Uploaded January 2013 | Updated September 2026, 6 days ago
After 5 decades in the music business it is only within the last ten years that the legendary Bettye LaVette has been enjoying a success she deserved much sooner. With a voice like smoke wrapped in velvet and silk, she performs with an emotive power that reaches deep into the listener's heart. The Lady is Authentic -- she's clearly been to the places she sings about.
Bettye was born in Muskegon, Michigan and raised in Detroit. At 16 she recorded her first single, My Man -- He's a Lovin' Man in 1962. She next hit the charts in 1965 with Let Me Down Easy, arguably one of the greatest soul recordings of all time. In 1969 Bettye had two Top 40 R&B hits and in 1972 recorded her first full length album, Child of the Seventies. The next ten years saw a string of top 40 R&B hits but like many artists in a notoriously exploitive era, the return for Bettye was paltry. In the eighties, disillusioned with the music industry, she took an extended hiatus from recording and performed in a 6 year run in the Tony Award winning Broadway revue, Bubbling Brown Sugar.
In the 1990′s Child of the Seventies was rediscovered by Gilles Petard who licensed the album from Atlantic Records and re-released it as Souvenirs in 2000. Simultaneously, Let Me Down Easy-Live In Concert was released. Both albums sparked a renewed interest in LaVette and in 2003, the award winning album A Woman Like Me was released. Critically acclaimed, the album led to a 3 record deal and the release of 2005's I've Got My Own Hell to Raise, a critical and commercial success. Her 2007 album, The Scene of the Crime, was nominated for a Grammy Award. Since then, she has performed for the Kennedy Centre Honours and the Obama inaugural celebrations. She has shared the stage with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr and appeared on David Letterman, Jay Leno, Conan O'Brian, and Austin City Limits. In 2010, Bettye released Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook. The CD was yet another critical success and she received her second Grammy nomination. It's been a long passage but the Lady has finally Arrived.
To find out more about the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival and other programs produced by the Salmon Arm Folk Music Society please visit www.rootsandblues.ca.
After 5 decades in the music business it is only within the last ten years that the legendary Bettye LaVette has been enjoying a success she deserved much sooner. With a voice like smoke wrapped in velvet and silk, she performs with an emotive power that reaches deep into the listener's heart. The Lady is Authentic -- she's clearly been to the places she sings about.
Bettye was born in Muskegon, Michigan and raised in Detroit. At 16 she recorded her first single, My Man -- He's a Lovin' Man in 1962. She next hit the charts in 1965 with Let Me Down Easy, arguably one of the greatest soul recordings of all time. In 1969 Bettye had two Top 40 R&B hits and in 1972 recorded her first full length album, Child of the Seventies. The next ten years saw a string of top 40 R&B hits but like many artists in a notoriously exploitive era, the return for Bettye was paltry. In the eighties, disillusioned with the music industry, she took an extended hiatus from recording and performed in a 6 year run in the Tony Award winning Broadway revue, Bubbling Brown Sugar.
In the 1990′s Child of the Seventies was rediscovered by Gilles Petard who licensed the album from Atlantic Records and re-released it as Souvenirs in 2000. Simultaneously, Let Me Down Easy-Live In Concert was released. Both albums sparked a renewed interest in LaVette and in 2003, the award winning album A Woman Like Me was released. Critically acclaimed, the album led to a 3 record deal and the release of 2005's I've Got My Own Hell to Raise, a critical and commercial success. Her 2007 album, The Scene of the Crime, was nominated for a Grammy Award. Since then, she has performed for the Kennedy Centre Honours and the Obama inaugural celebrations. She has shared the stage with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr and appeared on David Letterman, Jay Leno, Conan O'Brian, and Austin City Limits. In 2010, Bettye released Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook. The CD was yet another critical success and she received her second Grammy nomination. It's been a long passage but the Lady has finally Arrived.
To find out more about the Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival and other programs produced by the Salmon Arm Folk Music Society please visit www.rootsandblues.ca.
