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!