Bio:Ann was first touched by the blues at age four when she heard Big Bill Broonzy on the radio. Ann says, “His music spoke to me; my world went from black-and-white to color.” Little did Ann know that that three-minute experience would lay the foundation for her adult life. Now in her fourth decade as an internationally acclaimed songwriter, recording artist and performer.... read more about Ann: html text or Microsoft WordTour Publicist:
Leslie Clouden
BC Productions
570/584-4480
lclouden-bcp@comcast.netManagement:
Bonnie Tallman
BC Productions
570/584-4480
BMTallman@aol.comDiscography and sound clips: click here
Performance schedule: click here
Photos (click on thumbnail for full-screen image)
Cover of new album
Painting by Jackie Merritt
300 dpi, 4.8" x 4.7"
Ann and family
Photo by Liz Rabson Schnore
300 dpi, 5.4" x 4.3"
Photo by Bonnie Tallman
300 dpi, 8.5" x 6.4"
Photo by Dan Fitzpatrick
200 dpi, 5.8" x 6.0"
Photo by Tim Rasmussen
200 dpi, 7" x 6"
Photo by Dan Fitzpatrick
300 dpi, 5.6" x 5.0"
Ann Rabson
Despite worldwide recognition as a distinguished and award-winning musician, Ann Rabson sees herself as simply the vehicle for her art. Seamlessly blending voice, guitar and piano, Ann delivers her music, the blues, in a pure form that delights audiences everywhere.
Ann was first touched by the blues at age four when she heard Big Bill Broonzy on the radio. Ann says, “His music spoke to me; my world went from black-and-white to color.” Little did Ann know that that three-minute experience would lay the foundation for her adult life. Now in her fourth decade as an internationally acclaimed songwriter, recording artist and performer, Ann creates music that speaks to and entertains people all over the world.
A skillful and witty writer, Ann embraces topics of universal appeal. Her Blues Music (formerly W.C. Handy) Award-nominated song “Elevator Man” expresses the frustration (and later revenge) of a moody and unpredictable relationship. Ann writes about lost love, unconditional love, and when it might be time to just move on from a one-sided love.
Ann Rabson sings in a distinctive contralto voice. Her smoky, gritty delivery draws from a wide vocabulary of bluesy bends, squeals, and sensual whispers to match the story she is telling.
Ann still plays the first instrument she touched as a child--a guitar found in her father’s attic. Attracted to the Piedmont style of guitar picking, Ann created a unique and ear-catching sound all her own. At age thirty-five, Ann decided to learn the piano. Now honored as a member of the Boogie Woogie Hall of Fame and praised as having the “best left hand in the blues,” Ann brings the historic blues, boogie-woogie, and barrelhouse styles front and center. Her ability to play challenging left- and right-hand melodies while singing is nothing short of magical! Downbeat magazine says Ann plays “with staggering authority.”
Ann has been honored by the music industry with multiple Blues Music Award nominations for Traditional Female Blues Artist of the Year, and nominations for Song of the Year for “Elevator Man” and Album of the Year for “Music Makin’ Mama.” Her solo recordings also include “Struttin’ My Stuff” and “In A Family Way.” Ann has recorded eight projects with the widely popular group Saffire--The Uppity Blues Women, which she co-founded in 1984, and with numerous other artists.
An Ann Rabson concert is like an intimate family gathering, regardless of the size of the audience. Her relaxed and unassuming demeanor sets the stage perfectly for her earthy and unvarnished performance. Presenting her own music and that of blues pioneers such as Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Memphis Minnie, Leroy Carr, Tampa Red, and Big Bill Broonzy, Ann takes the audience on an unrestrained musical journey. The New York Blues and Jazz Society says: “Ann has it all, the artful use of double entendres, a salty sense of humor, truly imaginative piano and guitar work.”
Ann Rabson albums: Recordings
In A Family Way, Emit Doog Music EDM 0008 click here for sound clipsAnn can be heard on all of Saffire's albums:
Struttin' My Stuff, M.C. Records MC 0041 click here for sound clips
Music Makin' Mama, Alligator AL 4848 click here for sound clipsAin't Gonna Hush, Alligator AL 4880Ann can also be heard on:
Live & Uppity, Alligator AL 4856
Cleaning House, Alligator AL 4840
Old, New, Borrowed & Blue, Alligator AL 4826
Broad Casting, Alligator AL 4811
Hot Flash, Alligator AL 4796
SAFFIRE - The Uppity Blues Women, Alligator AL 4780
Middle Aged Blues, Saffire RecordsLadies Man, Pinetop Perkins, M.C. Records MC0053
Takin' It Easy, EG Kight, Blue South Records BSR0904
Fifth Annual Blues & Boogie Piano Summit (2003, Newport, Ky.), 1-2-3 Records
Takin' A Stand, Deborah Coleman, New Moon Music NMC9406
Puddle Dive, Ani De Franco, Righteous Babe Records RIG004
Art and Grit, Steve James, Antone's Records, Discovery 74706
Up Against the Wall, Madcat & Kane, Hit Records
King of the Boogie Sax, Noble "Thin Man" Watts, Wild Dog Records DOG9102
Too Much Is Just Enough, Armand & Bluesology, New Moon Music NMC0126
Everything I Need, Armand & Bluesology, New Moon Music NMC9718
Dealin' The Blues, Queen Bee and the Blue Hornet Band, Sharks Tooth Records ST1212
Harder than a Freight Train, Queen Bee and the Blue Hornet Band, Sharks Tooth Records ST1211
High Test Blues, Skeeter Brandon, New Moon Music NMC9301
Tellin' Lies, Wanda Lu Green, Fried Okra Music
On Fire and Ready, Niles Hokaanen, Mandocrucian Digest MD003
88 Reasons, A.J. Salas, Bloojae Records AJ-2700
Awakening, Carla Sciaky, Green Linnet Records GLCD2115back to top of Press Kit
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