Photo by Frank Stewart
Renowned vocalists Catherine Russell, Brianna Thomas and Charenee Wade will resurrect music of the 1920s through the royal spirits of the Empress (Bessie Smith), the Queen (Mamie Smith) and the Mother of the Blues (Ma Rainey), as well as entertainment icon Ethel Waters. Russell, a native New Yorker, is the daughter of Louis Armstrong’s musical director and Carline Ray, a pioneering musician in her own right. Thomas is also a band leader whose range has been compared to Sarah Vaughan, while Brooklyn-born Wade includes among her influences both Sarah Vaughan and Betty Carter.
The April 8 program at the University of Richmond’s Modlin Center for the Arts begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 to $25.
