Cris Williamson
"The first time I heard Cris' music, it was like hearing honey dripped on a cello... Cris has been a whole lot of women's heroes -- including mine." - Bonnie Raitt
Decades before women had any real access to the music industry, Cris Williamson was busy changing the face, and challenging the very structure, of popular music. In 1975, the twenty-something former school teacher recorded The Changer and the Changed,for her brainchild, Olivia Records, the first woman-owned woman-focused record company.
Her music and voice quickly became an essential part of the soundtrack of a movement, and was the cornerstone of what would become known as “women’s music,” music created, performed, and marketed specifically for and by women. Today, that recording, The Changer and the Changed, remains one of the best-selling independent releases of all time.
For Cris, the music became the vehicle for something larger. Her lyrics appear on a regular basis in books and thesis papers. Her albums are part of the curriculum for women's studies courses, and thousands of people who may not even know her name join their voices in "Song of the Soul" around campfires and places of worship. She is embraced by women. She is sampled in hip-hop. Her music is used by midwives welcoming life into the world, while hospice choirs sing her songs in tender sacred escort.
"She is often considered a treasure, passed hand-to-hand, person-to-person," says the Boston Phoenix, "Williamson is a heroic character whose tireless activism continues."
Today, with 32 full albums to her credit, Cris continues to tour the acoustic circuit adding new material at each juncture. Her performance career includes three sold-out shows at Carnegie Hall and the headlining of many of the great folk festivals, including Newport, Kerrville, Moab and Vancouver.'
Cris's new album, Motherland, produced by Julie Wolf, has just been released. Cris is currently touring the new material, teaching songwriting, working with choruses, enjoying collaboration, and lastly, preparing her newest selection of music for the month of February. Stay tuned!
Barbara Higbie
Berkeley’s Barbara Higbie is a master of piano and violin who combines technical brilliance with the pure joy of playing. Her unique compositions weave together elements of jazz, folk, and classical with the music of Ghana and Brazil. Oh, and she also sings like a dream. She has been nominated for a Grammy award, won Bammy awards, performed on more than 65 albums, including one with Santana, one with Linda Tillery and Laurie Lewis, and three with Montreux, the band she co-founded with Darol Anger. Her latest album, Scenes From Life, is an all-instrumental collection featuring 13 new originals, that Singout! calls “highly recommended” and critic Andrew Gilbert describes as “gorgeously cinematic.” In the words of the Los Angeles Times, Barbara is a “jolt of bright sunlight” – and everyone in the audience feels her warmth.
Teresa Trull
Teresa Trull is a vocal dynamo who sings with fearless intensity, as well as an accomplished producer of more than 30 albums. The San Francisco Chronicle has called her “absolutely magnificent,” and the Sunday Oregonian describes her in performance as “needle sharp.” She has shared the stage with such artists as Sheila E., David Sanborn, and Joan Baez, and recorded half a dozen albums, including wonderful collaborations with Cris Williamson and with Barbara Higbie.
Cris Williamson
"The first time I heard Cris' music, it was like hearing honey dripped on a cello... Cris has been a whole lot of women's heroes -- including mine." - Bonnie Raitt
Decades before women had any real access to the music industry, Cris Williamson was busy changing the face, and challenging the very structure, of popular music. In 1975, the twenty-something former school teacher recorded The Changer and the Changed,for her brainchild, Olivia Records, the first woman-owned woman-focused record company.
Her music and voice quickly became an essential part of the soundtrack of a movement, and was the cornerstone of what would become known as “women’s music,” music created, performed, and marketed specifically for and by women. Today, that recording, The Changer and the Changed, remains one of the best-selling independent releases of all time.
For Cris, the music became the vehicle for something larger. Her lyrics appear on a regular basis in books and thesis papers. Her albums are part of the curriculum for women's studies courses, and thousands of people who may not even know her name join their voices in "Song of the Soul" around campfires and places of worship. She is embraced by women. She is sampled in hip-hop. Her music is used by midwives welcoming life into the world, while hospice choirs sing her songs in tender sacred escort.
"She is often considered a treasure, passed hand-to-hand, person-to-person," says the Boston Phoenix, "Williamson is a heroic character whose tireless activism continues."
Today, with 32 full albums to her credit, Cris continues to tour the acoustic circuit adding new material at each juncture. Her performance career includes three sold-out shows at Carnegie Hall and the headlining of many of the great folk festivals, including Newport, Kerrville, Moab and Vancouver.'
Cris's new album, Motherland, produced by Julie Wolf, has just been released. Cris is currently touring the new material, teaching songwriting, working with choruses, enjoying collaboration, and lastly, preparing her newest selection of music for the month of February. Stay tuned!
Barbara Higbie
Berkeley’s Barbara Higbie is a master of piano and violin who combines technical brilliance with the pure joy of playing. Her unique compositions weave together elements of jazz, folk, and classical with the music of Ghana and Brazil. Oh, and she also sings like a dream. She has been nominated for a Grammy award, won Bammy awards, performed on more than 65 albums, including one with Santana, one with Linda Tillery and Laurie Lewis, and three with Montreux, the band she co-founded with Darol Anger. Her latest album, Scenes From Life, is an all-instrumental collection featuring 13 new originals, that Singout! calls “highly recommended” and critic Andrew Gilbert describes as “gorgeously cinematic.” In the words of the Los Angeles Times, Barbara is a “jolt of bright sunlight” – and everyone in the audience feels her warmth.
Teresa Trull
Teresa Trull is a vocal dynamo who sings with fearless intensity, as well as an accomplished producer of more than 30 albums. The San Francisco Chronicle has called her “absolutely magnificent,” and the Sunday Oregonian describes her in performance as “needle sharp.” She has shared the stage with such artists as Sheila E., David Sanborn, and Joan Baez, and recorded half a dozen albums, including wonderful collaborations with Cris Williamson and with Barbara Higbie.
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