Soul singer-songwriter Bettye LaVette is having the time of her life.
In one week, LaVette said she lost a Grammy, turned 70 and got a new recording contract. The audience gave her a thunderous round of applause during a recent concert when she poked fun at the loss and marveled at her success at this point in her life.
Few people know her story, and you’ve got to admire her resiliency when you hear about her up-and-down music career. LaVette had a hit, My Man – He’s a Lovin’ Man, at age16; bumped around recording studios throughout the country; charted a few single hits; sang backup for various artists; and recorded a full-length album, Child of the Seventies, which was never released.
Weaker women might have packed their suitcase and went home to Mama had they encountered so many setbacks, but LaVette never stopped singing. She performed overseas and found success on Broadway. In 2000, two new albums, including songs featured on Child of the Seventies, sparked a renewed interest in LaVette, and she began recording again a few years later.
In 2008, she performed a moving interpretation of Love Reign O’er Me at the Kennedy Center Honors tribute to The Who that brought Pete Townshend to tears. She sang a duet with Jon Bon Jovi at President Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration.
Now, LaVette is rightfully recognized as one of the industry’s finest vocalists and song interpreters. She has been primed for this phase of her career. You can hear the joy in her rich, smoky voice. Her music is a blend of soul, jazz, R&B, funk, country and gospel. She performs each song like it’s the show-stopping number that brings down the house in a Broadway musical.
Her latest album, Worthy, sums up what she should feel about her rise to stardom. LaVette is an inspiration for women who have dreams but might be afraid to pursue them because of their age, circumstances or whatever. Her talent, hard work and belief in herself paid off, and so can yours.
You go, girl!