Her Blues celebrates the women of blues in Centurion
Luna Paige promises to take the audience on a journey from as early as the 1920s where the blues found their roots in the cotton fields and the church in America.
The blues have always been about a shared experience. Her Blues is about women in the music industry, their stories, their accomplishments, their struggles and how they paved the way for successful female stars who today grace some of the biggest stages in the world.
In Her Blues, Luna Paige shares her affinity for the ladies in this genre by performing some of the most famous songs and anecdotes about the women who sang the blues. They have consistently shown that music has the power to be an instrument of change.
Paige takes the audience on a journey from as early as the 1920s where the blues found their roots in the cotton fields and the church in America.
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Luna Paige is known as one of SA’s strongest female vocalists. She is lead vocalist in this show, her first full-blown blues show. She’s excited to perform songs by female artists who have inspired her as a performer.
She ventures into the raunchy gin bars where naughty Blues were prevalent, and singers weren’t scared to push boundaries and break ties with traditional perceptions ofwomanhood. Songs like “Don’t you feel my leg” by Blu Lu Baker and “If I can’t sell it!” by Ruth Brown come to mind.
Famous blues and jazz-influenced tunes by singers such as Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James and Aretha Franklin can be enjoyed while time travelling through the 20s right up to the 50s when females became lead singers and managers of all-male big bands.
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The cast will also transport blues lovers into the 60s where social and political activists such as Nina Simone made an impact on the blues and jazz scenes and wrote songs about social issues such as racial and sexual inequality.
You also can’t help but think about the ground-breaking Janis Joplin.
Blues-rock fans can also look forward to songs by modern singer-songwriters who were all influenced by the legendary blues women of the past. Songs by artists such as Tracy Chapman, Beth Hart and Amy Winehouse can be expected.
What becomes evident during the show is the universal theme that trails through these female singers’ music and how these blues-inspired women used their music to make social commentary, break rules, promote feminism and rebel against societal constructs that oppress minorities.
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Many of the early blues artists dropped out of the music scene for decades, to resurface after the introduction of the rock and roll era. Some became nurses, housewives and activists while a few shared a less fortunate and tragic fate.
Either way, these women had a lot to say and they made damn sure they said it.
Don’t miss this celebration of good music and the blues by some of the country’s top musicians. The show is directed by Richard H Nosworthy and the musical director is Simon Orange. The band will consist of Kevin Gibson on drums, Simon Orange on keys, Michael Bester on guitar, Marcus Wyatt on trumpet and Romy Brauteseth on bass.
Event details:
Date: Thursday 29 August
Venue: Centurion Theatre
Artists: Luna Paige, Simon Orange, Kevin Gibson, Michael Bester, Marcus Wyatt and Romy Brautesetch
Tickets: R180 at Tixsa
Time: 19:30
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