By April MacIntyre Jun 2, 2009, 1:49 GMT
Singer Bettye LaVette was the knockout punch at the last Kennedy Center Honors with her gut-wrenching performance of The Who’s “Love Reign O’er Me,” which provided one of the evening’s most spectacular moments and inspired other honorees and musicians to speak out in praise of her.
The Grammy-nominated singer will release a six song digital EP on iTunes, dubbed "A Change is Gonna Come Sessions" available June 16. Courtesy of Dept. 56
LaVette was born in Muskegon and grew up in nearby Detroit, where she was discovered by Johnnie Mae Matthews, a Detroit record producer. In 1962, aged 16, she recorded a single, "My Man - He's A Lovin' Man" with Matthews, which became a hit after Atlantic Records bought distribution rights.
She toured with Clyde McPhatter, Ben E. King, Barbara Lynn and Otis Redding, and even James Brown in her youth.
LaVette's style of jazz, country, soul, R&B, rock and gospel defied the neat categories that the labels preferred.
She spent six years on Broadway and touring with the musical Bubbling Brown Sugar opposite Cab Calloway. During the disco years, she managed a small hit "Doin' The Best That I Can".
Motown then gave her shot and LaVette recorded Tell Me A Lie, with the single "Right in the Middle of Falling in Love" which was also a modest hit. Her career took her to the European festival circuit. In 1991, she completed the album Not Gonna Happen Twice for Ian Levine's Motorcity label.
Now Bettye follows her amazing performance at Obama's Inagural festivities with her own recorded version of Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come."
The Grammy-nominated singer will release a six song digital EP on iTunes, dubbed "A Change is Gonna Come Sessions" available June 16.
The track listing is as follows:
1. “A Change Is Gonna Come” (Sam Cooke)
2. “'Round Midnight” (Thelonious Monk)
3. “God Bless The Child” (Billie Holiday / Arthur Herzog)
4. “Lush Life” (Billy Strayhorn)
5. “Ain't No Sunshine” (Bill Withers)
6. “Ain’t That Lovin’ You” (Jimmy Reed)
Bettye's tour dates through the Fall of 2009
6/4/2009 Twilight Alive Kingsport TN 6/5/2009 Riverbend Festival Chattanooga TN Multi act event6/11/2009 The Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant Minneapolis MN Evening with6/13/2009 Chicago Blues Festival Chicago IL Multi act event6/24/2009 Museum of Fine Arts Boston MA 6/25/2009 NYC Rockin The River Cruise New York NY Ryan Shaw6/26/2009 North by Northwest Philadelphia PA Evening with6/28/2009 Freihofer’s Jazz Festival Saratoga Springs NY Multi act event7/3/2009 Muskegon Summer Celebration Muskegon MI Multi act event7/4/2009 Comerica CityFest Detroit MI Multi act event7/8/2009 Common Ground Music Festival Lansing MI Multi act event7/9/2009 Burlington International Waterfront Festival Burlington VT Buddy Guy7/10/2009 North Carolina Museum of Art Raleigh NC Marcia Ball7/14/2009 Montreux Jazz Festival Montreux SWITZERLAND Solomon Burke, The Blind Boys of Alabama7/18/2009 Sioux Falls Jazz and Blues Festival Sioux Falls SD Multi act event7/19/2009 Grand Targhee Folk & Americana Festival Alta WY Multi act event7/24/2009 Central Park Summerstage New York NY 7/25/2009 Blues Under The Bridge Colorado Springs CO Multi act event8/8/2009 Sunflower River Blues and Gospel Festival Clarksdale MS Multi act event8/9/2009 San Jose Jazz Festival San Jose CA Multi act event8/30/2009 Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival San Francisco CA Multi act event8/31/2009 Jimmy Mak’s Portland OR Evening with9/1/2009 Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley Seattle WA Evening with9/2/2009 Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley Seattle WA Evening with9/4/2009 Anthology San Diego CA Evening with9/5/2009 Long Beach Blues Festival Long Beach CA Multi act event9/12/2009 Playing With Fire Omaha NE 9/20/2009 Brisbane Festival Brisbane QLD AUSTRALIA Evening with9/21/2009 Brisbane Festival Brisbane QLD AUSTRALIA Evening with9/25/2009 The Sheldon Concert Hall St. Louis MO St. Louis Blues All Stars9/26/2009 Singletary Center for the Arts Lexington KY Sisters In Soul featuring Marcia Ball, Bettye LaVette & Maria Muldaur
10/23/2009 College of Lake County - James Lumber Center for the Performing Arts Grayslake IL Evening with
10/24/2009 College of DuPage - McAninch Arts Center Glen Ellyn IL Evening with Bettye LaVette2/2/2010 Hopkins Center for the Performing Arts Hopkins MN Evening with Sisters In Soul featuring Marcia Ball, Bettye LaVette & Maria Muldaur 3/12/2010 The Community Theater at Mayo Center Morristown NJ 3/18/2010 Tarrytown Music Hall Tarrytown NY 3/19/2010 Flynn Center for the Performing Arts Burlington VT 3/20/2010 Quick Center of The Arts Fairfield CT
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