Acclaimed
Houston Blues Singer Trudy Lynn Signs with Piedmont Talent for Booking
Representation
Trudy Lynn Just
Nominated for a Blues Music Award in Traditional Blues Female Category
HOUSTON, TX – Connor Ray Music artist Trudy Lynn, whose
latest CD is drawing rave reviews and substantial radio airplay for I’ll
Sing the Blues for You, has been signed by Piedmont Talent for booking
representation. Trudy was also just announced as a nominee for the Koko Taylor
Award (Traditional Blues Female) by the Blues Foundation in Memphis for the
upcoming Blues Music Awards in May.
“Piedmont
Talent is honored to add Blues/Soul legend Trudy Lynn to our roster,” said
Piedmont Talent CEO Jay Stollman in making the announcement. “Trudy’s profound
talent and acclaimed musical history clearly define her as the ‘real deal’....a
standout among the field of Blues vocalists, past and present. Simply put,
Trudy Lynn sings the Blues as the Blues deserves to be sung....with heart,
soul, passion and authenticity!”
The new CD from the acclaimed Houston-based blues singer
features 10 tracks dripping with blues, soul and R&B, and includes her
unique takes on songs from Big Mama Thornton, Lowell Fulsom, Memphis Minnie and
Johnny Copeland, among others, as well as the funky original, “Thru Chasin’
You,” destined to be a fan favorite. Backing Trudy on the new album are Steve
Krase on harmonica, David Carter on guitar, Terry Dry on bass, Randy Wall on
keyboards and Matt Johnson on drums.
“Choosing material for this album was quite an adventure,”
Trudy said about I’ll Sing the Blues for You. “In my musical
career, there are so many blues artists that I have been inspired by.”
In the new album’s liner notes, Trudy explained how its
title came about. “As I’ve said in a previous recording of mine, ‘Everybody’s
Got a Blues Song to Sing.’ One day my daughter gave me a gift of business
cards, and on the top of each card was, Trudy Lynn: I’ll Sing the Blues
for You! As I was looking at the cards, she said, ‘Mama, that’s what
you do. You sing the blues for everybody.’ During so many of my performances, a
fan will come up to me to say, ‘You were singing that song for me. That’s why I
came!’ I take these compliments as stars in my crown, like flowers in my
garden.”
I’ll Sing the Blues for You is Trudy Lynn’s 12th
solo album and her third release on the Connor Ray Music label, following up on
2014’s Royal Oaks Blues Café, which hit #1 on the Billboard
Blues Chart; and 2015’s Everything Comes with A Price, which
spent four months on the Living Blues Radio Chart. Trudy is also
a five-time Blues Music Award nominee and was inducted into the Houston Music
Hall of Fame in 2015.
Trudy Lynn was born Lee Audrey Nelms in Houston’s Fifth Ward, where she
began singing as a teenager. After high school, Lynn went to visit her aunt in
Lufkin, where a club called the Cinderella needed a singer. She decided Lee
Audrey Nelms wasn't going to cut it as a stage name. The club had a bunch of
cartoon character names painted on the wall and she noticed “Trudy,” which she
quickly paired with Lynn. “Lynn was something in those days,” she recalled.
“Gloria Lynne, Barbara Lynn. I thought, ‘I’m going to be one of those Lynns,
too, baby.’”
Prior to striking out on her own, Trudy was the vocalist for such Texas
greats as I.J. Gosey and Clarence Green, where Trudy spent five years as the
vocalist for his band. Green was a stern mentor, but Lynn credits him with
helping her become a professional. “He molded me well,” she says. “He's still
in me because of what he taught me. It takes that.” After leaving Green’s band,
Lynn began performing on her own. For years she struggled to get recorded in a
manner deserving of her talent, until 1989 when Trudy signed with John Abbey’s
famed Ichiban label and provided the opportunity for her to tour the world and
perform at the most prestigious festivals, including Lucerne and the Chicago
Blues Festival. While at Ichiban, producers had a strong hand in directing her
recordings. Since joining forces with harmonica wizard Steve Krase and the
Connor Ray Music label in 2014, Lynn has played curator for herself. She
has been writing original songs that blend nicely with the vintage
material. The songs are mostly about good times and bad men. “Each one of
these songs means something to me,” she states. “I truly understand something
about each one of them.”
