I just found out that the great Phoebe Snow, who wrote the 1970’s hit, Poetry Man, will be performing at the 2008 BAM Rhythm & Blues Festival at MetroTech on July 17th. There are other great acts, too, including Richie Havens with Carl Franklin, the boy who played Bob Dylan in the film, I’m Not There.

Whoa,

Phoebe Snow released a nearly perfect self-titled album in 1974, which included the songs, Poetry Man, Harpo’s Blues, Either or Both, I Don’t Want the Night to End, San Francisco Bay Blues, No Show Tonight, Take Your Children Home and others. It is the quintessential great ’70’s album. A perfect effort right up there with Blue, The Roches, and Rickie Lee Jones, The Wild, the Innocent, The E-Street Shuffle, and so many others.

She gave birth to Valerie Rose, a severely brain-damaged daughter in 1975, which took up much of her energy and dedication. Her daughter died at the age of 31 in 2007. Read her eulogy on Snow’s website. Snow will be at MetroTech next week!

Thursdays at 12noon
Free!

This free outdoor summer concert series features an eclectic roster of legendary trailblazers and emerging musical visionaries. Past performers have included Maceo Parker, Los Lobos, Jimmy Cliff, The Wailers, Odetta, Salif Keita, Amadou and Mariam, and The Spinners.

–Leela James
Thu, Jul 10 at 12noon
The first song on Leela James’ debut album, A Change Is Gonna Come, reminisces about Aretha, Gladys, and Chaka. Conceived as a throwback to an earlier era of soul music, it builds upon the legacy of 1970s soul singers while incorporating elements of contemporary R&B, funk, and gospel. Her dance floor beats boast lyrical relevance and thematic range that challenge her audience to dance hard and think harder.

–Phoebe Snow
Thu, Jul 17 at 12noon
Renowned for her multi-range contralto and jazz-scat vocal gymnastics, singer Phoebe Snow was raised in a household where Delta blues, Broadway show tunes, Dixieland jazz, classical music, and folk were played religiously. Her debut album, Phoebe Snow, produced the top five hit single, “Poetry Man,” garnering Snow a Grammy nomination and establishing her as a formidable singer/songwriter. A tour with Paul Simon, a Rolling Stone cover, and legions of fans followed. A genuine legend, she remains one of the most distinctive voices in popular music.

–Alice Smith
Thu, Jul 24 at 12noon
Alice Smith’s luscious four-octave range astounds with its remarkable control, versatility, and emotion. Her nuance and fine sensitivity to rhythm has made her one of the most promising female singer/songwriters to hit the local NYC music scene in years. Circling from rock to blues to soul to neo-soul and on, Smith’s style defies genre, never settling fully into one before a new chord, a new phrase, or a new verse changes the feel completely.

–Meshell Ndegeocello
Thu, Jul 31 at 12noon
The innovative bassist, composer, and bandleader Meshell Ndegeocello was one of the first artists signed to Madonna’s Maverick label in the early 90s. Her 1993 debut, Plantation Lullabies, received three Grammy nominations, but it was a duet a year later with John Mellencamp on a cover of Van Morrison’s “Wild Night” that brought Ndegeocello universal acclaim. Today, she is among the most respected musicians in contemporary R&B, breaking musical barriers and crossing funk with jazz, psychedelic rock, rap, and world music.

–Richie Havens with special guest Marcus Carl Franklin
Thu, Aug 7 at 12noon
Born in Bed-Stuy, Richie Havens is gifted with one of the most recognizable voices in popular music—a fiery, poignant singing style that has remained ageless since he first emerged from the burgeoning Greenwich Village folk scene in the early 1960s. His blistering performance at Woodstock helped Havens reach a worldwide audience of millions, and for decades he has used music to convey messages of brotherhood and personal freedom. Joining him is teenage blues guitarist Marcus Carl Franklin, who portrayed a young Bob Dylan in the 2007 fictionalized biopic of Bob Dylan I’m Not There appearing in a telling scene with Havens.