Alice Stuart
Thursday, June 19, 2003, 7 p.m.
$5 cover
Make a reservation for this show by calling (509) 826-5836.
Originally from Chelan, Alice Stuart began playing her Martin D18 guitar professionally in Seattle during the folk scare of the early 60's. She arrived in Seattle after graduation from high school. She stumbled into the legendary Pamir House in the University District with a baritone ukulele and about 10 folk songs she learned from a Burl Ives songbook.
It proved a perfect place to practice the skills she already had and to gain new ones. Within three months, she had a real guitar and had expanded her repertoire. She was busy building her own style.
After hearing the records of blues legends such as Bessie Smith, Blind Willie McTell and Furry Lewis, she knew she had to immerse herself in the world of blues music.
"I started playing in Seattle and met Billy Roberts (who wrote "Hey Joe")," says Stuart. "I learned a couple of Furry Lewis tunes from him and he introduced me to a lot of other blues players. When I heard Blind Willie McTell, I just felt like I was home."
Stuart moved from Seattle to Berkeley, and in 1968 she began to lead her own band. She met and played with blues greats Lightnin' Hopkins, Jesse Fuller and Mississippi John Hurt, plus The Chambers Brothers.
She even joined forces with Frank Zappa during the formation of the Mothers of Invention.
Way ahead of her time, the 70s found her blazing the trail for women in rock and roll as one of the only females in the country to write her own music, front a band and play lead guitar on national and international circuits.
Her original songs have been recorded by such artists as Jackie DeShannon, Irma Thomas, Jimmy Rabbit and the late Kate Wolf. She also was a guest on The Dick Cavett Show, hosted by George Carlin, and got written up in Billboard, Guitar Player, and Rolling Stone.
When you listen to Alice Stuart today, especially in concert, her broad range of experience both singing and playing (acoustic, electric and slide) is obvious.
She spent one of the most creative musical periods of the last century making music with some of the greatest artists of the time.
She toured the US and Europe in the mid-70s with Van Morrison, Commander Cody, Michael Bloomfield and John Prine. She appeared and recorded with such artists as Jerry Garcia, Asleep at the Wheel, John Hammond, Richard Greene, Elvin Bishop, Dave Mason, Sonny Terry, Tower of Power, Bread and Mark Naftalin.
Visit the Alice Stuart website.
