Bettye LaVette: Soul Survivor (aka My Bettye LaVette Concert Experiences)

A lot of people are unfamiliar with Bettye LaVette despite her 50 years in the music business.  She struggled for so long and it wasn't until the last 8 years or so she has started receiving the recognition she deserves.  There is no one quite like her and she is a survivor in a business where artists come and go.  Despite an uneven career full of highs and lows she kept recording & touring, getting her name out there and finally in the mid 2000's started getting more recognized for her body of work while still putting out new recordings.  She is an inspiration in never giving up and to always keep trying.

I thought I'd share my experiences seeing Bettye over the years... 

Back in the Summer of 2006 I was looking at a list of upcoming free concerts coming to Long's Park in Lancaster, PA and saw one of them was a soul singer named Bettye LaVette.  The name kind of rang a bell and I couldn't think why-then it dawned on me I had seen her named listed on Dollymania.net.  She had done a cover of Dolly Parton's "Little Sparrow" on her then new album "I've Got My Own Hell To Raise" and it was with this bit of knowledge I decided to go to the show and see what she was all about. 

June 4 was a cool, Summer evening and Ms. LaVette took the stage with the high energy Free song "The Stealer".  I was floored right away & became an instant fan.  For around an hour and a half she commanded the entire audience and had them in the palm of her hand.  She could have you up one minute and in near tears the next.  I had never seen an artist who could take any song from any genre, rework it and really get down to the heart and soul of the lyrics like she could.  After the show she was signing CDs and taking pictures.  I was broke so I couldn't get of her albums then and just had my Long's Park pamphlet which she graciously signed for me.  I told her I hadn't heard of her before, she blew me away and she has a new fan.  I had a cheap digital camera along and unfortunately couldn't get it to work to take a picture.  A few days later when I got paid I went out and brought "Let Me Down Easy-In Concert" and "I've Got My Own Hell To Raise"...then I went on to buy whatever albums I could find of hers. 

The next time I saw Bettye was March 17, 2007 at The Strathmore in Bethesda, MD, an absolutely beautiful concert hall not far from DC.   Bettye was fantastic and once again had the audience captivated.  When she did "Your Turn To Cry" I was near tears.  It's one of my all time favorite songs of hers and when she performs it live, it gets me every time.  After the show she came out and once again signed & took photos.  This time I was prepared-I had brought along all my CD covers and a better digital camera!  I went up to her and told her I enjoyed her show and asked for a picture.  Right away she said "You're the kid who's camera didn't work last time!"  I was thrilled she remembered and I said yea and she took two pictures with me just in case one didn't turn out.  She also took the time and personalized each of the album covers I brought along. 

Later in the year on October 31, Bettye was promoting her album "The Scene of the Crime" and it brought her to The Barns at Wolf Trap in Vienna, Virginia.  The venue was small and intimate and I was right near the stage. During her performance of "Before The Money Came (The Battle of Bettye LaVette)" when she got to the line "...I was singing R&B back in '62 before you were born and your momma too..." she pointed at me.  After the show I got yet another picture with her and she signed "The Scene of the Crime" album cover I brought along. 

2008 saw Bettye performing at the Kennedy Center Honors during a tribute for The Who which got her a lot of recognition, but her biggest audience was performing at President Obama's Inauguration concert with Jon Bon Jovi in January 2009.  In 2010, having released "Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook", Lavette  made an appearance at the 9:30 Club in DC on June 24.  It was a standing room only show and it was my first time seeing Bettye since 2007.  She was still in amazing form and delivered a great show.  This time though she didn't come out and sign afterward so I waited around the entrance for about an hour or so after the show ended and got to say hi to her, tell her what a great show she did and posed for a picture. 

That was the last time I had seen her until just a few weeks ago when she came to DC's The Howard Theater October 27 in support of her new album "Thankful n' Thoughtful".  She also has a very no holds barred memoir out entitled "A Woman Like Me" which is a fantastic read.  For those of you unfamiliar with Bettye, she tells you her story of all the struggles she's faced both professionally and in her personal life with straightforward honesty.  I didn't get to meet Bettye at this show, but  her tour manager took my book back to get signed and the photo of us from the 9:30 Club.  This was probably one of my favorite times seeing Bettye.  She gave 110% and the audience was so enthusiastic.  She received 4 or 5 standing ovations over the course of the show and you could tell she was very appreciative. 

So far I've seen Bettye five times and each time was a great, unique experience and I'm looking forward to the next.