Event Details

Presented in partnership with ArtsMaplewood OnStage

Support provided by WFUV and WaMu   

"LaVette’s chill-inducing performance is without question one of the finest you'll hear all year." - USA TODAY

Possessed of an incredibly expressive voice, the recently Grammy nominated, Bettye LaVette is one of the great soul singers in American music history. A song stylist par excellence she occupies a space where country meets soul, where elements of blues, folk, pop, jazz, gospel and R&B meld in seamless alchemy.

Her latest album, Scene Of The Crime, is a tour-de-force that has earned Ms. LaVette rave reviews and a Grammy nomination. However, it is “Let Me Down Easy” recorded in 1969, that still serves as the feisty singer’s theme song and a climactic, gut wrenching showstopper to her live stage show.

Don’t miss this unremittingly soulful performer in an evening that promises to reflect the wisdom and musical acumen acquired over a forty-three year career.

"She groans, snarls, purrs, and hiccups her way through sweat drenched performances that provoke chills, shudders of pain, and lip-licking arousal - sometimes all within a single song. With a devastatingly soulful balance between meticulous control and unhinged abandon, LaVette's vocals command absolute respect… She communicates tragedy and triumph in a way that resonates within the most intimate reaches of our hearts and penetrates deep inside our bones." - BLUES REVUE

listen and learn more about Bettye LaVette on her site

And don't miss opener...
newcomer blues sensation SAMUEL JAMES.

A master of fingerstyle, slide, banjo, harmonica, and piano, this phenom is not yet out of his twenties. With musical influences ranging from Skip James and Sonny Terry to Gus Cannon and Charley Patton, such understanding of pre-war blues is rarely embodied in the music of one person.

Be there when he opens this annual blues show co-presented with ArtsMaplewood OnStage.

listen and learn more on Samuel's Myspace page