Bettye LaVette In The News

[ms_m]

Opened my paper today and discovered a really nice article on Ms. LaVette.
She will be in the area this weekend.

The ArtsCenter
300 G E Main St.
Carrboro, NC 27510
[[919) 929-2787

LaVette gets laurels, but won't rest on them
BY DAVID MENCONI - Staff Writer

For Bettye LaVette, the last five years have been like a victory lap. After decades of struggle and a long slide into obscurity, LaVette has rebounded with a string of albums establishing her earthy rasp as one of the most distinctive voices in modern-day retro-soul. And her latest album, "Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook" [[Anti- Records), looks like the odds-on favorite to win the Grammy Award next month for best contemporary blues album.

Of course, if you suggest such a thing to her, she's liable to lay the smack down on your impertinent backside.

"Oh, child, stop it!" LaVette exclaims in a tone of mock horror over the phone from her home in New Jersey. "If you know anything about my history, you know I've had a lotta sugar turn to [expletive]."

LaVette, who plays Saturday, her 65th birthday, at the Carrboro Arts Center, pauses to cackle before continuing. She's just getting warmed up.

Read more:

Happy Birthday Ms. LaVette

[randy_russi]

She's fabulous! I saw her in Orlando this past April. Great show--real singer with a real band--rare these days!

[ralpht]

So well deserved. Go get 'em Bettye.

[marv2]

That is a hot picture of Bettye. Go Miss Bettye!!!

[GeeTee(HPK)]

Great article ! Waiting for May 7th to come,at the Old Town School of Folk Music .

[luke]

So Betty moved from Detroit to NJ?

[paladin]

Great news , Randy I couldn't have said it better......

Kdub

[MIKEW-UK]

You will find below the link to a newly published interview [[ 28 01 2011) with Bettye Lavette.

This has to be one of the most compelling interviews by Bettye; it is all the more remarkable for the intelligence, humour and wisdom she displays. Bettye clearly has a character every much as robust and beautiful as her singing. Compulsive listening. I was already considering driving from the UK to France to see her in an upcoming concert; this has convinced me to do so!

regards Mike

This is the landing page. Once you've read it, go to the second link below.

http://blog.kexp.org/blog/2011/01/28...log+[[KEXP+Blog)


Be sure to click on this link for the audio interview

http://kexp.org/learn/documentaries.aspx?docid=7#10

[stephanie]

This woman is never out of her element she never tries to sing out of her range, and when she does interviews she is very respectul. Kudos to Bettye.

[midnightman]

Wow! 65 never looked so good! And she always had a great sense of humor. GO BETTYE!!!

[imnokid]

@Luke-she moved here when we were married almost 8 years ago.
@ Mike - have you ever seen the Tavis Smiley interview from this past summer?
Tavis was so compelled, he blew off the second guest and gave her the whole show.
http://video.pbs.org/video/1541298278/

Oh, and Happy Birthday to my Baby. I'll see her tomorrow.

[Motown_M_1056]

She wouldn't talk to me for an interview a few years back that I was trying to do on the Detroit music scene. This was before her career resurgence and I've never forgotten that. AND I'm from Detroit and had been a fan of hers for years even before she did Broadway. I still wish her well.

[imnokid]

Motown M-Not having been there, I can't say why, but I know she interviews with papers and radio all of the time, even when she is tired. What were the circumstances? How many years ago?

I'm sure that Graham and all of the other list members who have done stories on her over the years [[pre-resurgence included) will tell you that she gives freely when spoken to.

[Motown_M_1056]

It was years ago in the 1990s. I had spoken to Steve Holsey about what I wanted to do and he told me:
"You've got to talk to Bettye. She knew everybody back in the day...''
He then gave me her number in Detroit and told me to tell her that he gave it to me. I called and she answered. In retrospect, I must have blurted out something about being a looonngggg time fan , and that I wanted to do a piece on the Detroit music scene and that Steve suggested I call her.
She said: "Slow your roll, partner.''
I thought: Damn.
I think she told me that she was busy and that she needed to check with Steve.
I never called her back. Still love her though.

[midnightman]

^ Must've been on one of those "bad" days when she didn't wanna talk to nobody. Oh well.

[destruction]

Bettye LaVette is not only one of my fave singers, but she is easily one of the most refreshing, articulate, humble, genuine, honest, ebullient and talented people that I have met in the music business. I detest hackneyed and trite interviews……Bettye’s are legendary for their lack of clichés and bromides. I must have bought about a half dozen magazines, just to re-read what I’d already read in the store……and I stop and listen on the web whenever I encounter one…..including those mentioned above.

And I’ve spread the love. My younger granddaughter was more enthusiastic about Bettye being a part of the Inauguration then she was about Obama’s swearing in ceremony. My older grand, asked Bettye for singing advice. Instead of “Work hard”…..”Keep Trying”…..Bettye told her to” take special care of her voice…..and to take extra special care of her body. Singing is a physical thing and one needs to be in shape to do it well.”

When Bettye came to Baltimore a few years ago, she and I were going to see her. At the last minute, she got an invite to go to a special party. I told her that Bettye would be disappointed….so she did this:



As Kdub mentioned in the Arrangement thread.....You've gotta see it live..

I'll have to ask the youngest if I can share her Bettye story.

[paladin]

Taken from The Killer Arrangements Thread by Kdub :



A friend of mine who also happens to be a DJ, a forum member and an expert on Jimi Hendrix, called me yesterday and put me on blast because of my omission of one of my all time favorite records. He said he had thought about posting about the record but since he had beat me to the punch on a couple of selections, most notably from the Dramatics and The Temptations, in his opinion "I'" needed a wake up call and he would hold off on this record because in his words, when I posted about killer arrangements this record immediately came to his mind.

He was right, although I was trying to give this thread some room by not overloading everyone with my own selections, this friend has me nailed. I would like to offer my humble apology to Ms. Betty Lavette, whose song "Close as I"ll get To Heaven" is simply one of the most beautiful and heart rending songs I have ever heard.

There are several videos of her live performances on YouTube, but be that as it where, you would have to be there in person to fully appreciate the arrangement, her performance is legendary, and while attending one of her shows, I was so wrapped up in her delivery that it dam near brought me to tears. But ......her band and the arrangement is simply superb, one of the finest on record.

Taken from this album:




The track is not as long as her live performance but, its still killer. Don't believe me ? .....hmmmm then buy the record.......

Kdubya

[acooolcat]

Motown M - Bettye is a superb interviewee and an incredible woman; she'll say what's on her mind and doesn't pull too many punches. You shouldn't have given up after that first try.

[smark21]

She's performing tonight at NYC's Carnegie Hall for a music of Neil Young tribute concert. Interesting and diverse line up of performers:

http://www.neilyoungcarnegie.com/

[marv2]

Bettye LaVette is a superb singer and a beautiful human being! I could never believe she would be purposely rude to anyone. She truly deserves her success!