"Men Are Like Street Cars"

txrad read a story in the Austin American-Statesman yesterday about Donna Hightower and asked me to search for her music online last night. We have a Rhapsody subscription but the only CD which appeared after a search of her name was this one -- a compilation called "Men Are Like Street Cars: Women Blues Singers 1928-1969."

She has lived in Austin since the early 1990s and plays a local jazz club. We'd like to check her out. She only has one song on the CD and she sounded very young -- unlike the 80-year-old woman she is today.

The Missouri-born singer, who signed her first recording contract with Decca in 1951, had made a pretty good living in Europe, where she went to sing for a week at a swank London jazz club in 1959 and stayed 31 years.

But God came to her one day in 1990, she said, and told her to move to Austin, a town she had never visited before.

"I didn't know it was supposed to be a music town or anything," Hightower said from the North Austin home she purchased on arrival. "Didn't really know anything 'bout Austin except that it was in Texas."



[...]

But that's changing as Hightower, who can still belt with the best of them, plays random gigs backed by the Marc Devine Trio and her protégé Denia Ridley. Hightower doesn't just delight audiences, she shreds them, jerks them to their feet, with a voice so pure and powerful that it's almost miraculous that she'll turn 80 Thursday.

Happy Birthday, Donna! Hope to see you soon. (She is playing a gig Thursday night!)

I could not help but notice one of my favorites, Big Mama Thornton has two songs on the same compilation CD so I had to play those. I had time for one more selection and I randomly picked Messin' Around With The Blues by Alberta Adams. I've never heard of Ms. Adams but you can bet, based on that song, I'm going to be doing more investigating tonight.

It's always such a thrill to discover a "new" artist -- new to me, at least. As I told txrad last night, I think I've found me another "girlfriend."

The one song I've heard moves me like Ella & Sarah. Unfortunately a search of Rhapsody reveals no CDs of her own works. I must have more.... and fast. Kona has a kraving.