Big Time Sarah

Born Sarah Streeter in Mississippi, she came to Chicago with her family in 1960 and began singing in church. By her early teens she had fallen for the blues. Sarah's earliest experience singing in Chicago blues clubs came with influential electric Chicago blues band The Aces, Magic Slim and Buddy Guy also encouraged her by giving her stage time. In the late 70's Sarah toured with famed jazz and blues pianist Sunnyland Slim and then pianist Erwin Helfer, through most of her performing was done in Chicago blues clubs such as B.L.U.E.S., Kingston Mines, and Buddy Mulligan's. Since 1993 Sarah have been recording with Chicago's, Delmark Records. Streeter's debut album Lay It on 'em Girls (1993), spotlights the band Streeter formed in 1989, the BTS Express. She covers three numbers by Willie Dixon, as well as material from Bill Withers, George Gershwin and Leonard Feather, and displays both a vibrant style and versatility. Followed by Blues in the Year One-D-One (1996), and A Million of You (2001), Sarah's powerful, commanding vocal style and the arrangements of bandleader/guitarist Rico McFarland translate into a disc as exciting as one of her live performances, or as close as one can get without being there. Also with John Hill, Roosevelt Purifoy, Bill Hargrove, and "Curfew" Scott. Highlights include the traditional "Train I Ride," and standards like "Red Dress" and "The Sky Is Crying," all with fine solos from her band, and near perfect singing from Sarah: modern electric blues at its sweaty, steamy best. Streeter received an W.C. Handy Award nominations, for Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year, in 2002 and 2003.She has played at the Chicago Blues Festival, 2002 and 2007, the Efes Pilsener Blues Festival, Moscow, Russia,in 2005, the legendary San Francisco Blues Festival, 2002, Monterey Jazz Festival, 2002 and Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival, 2001. In a live setting, a crowd pleaser is her Big Mama Thornton's "Hound Dog", "Hoochie Coochie Man", and her signature tune is "Meet Me With Your Black Drawers On," it's all part of the Big Time Sarah experience, one that no Chicago blues lover should miss. An example can be pursuited by the legendary recorded gig in Athens, 1983 labeled "Chicago Blues, Big Time Sarah live in Athens". Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.