Karen Somerville, Kent County’s own leading lady of song and stage, brings her tribute to the legendary jazz singer and composer, Billie Holiday, to the Mainstay in Rock Hall on Saturday March 26 at 8:00 pm. Tickets are $15. For more information and reservations call 410-639-9133. Information is also available at the Mainstay’s website
Billie Holiday is considered one of the greatest jazz vocalists of all time. She lived a short, stormy, difficult life and yet left a significant and highly influential body of work. Her expressive singing spoke of hard times and injustice as well as triumph. Her compositions are still sung today.
Performing songs composed by Holiday and those she made popular in the 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s, Somerville will spin poetry and anecdote around the music for a passionate portrayal of the true blues in the Lady’s life story, her brilliance, her victories, her hardships, her losses and her lasting legacy.
Born in Worton Point, Somerville is the founder of the African American Schoolhouse Museum and is an active champion of local African American history. Mainstay founder, Tom McHugh describes Somerville as “a jazz singer, par excellence.” She is a favorite of regional audiences for her sweet, sassy and sultry jazz vocals, in her own shows and in the Mainstay production “Ladies, Sing the Blues.” She has received high praise for her gospel performances with Sombarkin and the New
Gospelites and for her stunning performance as Bob Kaufman’s muse in Robert Earl Price’s play “The Golden Sardine”. In this tribute to Billie Holiday, “Just Call Me Billie,” she will be joined on stage by pianist Joe Holt and Slate Gaymon on congas.
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.