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Ann Rabson
Biography
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:
In A Family Way, Emit Doog Music EDM 0008
Struttin' My Stuff, M.C. Records MC 0041
Music Makin' Mama, Alligator AL 4848
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More info here:
ann@annrabson.com
http://dcwi.com/~rabson/Welcome.html
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