Tweedy, which not only harkens back to Mavis’ work with the Staple Singers, but contains original compositions by Randy Newman, Allen Touissant and Tweedy himself.

At age 73, Mavis Staples continues to excite audiences and receive rave reviews. She’s recognized as being at the peak of her talents and has been called a performer who delivers “wall to wall joy.” Her appearances never fail to bring her audiences to their feet due to her infectious enthusiasm and riveting spirituality.

Let’s hope the Kate has made a special effort to secure the roof for the night of Mavis’ appearance, because believe me, Mavis and friends are going to make every effort to raise it right up.

See you at the Kate!

Karen and Andrew

Audiences at the Kate will be experiencing 60 years of living history when the legendary gospel/rhythm and blues singer Mavis Staples takes the stage on Saturday, February 16.

A native of Chicago, Mavis joined her father, Roebuck “Pop” Staples and her siblings Cleotha, Yvonne and Purvis, in the early 1950’s as part of The Staple Singers, which became the most popular and influential spirituality-based singing group in the United States. In the early 1960’s, through their close association with the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., they became a leading musical force in the civil rights movement. The Staple Singers were also instrumental in popularizing the burgeoning folk music revival of the period, championing the work of such up-and-coming artists as Stephen Sills and Bob Dylan, who once asked for Mavis’ hand in marriage. (She declined.)

In 1965, “Pops” wrote the song “Freedom Highway” for the historic march from Selma, Alabama to the state capital, Montgomery. Mavis today explains that she is “still marching that highway.”

The inspiring and moving music of The Staple Singers struck a chord with the country’s young people who were coming of age in the late 1960’s. Their songs made the top 40 charts eight times between 1971 and 1975, hitting number one twice and seeing their popular holiday song, “Who Took the Merry Out of Christmas” reach number two. They continued recording through 1984 with their final album, “Turning Point,” which featured the group’s last top 40 hit, a cover of the Talking Heads’ ‘Slippery People.” The group was embraced by a new generation after their song “Respect Yourself” was used by Spike Lee in his film, “Crooklyn.” In 1999, Mavis and the family were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

A year later, however, following the unexpected death of “Pops” Staples, Mavis gave up singing. It was her devoted older sister, Yvonne, who encouraged Mavis to return to her music in 2004, which started one of the most productive, creative and acclaimed periods of Mavis’s entire career, which continues up through the present day. Not only has she released four albums of gospel, spiritual and civil rights songs since then, including one produced by Ry Cooder, Mavis Staples has been invited to record with any number of artists from a wide range of musical genres. As a result, her voice can be heard on albums by such diverse artists as Salt ‘N Pepa, Ray Charles, Nona Hendryx, George Jones, Natalie Merchant, Los Lobos, Dr. John, Delbert McClinton and Johnny Paycheck. Her duet with old pal Bob Dylan, “Gotta Change My Way of Thinking,” was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals category.

She continues to tour with her own band, which includes as a back up singer, her supportive and talented sister, Yvonne. It’s not unusual for established musicians such as Bonnie Raitt to climb up on stage to perform a number or two Mavis is so respected by her peers that she served as a judge for the third and seventh annual Independent Music Awards which recognize outstanding independent artists. She was invited to perform at the Kennedy Center Honors in tribute to Sir Paul McCartney and sang at John Stewart and Stephen Colbert’s Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear in Washington, D.C. Folksinger John Gorka, when he recently appeared at the Kate, performed his song, “When You Sing,” that he wrote to celebrate the great joy and love of Mavis’ music.

Mavis won her first Grammy in 2011 in the Best Americana Album category for “You Are Not Alone,” her groundbreaking collaboration with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, which not only harkens back to Mavis’ work with the Staple Singers, but contains original compositions by Randy Newman, Allen Touissant and Tweedy himself.

At age 73, Mavis Staples continues to excite audiences and receive rave reviews. She’s recognized as being at the peak of her talents and has been called a performer who delivers “wall to wall joy.” Her appearances never fail to bring her audiences to their feet due to her infectious enthusiasm and riveting spirituality.

Let’s hope the Kate has made a special effort to secure the roof for the night of Mavis’ appearance, because believe me, Mavis and friends are going to make every effort to raise it right up.

See you at the Kate!
Karen and Andrew

It’s a story right out of Broadway legend. Aspiring performer Betty Lynn Buckley arrives in New York fresh off a bus from her native Fort Worth. She proceeds to a previously scheduled audition and several short hours later lands a principal role in a new Broadway musical – all in one day! The rest as they say is history.

She followed up her Broadway debut in 1776 with memorable turns in Pippin and the London company of Promises, Promises, and subsequently became a household name as Abby Bradford in the hit television series Eight is Enough. She branched out into film, notably singing the Academy-Award winning film’s title song, Tender Mercies, and playing Harrison Ford’s kidnapped wife in the thriller Frantic. But it is on stage and in concert that Betty Buckley has cemented her reputation as one of the most innovative and powerful popular vocalists of our time.

From her Tony Award winning role in the musical Cats, the song Memory has virtually become Buckley’s signature tune. But she’s been responsible for equally stunning moments in such shows as Song and Dance, Triumph of Love, and Drood on Broadway and Gypsy in regional theater.  She had the honor of being selected by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber to play Norma Desmond in both the London and Broadway productions of Sunset Boulevard. Her shattering performance in the legendary Broadway production of Carrie has contributed to the work’s cult status among theater lovers around the world.

She continues to sell out concert halls, supper clubs and cabarets as eager fans thrill to the range and scope of Buckley’s remarkable vocal capabilities. Never one satisfied to rest on her laurels, Buckley has collaborated with some of the best arrangers and musicians in the business, offering new and exciting versions of contemporary classics and beloved standards. She’s even now putting the finishing touches on a collaboration with legendary musician and producer T Bone Burnett, a friend from her home state, which she hopes to release in early 2013. In more recent years, she has become an in-demand educator both in the Fort Worth area where she now raises competitive cutting horses on her ranch and in New York, where her master classes are always filled to capacity.

Her ability to impress an audience with her vocal command and to stir a plethora of emotions have made Buckley a singular presence on the concert stage. As she prepares to release a new album Ah, Men! The Boys of Broadway later this August in which she performs songs originally written for some of the musical theater’s most famous male characters, Buckley stops by The Kate on August 2nd for a rare, intimate performance that will showcase her unique talents. It promises to be an evening you will not soon forget. As was said back in the days when Buckley was embarking on her distinguished career, prepare to be “blown away.”

– Karen and Andrew
See you at The Kate!

The summer is only just beginning to heat up at the air-conditioned Kate as we celebrate American music in all of its colors and flavors, from folk-rock to bluegrass, from New Orleans zydeco to crazy jazz, the next three months at the Kate will have programming that appeals to all musical tastes, including those who enjoy Broadway standards delivered by one of the Great White Way’s legendary stars.

This Friday, June 15th, you can kick-start the season with a concert by the New York based folk-rock-roots band, Ollabelle, who are stopping by the Kate on their way to perform on Sunday at Clearwater’s Great Hudson River Revival. It’s a great treat to see them perform locally. The group started out playing gospel tunes in a Lower East Side bar in the days after 9/11, but together they have grown in style and interests so that their sound now incorporates roots, rock, gospel, jazz, bluegrass and the blues. I can guarantee that you’ll find it hard to just sit without becoming an involved audience member.

In their 10 years together, they’ve attracted the admiration of such esteemed artists as Emmylou Harris, Elvis Costello, Richard Thompson, T. Bone Burnett and Allison Krauss. Named after the late Appalachian songwriter Ola Belle Reed, Ollabelle has appeared at the Newport Folk Festival and Austin’s South by Southwest. Together and separately, they have performed with some of the top names in American music today. Band members Singer Amy Helm and bass player Byron Isaacs, for example, have performed with Amy’s dad, Levon Helm, at his Midnight Rambles at Levon’s barn and on the road. Keyboardist Glenn Patscha has worked with Willie Nelson, David Bromberg, Sheryl Crow, Roger Waters, Lizz Wright, Ryan Adams, Laurie Anderson and Loudon Wainwright III, who–be sure to make a note of this–is scheduled to perform at the Kate on Sunday, August 5th.

Of special interest to those who enjoy following the careers of local artists, Ollabelle’s drummer, the very talented Tony Leone, is originally from New Britain and studied at the High School of the Performing Arts in Hartford where he discovered his love for jazz and improvisation. He subsequently studied orchestral percussion at the University of Hartford under the late, great jazz legend Jackie McLean, later working with such artists as West Hartford’s Brad Mehldau, Harold Mabern, Bill McGarvey and the Lowdowners. He’s also married to fellow bandmate, Fiona McBain, who are the proud parents of Georgia Rose McBain Leone.
Ollabelle has toured with such artists as Allison Kraus and Union Station, Diana Krall, and alt. country genius Ryan Adams, as well as making appearances on NPR’s “All Things Considered,” CBS Sunday Morning and Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

They’ve recently issued their third CD, “Neon Blue Bird,” which was partially recorded in Levon Helm’s studio. It’s probably their strongest recording to date, as it showcases the vocal talents of each of the five members taking their turns as lead vocalists. It’s a mash-up of new songs, innovative covers and some remarkable takes on more traditional material including a terrific version of Stephen Collins Foster’s “Swanee River.”

Everyone at the Kate is looking forward to spending an evening with this remarkable group. Believe me when I say that their range and scope offers something for almost every musical taste.

– Karen
See you at The Kate!