Tag: soul

An Evening with Elizabeth King: The Sacred Soul Queen of Memphis

Advance tickets are now sold out, but a limited number of tickets will be for sale at the door beginning at 7PM.

Doors open at 7pm | Show begins at 7:30pm
Tickets: $15 in advance | $20 at the door

Purchase tickets here

Elizabeth King recorded her first single in 1970, and if all had gone as planned, she would have made her first album a few years later. Instead, it took another half century for King to release her 2021 album Living In The Last Days, which captured King at the height of her powers, with the intervening decades only serving to stoke the flames of one of the most memorable voices in modern gospel music. Now Elizabeth is back with yet another collection of offerings, each more fiery than the last. I Got a Love is a testament to her dedication to God, her family and to her craft.

Most of the material on I Got a Love was drawn from pioneering 70s gospel DJ/producer Juan D. Shipp’s D-Vine Spirituals Records catalog. Elizabeth was the flagship artist on the label and her early recordings are part of Bible & Tire’s ongoing D-Vine Spirituals reissue series including their latest compilations Sacred Soul: The D-Vine Spirituals Records Story Volume 1 and 2.

Shipp, an 83 year old producer, DJ and longtime manager of Elizabeth, didn’t miss the chance to be back in the studio with Elizabeth, egging her on. This 60 year old relationship has flourished as the recordings indicate. Once the album was thought to have been completed, Watson had one more trick up his sleeve. He enlisted Mississippi rhythm & blues shaman Jimbo Mathus (Squirrel Nut Zippers, Buddy Guy, Andrew Bird) to produce one more cut for the record.

I Got A Love shows a different side of King. A more raw and vibrant side. The songs have more energy, more stamina and drive harder than her previous release without compromising the integrity of King’s glorious voice and personality. It’s as if Elizabeth was just getting warmed up with her 2021 album Living In the Last Days and now the stage is set with this new offering.

The true concept of sacred soul can be found in earnest on tracks like “I Need The Lord” and “My Robe,” which find King and company weaving that historic Memphis Soul Sound within the gospel framework, always keen on delivering the sacred message. The real gem however, can be found within the two and a half minute acapella performance of “Give Me Wings.”

King, accompanied by her daughters in the round sing the words “As I go from door to door, loved ones gone, I won’t see ‘em down here no more. That makes me feel like flying away, to be at rest.” Elizabeth’s delivery is personal. Not only does she sing for the love and loss of her late husband years ago, but for all of the many who have gone on before her. I Got a Love is a testament to the many years Elizabeth has spent honing her craft and patiently waiting for her moment.

Folk All Y’all presents Lilli Lewis

Doors open at 7pm | Show begins at 7:30pm
Tickets: $20+

Purchase tickets here

Lilli Lewis has composed in every tradition that inspires her, including soul, Americana, hip hop, classical, folk, jazz, rock, gospel, blues, soul and R&B. She integrated elements of New Orleans funk while co-writing and co-producing “Mask Up” in the summer of 2020. After carving out space for herself as an African-American lesbian of size, Lewis has lent her voice to the inclusion and equity in the music industry by speaking in conferences and seminars for Americana Music Association and Folk Alliance International in her role as VP & Head of A&R at Louisiana Red Hot Records. And she’s further sharing her message in the music of her eagerly awaited “Americana” album, following 2019’s critically acclaimed “We Belong.” In all things, Lewis does her best to live by the creed she and her ensemble have become known for: Practice Radical Decency. That’s a belief system we can get behind!

Minimum ticket price is $20 but you can name-your-own price above that if you’re feeling it. 100% of ticket revenue goes to our artists (you can see where any fees go in the check-out breakdown). Yep, all of it. Folk All Y’all is volunteer-run and subscriber-supported. Shows are presented in partnership with Crosstown Arts at The Green Room in Crosstown Concourse.

About Folk All Y’all: Intimate, attentive performances by exceptional singer-songwriters, proudly presented in Memphis, Folk All Y’all is a public listening room series dedicated to providing artists and audiences with unforgettable music experiences.

Lana J.

Doors open at 7pm | Show begins at 7:30pm
Tickets: $15 advance | $20 at the door

Purchase tickets here

From the Bluff and Blues of Memphis, Lana J. comes from a soulfully-sound city and creative culture. Her exposure and acceptance into the Stax Music Academy at the age of 13 allowed her to develop songwriting, live show, production, and recording knowledge at an early age. Along with the influence of R&B, Neo-Soul, Funk genres, Lana J. started singing in her hometown church and began studying music in choir in middle and high school. In high school, she was a member of an all-female a capella group “Key of She”, providing her with experience arranging, traveling, and performing. She recently graduated with a B.A. in Popular and Commercial Music at Loyola University New Orleans. In her freshman year of school, Lana J. had her first studio recording collaboration on “Rendezvous” by D-Bibbs ft. Lana J., an upbeat bop which spotlights a hypothetical date night from both perspectives with playful and catchy lyrics and melody. Later that year, she released her debut single “Warning”. Since then, she has been developing her debut project and recently released a single in April titled “Breathe”, introducing a soothing soulful self-care reminder that it is okay to take a moment in your day to reassure yourself and breathe because there is only one you. You can download the new Lana J. single on all streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music.

Apollo Mighty

Doors open at 7pm | Show begins at 7:30pm
Tickets: $15 advance | $20 at the door

Purchase tickets here

Apollo Mighty is an R&B/Soul artist based out of Chicago in the United States. Originally from Memphis, TN, from a young age Apollo had a strong passion for music.

“Music was the first thing that I gave myself that gave itself back to me. There was just always something about the marriage of melody and emotion that captivated me. I can still remember jingles from when I was 3 because they had meaning to me. Discovering ways to create that relationship between word, sound, and emotion has always challenged and excited me. So much that I study it and am able to experiment. Music gives me a place to feel safe and free and playful. Creating music feels like alignment to me. It lifts me.”

In 2020, Apollo released his EP project “Behavior” which amassed over 600,000+ streams across platforms. “Behavior” was well received and reviewed by both critics and fans. It was featured on multiple official Spotify playlists; including “Fresh Finds” and “Fresh Finds: The Wave”, Apple Music playlist “Future Hits”, Youtube Music’s “RELEASED” and Tidal’s “New Suggested Tracks” and “New Albums” for R&B/Soul. More features included; KISS FM, CS Magazine, Raynbow Affair Magazine, Sounds So Beautiful, Alfitude, Dynmk, IndieShuffle, h-wing, CaesarLivenLoud, Yellow & Black to name a few.

His previous releases “Solid Gold”, “Forbidden Fruit” and “Let Go” have amassed hundreds of thousands of streams on Spotify alone and have been featured on multiple official Spotify playlists such as “Fresh Finds” and “Fresh Finds: The Wave”.

Apollo has been performing live all over Chicago during the past two years, and was featured on the Chicago daytime show “Windy City LIVE” in 2019 where he performed “Solid Gold”. During the pandemic he did a virtual LIVE performance for AudioTree.

Apollo describes his sound as alternative R&B with soulful southern notes and tones.

May 2021, Apollo released his single a soulful, chill R&B/Pop track called ‘SMILE’. Listen here.

In 2021, Apollo released his mindfulness podcast ‘RIGHT NOW RIGHT HERE’. Apollo Mighty goes on a quest to find spiritual health through mental physical and emotional well-being. Apollo hopes to shed light on the struggles and success we all experience as people through the lens of creative minds, lifting the veil and demystifying the creative process and showing artists as people. Sharing of practices of mindfulness and wisdom. In each episode he chats with top creatives in the industry and connects on topics centred around growth, spirituality, and mindfulness. Listen here.

This year, Apollo released single “LMSY” featuring Kenny Flowers. Written about his own personal experience with love and relationships. This single will be the lead single from his ‘We built a rocket’ EP which is an analogy for working on a relationship and Apollo’s journey and experience. Learning how to love can feel like rocket science sometimes. It could blast into orbit just as much as it explodes before ever breaching the atmosphere. “We Built a Rocket” is Apollo’s most honest, personal and vulnerable music yet giving him the opportunity to be more honest than he has ever been in any of his other music. This will be released October 2022.

Kafé Kirk with Kirk Whalum & Maysa at Crosstown Theater

Crosstown Arts presents Kafe Kirk with Kirk Whalum and special guest Maysa.

 

Doors open at 5pm | Show begins at 6pm
Tickets: General Admission $45 (plus fees)

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE

KIRK WHALUM

Soulful, passionate, stirring…these are the words most often used to describe Kirk’s music. Forged from his Memphis, (TN) gospel roots and his 1980‘s initiation into the thriving Houston, TX nightclub scene, Kirk’s big, rich tenor sound is unmistakably his. The 80’s were highlighted by Kirk’s stepping out of his blossoming sideman role and forming his own band. It was there that Kirk ultimately developed both his “voice” and songwriting in the crucible of the local club scene––especially at a rooftop club called Cody’s. It was also in Houston where jazz pianist Bob James “discovered” him and brought him on tour, which led to five successful albums with Columbia Records, including Cache, Kirk’s first #1 album. As well, Kirk and Bob received a Grammy nomination for their collaboration album, Joined at the Hip. After moving to Los Angeles, Kirk became an in demand session player for top artists like, Barbara Streisand, Al Jarreau, Luther Vandross, Larry Carlton, Quincy Jones and most notably, Whitney Houston, amongst many others. It’s his sax heard on the mega-hit, “I Will Always Love You.” Kirk soon followed that career high point with his phenomenal hit album released on Warner Bros. Records, For You, perhaps the most successful of over 25 solo recordings to date; others include his eclectic, and much lauded, Gospel According to Jazz series, (Chapters 1, 2, 3 and 4). In addition to his many solo projects, Kirk was also a member of the popular soul/jazz group, BWB, which features Kirk as the “W” of the group with Rick Braun (trumpet) and Norman Brown (guitar).

An ordained minister, Kirk has earned a Masters of Art in Religion. It’s in this spirit that he serves his community in various ways when his touring schedule allows. There is also his daily fifteen minute podcast, Bible In Your Ear (BIYE), in which he invites you to listen along as he reads through the Bible in a year. In addition to music and ministry, Kirk has a passion to educate young, aspiring musicians and is currently engaged as a music professor at Visible Music College in his hometown of Memphis.

Kirk is the recipient of numerous awards and acknowledgements for his musical excellence including three Dove Award nominations, an NAACP Image Award nomination and has won two Stellar Awards- Gospel music’s highest honor. A twelve time Grammy nominee, Kirk won his first Grammy award (2011)for Best Gospel Song (“It’s What I Do”––featuring Lalah Hathaway) alongside life-long friend and gifted songwriter, Jerry Peters.

In a career spanning decades, Kirk has a sound that is uniquely his; it is a sound that leaves an indelible imprint on the listener.

MAYSA

Maysa is the kind of singer who takes hold of a song and enraptures her audience in the palm of her hands, as she delivers lyrics, phrases, melodies and harmonies in a way that only she can. Blessed with an instantly identifiable honey-toned mezzo-soprano and an undeniably brilliant and magnetic stage presence, Maysa’s alluring vocals, candor,honesty, humor and purity as an artist make her a rarity in this business. Having collaborated with everyone from Stevie Wonder to Incognito, Angela Bofill, Will Downing and Jonathan Butler, Phil Perry and more…Maysa can hang with the best. It is no wonder she was the recipient of many awards for her work, including Soul Train’s first Centric Award in 2009, and her first Grammy nomination for Best Traditional R&B Performance for her remake of Nancy Wilson’s “QUIET FIRE” in 2014.

The Baltimore native, who grew up in a loving household with amazing parents, is proudly the mom of one son, Jazz, who was born prematurely at 25 weeks while she was on tour with Incognito in 1999. Jazz is now in college studying Photography and Music Production.

In 2018, Maysa became the owner/founder of her own record label, BLUE VELVET SOUL RECORDS. The company has released 4 singles, YOU ARE NOT ALONE, IT’S GONNA BE ALRIGHT, LOVIN’ YOU IS EASY, and SOFT WORDS. To celebrate her first record printing , MAYSA designed a commemorative blue velvet box set with those 4 singles as an EP called THE FAB FIRST FOUR, in January of 2021.

Maysa will release her 14th solo studio album entitled, MUSIC FOR YOUR SOUL in the first quarter of 2022.

Anitra Jay & The Rebellion

General Admission: $5 in advance | $10 at the door
VIP Ticket: $15

Join Anitra Jay & The Rebellion for a night of not-so-ordinary live music. This full band show is a raw, nitty-gritty, soulful musical experience for the conscious rebel.

Also featured is the soulful, rugged sound of FredX and the visual art of Rodan Ross.