We’re really excited to host Bettye LaVette for a special listening party and an album signing for her new album LaVette! on Thursday, September 21st! Ms. LaVette be traveling to Nashville for AmericanaFest 2023, where she’ll serve as a Keynote Speaker at the conference.

Bettye LaVette is a legendary soul singer who started her career in 1962 at the age of 16. She has made records for such classic labels as Atlantic, Motown and Nashville-based Silver Fox. She recorded many sides at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and toured with the James Brown Revue. LaVette experienced a career resurgence in the 21st century, recording albums with the Drive-By Truckers, Joe Henry and others which led to multiple Grammy nominations and numerous awards from the Blues community. She was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2020.

Bettye’s new album LaVette!, released in July on Jay-Vee Records, is a tribute to Randall Bramblett, a singer-songwriter and musician whom Bettye has called “the best writer that I’ve heard in the last 30 years.” Bramblett was a member of Southern fusion group Sea Level and was a sideman with Bonnie Raitt, Gregg Allman and others. As a relatively under-appreciated songwriter, Bramblett’s tunes won’t be as familiar to listeners as others LaVette has covered, which allows Bettye to make them her own, much like her contemporary Aretha Franklin. Produced by Steve Jordan and featuring contributions from Steve Winwood, Jon Batiste, Charles Hodges, John Mayer, Pino Palladino, and Larry Campbell among others, LaVette! is Bettye’s loosest, funkiest and most daring album in years.

Bettye LaVette will join us on Thursday, September 21st, at 4:00 PM, to host a listening party for her new album. She’ll be joined by album producer Steve Jordan and will talk about her experiences making the record, then she will meet fans and sign vinyl and CDs. We hope you can join us for this special in-store event with the legendary Bettye LaVette!