Austin Blues Masters Series: Special Apperance by Lavelle White
DiverseArts Blues Family Tree Project and KAZI-FM Present...
What: Austin Blues Masters Series at the Victory Grill:
Special Apperance by Lavelle White
Where: Historic Victory Grill, 1104 E. 11th Street, Austin, TX 78702
When: Thursday May 28, 2009; Doors Open at 8 p.m.
Contact: Harold McMillan (512) 477.9438
Victory Grill (512) 472.3700
At 78 years of age, Miss Lavelle White is one of the hardest working women in show business and a leader in the Austin Blues tradition, famous for strong, emotive vocals. She's been making waves in the Texas music scene since she began belting out blues in Houston in the 1950s, and since then has opened for the Isley Brothers, Aretha Franklin, Smokey Robinson and Sam Cooke.
Born in Louisiana, White has lived in Austin, Houston, and Chicago. Miss White spent nearly a decade in the 70s and 80s headlining at famous blues clubs in Chicago, before moving to Austin.
A prolific songwriter, White’s songs have been recorded by many others, including Bobby 'Blue' Bland. Country Music Journal commented that her songs, 'already sound like classics; they're so inevitable, pure and well-written in the classic timeless style, that it's hard to believe they weren't penned two or three decades ago.'
The versatility of Miss Lavelle White’s musical talent contributes to her enduring, influential position in Austin’s music scene. Her musical range includes traditional blues, classic soul, classic R&B, and even Hip-Hop. And she approaches each of these genres with incredible fervor and joy, pleasing and astounding audiences.
White has been nominated for the W.C. Handy Award, been inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame, and been named Blues Artist of the Year in Houston. Miss Lavelle White is truly an Austin Blues Master.
DiverseArts Blues Family Tree Project (BFT) welcomes you to the third installment of the Austin Blues Masters Series @ the Victory Grill with a performance by Austin Blues Queen, Miss Lavelle White on June 4th at 8 p.m.
The Austin Blues Masters Series @ The Historic Victory Grill
During DiverseArts Spring/Summer 2009 Season we are intent on producing high quality cultural programs that provide glimpses into why Central East Austin—the East End—is a designated Cultural Heritage District.
The Austin Blues Masters Series will present a performances, stage talks, and screenings that pay tribute to the East Side’s historic identity as Austin’s original home of the Blues, and to the community of musicians whose careers directly connect them to the roots of Austin’s blues tradition. The series, scheduled for the second and fourth Thursdays in May, and the first and third Thursdays in June will feature members of Austin’s Blues Family Tree whose career spans and advanced musicianship truly qualify them as Blues Masters. In most cases these musicians represent the historic East Side roots of the tradition, but not exclusively. The series will also showcase significant members of the connecting generation of players whose work has helped define the contemporary sound, look, and feel of present-day blues in Austin. And, with each installment of the Series, the Victory Grill remains a key player, major factor, and significant monument in our efforts to preserve the tradition and provide quality cultural programming content in Austin’s newly designated African American Cultural Heritage District.
