Arlington, VA – Critically acclaimed soul artist and New York Blues Hall of Fame inductee, Brooklyn-native BETTE SMITH headlines The Columbia Pike Blues Festival on Saturday (1:00 – 8:30 pm) June 15th, 2024. Just weeks prior to Blues Fest, Bette unleashes her much anticipated third album, Goodthing (Kartel Music Group) with Grammy-winning UK producer Jimmy Hogarth. This year the Festival celebrates women in blues with a lineup of all-women-fronted bands offering a full array of blues, R&B, and funk performers of national and regional note that includes: three-time Blues Foundation Awardee Eden Brent; Mama Moon & the Rump Shakers; The Stacy Brooks Band; and The Honey Larks (Carly Harvey, Jenny Langer and Holly Montgomery). Bring your whole family to this free event covering three blocks at the intersection of South Walter Reed Drive and Columbia Pike in Arlington, VA.
Hailed as “Arlington’s best block party” (Arlington Magazine), the Festival draws thousands of blues fans to the Pike each year. Now in its 27th year, the event is presented by the Columbia Pike Partnership in collaboration with Arlington Arts.
“A major new voice in soul music… Brooklyn’s Bette Smith possesses a one-of-a-kind voice, deeply drenched in hot soul of the nearly incendiary Southern type. That voice could rock the biggest of stages and move mountains if it had to… Smith is the sort of artist that you’ll find yourself following her whole career.” – PopMatters
CELEBRATING WOMEN IN BLUES
Bette Smith – New York Blues Hall of Fame inductee Bette Smith returns with her 3rd studio album – ‘Goodthing’ – a triumphant injection of soul music and gospel into rock & roll. Produced by Grammy-winning producer Jimmy Hogarth (Amy Winehouse, James Bay, Paulo Nutini, Sia), the album showcases Bette Smith’s penchant for anthemic, feel-good Soul Rock carried by her signature raspy, soulful vocals inspired by legends Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin and Etta James. Tracing elements of her sound to her childhood in rough Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Bette connects the soul music she heard on the corners with the gospel music she heard in church and around the house every weekend – “My mother listened to nothing but gospel,” she recalls, citing Mahalia Jackson and Reverend James Cleveland as other influences. The album sees her sound scale new heights and builds on the accolades she received on 2017’s debut ‘Jetlagger’ and 2020’s ‘The Good, The Bad, and The Bette’, and her tremendous range and power combined with ‘Goodthing’s infectious energy, solidify her position as an authentic and dynamic rising soul artist, an iconic force in music.
“Bette Smith moved effortlessly across the stage wearing a tight holographic vinyl dress and five-inch-heeled thigh-high boots, strutting like Tina Turner.” – The New York Times
Eden Brent – Both on stage and in private life, three-time Blues Foundation Awardee Eden Brent is a modern-day piano-pounding, juke-joint hollering powerhouse of American music. A legendary performer and southern songwriter, she spent the first two decades of her career under the tutelage of Abie “Boogaloo” Ames, before winning the Blues Foundation’s Blues Challenge and bouncing onto the international scene. Since then, she has earned steady honors, three Blues Music Awards among them. Her new album Getaway Blues presents nine original songs recorded in London with a four-piece band and will be officially released on 6/21/24. Laid down in London. Mixed up in Memphis. Made in Mississippi.
Mama Moon & The Rump Shakers – Infusing a distinctive creativity into the blues genre, this dynamic six-piece blues fusion ensemble honors its soulful roots while crafting a unique musical identity. At the helm is Mama Moon, renowned as DC’s Goddess of the Blues. The band claimed the title of 2022 DC Blues Society Battle of the Band Champions and secured a spot in the semi-finals of the prestigious 2023 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN. Currently in the throes of crafting their debut EP, the band is deeply immersed in the rich tapestry of Washington, DC’s lively music scene.
The Stacy Brooks Band – Winner of the DC Blues Battle of the Bands, The Stacy Brooks Band has competed in the 30th Annual International Blues Challenge in Memphis (2014) and the International Blues Challenge in Memphis (2012). She has been nominated multiple times for the Best Female Blues Vocalist by the Washington Area Music Association. Brooks has shared the stage with numerous greats, including: Buddy Guy (opening for him at his Chicago club), Bobby Parker, Eddie Shaw, and Sugar Blue.
The Honey Larks – Featuring Carly Harvey (DC’s Queen of the Blues), Jenny Langer (Blues Hall of Fame), and Holly Montgomery (Blue Elan Records). In 2020, despite the pandemic that took away live concert experiences, three best friends came together to share their love of blues music. What was intended to be a fun, one-off show turned into a female super-group with fans requesting more.
Celebrating Women In Blues, the 27th Annual Columbia Pike Blues Festival represents a decades-long collaboration between the Columbia Pike Partnership and Arlington Cultural Affairs, a Division of Arlington Economic Development that delivers public activities and programs as Arlington Arts.
