“But you couldn’t hang there unless you were close with my family. Everybody worked in the same place, and you could run a bill to payday - and on payday, our house was packed. But it was just a place where you could go and get a drink and something to eat. “I joke that I was raised in an after-hours joint. My mother sold barbeque and chicken sandwiches…and pints and half-pints, too. “In 1946, if you wanted a drink after work, you couldn’t go to a bar if you were black – so they came to my house. “My folks worked together, and they sold corn liquor on the weekends,” she remembers. She called Motown home for the better part of 60 years before settling in West Orange, N.J., with hubby/manager Kevin Kiley more than a decade ago. 26, 1946, in Muskegon, Mich., and raised briefly in Pontiac before her family put down permanent roots in Detroit when she was three, she’s the daughter of hardworking parents, both of whom spent their lives working in plants that made parts and cars for General Motors. Through it all, though, there have been constant: She’s always remained true to herself and she’s never shy about expressing herself.īorn Betty Jo Haskins on Jan. Her life’s been full of so many highs and lows, in fact, in her view, she’s on her fifth career – something she chatted about with Blues Blast in an animated conversation recently. But any true music lover will agree: True success for her was lo-o-ong overdue! But consider this: Bettye charted her first hit on the R&B charts at age 16 in 1963 – four full years before Aretha Franklin hit the bigtime – and she spent years on the road in long-running musical Bubbling Brown Sugar, singing – and tap dancing! - opposite Cab Calloway, too.īettye LaVette has enjoyed some amazing accomplishments in her life. Sure, the Michigan native has been one of the brightest lights in the blues world for the past 20 years, filling her trophy case with Blues Music Awards and Grammy nominations. Take the case of the sensational Bettye LaVette as an example. It’s a mystery why, for some artists, it takes so long for success to arrive despite their unquestionably immense talent. The Blues Blast Music Awards honor contemporary Blues artists and their recordings.Īrtists with major labels and independent artists are eligible. We have four Blues reviews for you this week including new music from Born Healer, Mudslide Charley, The Gayle Harrod Band and Bishop Dwayne Mason & Friends. Marty Gunther has our feature interview with Bettye Lavette.
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