NEW MEXICO – Get ready for a blues-folk explosion when musical soul mates Eric Bibb and Ruthie Foster share the stage in a double-bill concert at five New Mexico Venues.
“We’re really excited to bring these two top musicians to New Mexico in a twin-bill performance,” said NM Tech Performing Arts Series director Ronna Kalish.
“To top it off,” she added, “Ruthie Foster records on the Blue Corn Music label, owned by Denby Auble, a NM Tech (Socorro) graduate now living in Houston, and a member of the popular NM Tech alumni folk-rock-bluegrass band, The Vigilante Band.”
Both Bibb and Foster share wide acclaim in regional and national music circles, and have toured together before, including 2004’s theater trek across the United Kingdom.
These are two wonderful artists in a first-time to New Mexico, double-bill concert coordinated with the New Mexico Presenters Alliance. The tour starts in Las Cruces on Feb. 2 at the NMSU Music Recital Hall; moves to Socorro on Friday, Feb. 3 as part of PAS at Macey Center; then to Albuquerque's South Broadway Cultural Center on Saturday. Concerts in Clovis, Feb. 9 and Farmington, Feb. 11, follow. For a complete list and details see below.
Ruthie Foster’s songs are a hybrid of blues, gospel, roots and folk music rich with spirituality and emotion, and she sings them with a voice some critics compare with Ella Fitzgerald and Aretha Franklin.
Her voice is that of a woman reared on the sweet, soulful sounds of gospel and blues. Young Ruthie’s strongest influence was her mother, who told her to “Open your mouth and sing, girl.”
And she did, from earning a community college degree in commercial music, to touring for four years with the U.S. Navy Band, “Pride,” to signing a contract with Atlantic Records.
In 1993, Foster returned to Texas to care for her ailing mother, and began performing for the elderly people she met through her. These activities inspired a personal commitment to “give back to the community” that continues today.
Foster’s performance highlights include PBS’s syndicated Austin City Limits, and music festivals across the U.S., Canada and Europe. After-concert sales of her most recent CD on the Blue Corn label, “Runaway Soul,” have surprised both the singer and her distributor.
As the son of New York folk singer Leon Bibb, young Eric was exposed to a rich blend of the blues with elements of folk, country, gospel, and soul, and was afforded opportunities to meet performers such as Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan.
At one time, Bibb was a psychology major at Columbia University. Disillusioned with an Ivy League environment that had little to do with his own life, Bibb left for Paris, where a meeting with guitarist Mickey Baker focused his interest on blues guitar.
It was in Sweden where Bibb found a creative environment akin to Greenwich Village during the heyday of the folk revival. In time, settling in Stockholm, Bibb immersed himself in pre-war blues and continued to write and perform.
Bibb did return to New York for a five-year stay, but found that the camaraderie so strong in the 1960s folk community had virtually disappeared. He returned to Sweden, settling there permanently, and works as a music and voice teacher when not performing.
The musician has been recognized with a Grammy Nomination for “Shakin' a Tailfeather,” and four W.C. Handy nominations. His songs have aired on television shows in both the UK and US.
His most recent release, 2005’s “A Ship Called Love,” has drawn rave reviews and a Blues Foundation 2006 Blues Music Awards nomination for Acoustic Album of the Year. Bibb also is nominated for 2006 Acoustic Artist of the Year.
For more information on these two artists:
Ruthie Foster: www.ruthiefoster.com (http://www.ruthiefoster.com)
Eric Bibb: www.ericbibb.com (http://www.ericbibb.com)
The schedule with contact information is:
Las Cruces
Date: February 2, 2006
Time: 8:00 P.M.
Place: NMSU Music Recital Hall
Ticket Price: $12.50 General Public; $10.00 Students, Faculty, Staff
Where to Buy Tickets: Pan Am Ticket Office and all Ticketmaster Outlets
Phone: 505-646-1420
Email: bawelch@nmsu.edu
Web: http://panam.nmsu.edu/culturalseries0405.html
Socorro
Date: February 3, 2006
Time: 7:30 P.M.
Place: Macey Center, NM Tech Performing Arts Series
Ticket Price: $16/Adult; $14/Senior; $12/Youth; General Admission
Where to buy tickets: Call (505) 835-5688
Phone: (505) 835-5688
Email: pas@admin.nmt.edu
Web: www.nmtpas.org (http://www.nmtpas.org)
Albuquerque
Date: February 4, 2006
Time: 8:00 P.M.
Place: South Broadway Cultural Center, 1025 Broadway SE
Ticket Price: $5.50/Adult; $3/Children; All seats reserved
Where to buy tickets: AT SBCC Box Office
Phone: (505) 848-1320
Email: LUlibarri@cabq.gov
Web: www.cabq.gov/sbcc (http://www.cabq.gov/sbcc)
Clovis
Date: February 9, 2006
Time: 7:00 P.M.
Place: Lyceum Theater, 411 Main Street
Ticket Price: $15 General Admission; $10/Students, Seniors, Military
Where to buy tickets: At the door or Clovis Community College Cashier
Phone: (505) 769-4956
Farmington
Date: February 11, 2006
Time: 7:00 P.M.
Place: Henderson Fine Arts Center, San Juan College
Ticket Price: $12/Adult; $10/Student & Senior
Where to buy tickets: Call (505) 566-3430
“We’re really excited to bring these two top musicians to New Mexico in a twin-bill performance,” said NM Tech Performing Arts Series director Ronna Kalish.
“To top it off,” she added, “Ruthie Foster records on the Blue Corn Music label, owned by Denby Auble, a NM Tech (Socorro) graduate now living in Houston, and a member of the popular NM Tech alumni folk-rock-bluegrass band, The Vigilante Band.”
Both Bibb and Foster share wide acclaim in regional and national music circles, and have toured together before, including 2004’s theater trek across the United Kingdom.
These are two wonderful artists in a first-time to New Mexico, double-bill concert coordinated with the New Mexico Presenters Alliance. The tour starts in Las Cruces on Feb. 2 at the NMSU Music Recital Hall; moves to Socorro on Friday, Feb. 3 as part of PAS at Macey Center; then to Albuquerque's South Broadway Cultural Center on Saturday. Concerts in Clovis, Feb. 9 and Farmington, Feb. 11, follow. For a complete list and details see below.
Ruthie Foster’s songs are a hybrid of blues, gospel, roots and folk music rich with spirituality and emotion, and she sings them with a voice some critics compare with Ella Fitzgerald and Aretha Franklin.
Her voice is that of a woman reared on the sweet, soulful sounds of gospel and blues. Young Ruthie’s strongest influence was her mother, who told her to “Open your mouth and sing, girl.”
And she did, from earning a community college degree in commercial music, to touring for four years with the U.S. Navy Band, “Pride,” to signing a contract with Atlantic Records.
In 1993, Foster returned to Texas to care for her ailing mother, and began performing for the elderly people she met through her. These activities inspired a personal commitment to “give back to the community” that continues today.
Foster’s performance highlights include PBS’s syndicated Austin City Limits, and music festivals across the U.S., Canada and Europe. After-concert sales of her most recent CD on the Blue Corn label, “Runaway Soul,” have surprised both the singer and her distributor.
As the son of New York folk singer Leon Bibb, young Eric was exposed to a rich blend of the blues with elements of folk, country, gospel, and soul, and was afforded opportunities to meet performers such as Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan.
At one time, Bibb was a psychology major at Columbia University. Disillusioned with an Ivy League environment that had little to do with his own life, Bibb left for Paris, where a meeting with guitarist Mickey Baker focused his interest on blues guitar.
It was in Sweden where Bibb found a creative environment akin to Greenwich Village during the heyday of the folk revival. In time, settling in Stockholm, Bibb immersed himself in pre-war blues and continued to write and perform.
Bibb did return to New York for a five-year stay, but found that the camaraderie so strong in the 1960s folk community had virtually disappeared. He returned to Sweden, settling there permanently, and works as a music and voice teacher when not performing.
The musician has been recognized with a Grammy Nomination for “Shakin' a Tailfeather,” and four W.C. Handy nominations. His songs have aired on television shows in both the UK and US.
His most recent release, 2005’s “A Ship Called Love,” has drawn rave reviews and a Blues Foundation 2006 Blues Music Awards nomination for Acoustic Album of the Year. Bibb also is nominated for 2006 Acoustic Artist of the Year.
For more information on these two artists:
Ruthie Foster: www.ruthiefoster.com (http://www.ruthiefoster.com)
Eric Bibb: www.ericbibb.com (http://www.ericbibb.com)
The schedule with contact information is:
Las Cruces
Date: February 2, 2006
Time: 8:00 P.M.
Place: NMSU Music Recital Hall
Ticket Price: $12.50 General Public; $10.00 Students, Faculty, Staff
Where to Buy Tickets: Pan Am Ticket Office and all Ticketmaster Outlets
Phone: 505-646-1420
Email: bawelch@nmsu.edu
Web: http://panam.nmsu.edu/culturalseries0405.html
Socorro
Date: February 3, 2006
Time: 7:30 P.M.
Place: Macey Center, NM Tech Performing Arts Series
Ticket Price: $16/Adult; $14/Senior; $12/Youth; General Admission
Where to buy tickets: Call (505) 835-5688
Phone: (505) 835-5688
Email: pas@admin.nmt.edu
Web: www.nmtpas.org (http://www.nmtpas.org)
Albuquerque
Date: February 4, 2006
Time: 8:00 P.M.
Place: South Broadway Cultural Center, 1025 Broadway SE
Ticket Price: $5.50/Adult; $3/Children; All seats reserved
Where to buy tickets: AT SBCC Box Office
Phone: (505) 848-1320
Email: LUlibarri@cabq.gov
Web: www.cabq.gov/sbcc (http://www.cabq.gov/sbcc)
Clovis
Date: February 9, 2006
Time: 7:00 P.M.
Place: Lyceum Theater, 411 Main Street
Ticket Price: $15 General Admission; $10/Students, Seniors, Military
Where to buy tickets: At the door or Clovis Community College Cashier
Phone: (505) 769-4956
Farmington
Date: February 11, 2006
Time: 7:00 P.M.
Place: Henderson Fine Arts Center, San Juan College
Ticket Price: $12/Adult; $10/Student & Senior
Where to buy tickets: Call (505) 566-3430