Joan Armatrading--any fans here?

[BobC]

Hey Guys

Any Joan Armatrading fans out there? I think she's one of the greatest song-writers of all time but today she is pretty much forgotten.

[Joe Dabbs]

Oh, yes, I am a fan...I have her first four or five albums, but have lost track of her over the recent years. She's quite a guitar player!

[bankhousedave]

She has a classical music show on the radio in the UK at the moment. A great talent.

[BobC]

Thank GOD somebody responded. I used to love her and then forgot about her--and recently re-discovered her by buying a bunch of her stuff on ITunes. She was so frikkin' good. I love the songs Down to Zero, Save Me, Willow and others. I think she is one of the best lyricists in pop music. How sad she never really made it in America.

[Joe Dabbs]

She did some heavy touring doing the college circuits along about '77 or thereabouts. I had a friend who saw her as an opening act for Heart at Michigan State University. That's how I got to know her music. I'll have to drag out my vinyl of "Willow" tonight before I go to see NRBQ here in Virginia Beach.

[stephanie]

I am not familiar with her music but I have seen her album covers and have heard her sing. I like her much better than Tracy Chapman.

[splanky]

Okay, I didn't appreciate Joan when she was at the height of her sucess back in the seventies; I was funking in America
and British folk type singers, even if they were black, were not high on my radar then but I have a lot of respect for her
today. That said, I have to politely disagree with Stephanie here because I LOVE me a whole mess of Tracy Chapman.
She's been labeled as a folk singer from the start, even toured with others in the genre but what Tracy sings is actually
rooted in the blues. I have just about all of her releases but I have to say, she had me with Fast Car...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Orv_F2HV4gk

[cdiii]

She'll always have a special place in my heart; her "Me, Myself, I" album from 1980 was one of the albums from that magical time when I met the woman that became my wife. We listened to that frequently.

[MarkMcGrawTXA]

Hi Guys
I am a huge fan of Joan and indeed Tracey Chapman. I was very excited to see Joan is touring again from May. Can't wait to catch her live. Some of the acts she has hand picked for support are pretty special too. Chris Wood is supporting in Leicester - he recently won the BBC Folk Award. Joel Wildgoose has been confirmed for the Shrewsbury gig in September at Theatre Severn. I saw Joel at Strawberry Fields Festival last year and he literally blew my mind! Quite possibly the most talented artist I've ever stumbled across. His new single is out soon and you can watch the video at www.joelwildgoose.com.
Peace x