Sista Monica

Sista Monica Parker, aka the “Lioness of the Blues,” is an award-winning blues, soul, and gospel singer, songwriter, producer, public speaker, director and minister of music. A captivating, dynamic performer, today she is one of the most admired women on the international music and festival scene. Sista Monica started singing as a young girl in the church choir in the Midwest between Chicago, Illinois, Gary, Indiana (her home town) and Detroit, Michigan. In 1992, she rediscovered her voice and became a professional singer, songwriter, and recording artist. She was discovered by the Monterey Bay Blues Festival in 1993. Mac McDonald, writer for the Monterey Herald, wrote: “She has the vocal power of Etta James, the Sass of Koko Taylor, the gospel roots of Mavis, and the fun-loving spirit of Katie Webster and Ruth Brown.” Sista and her eight-piece band have toured and performed around the world, to Spain, Italy, The Netherlands, Mexico, Turkey, Canada, France and all parts of the United States. She is the general manager of an Indie Record Label - Mo Muscle Records in Santa Cruz, CA. She has shared stages and billings with legends such as Gladys Knight, Al Green, Dr. John, The Neville Brothers, The Temptations, Koko Taylor, Betty Wright, Buddy Guy, BB King, Etta James, and Mavis Staples, among others. She sang at the 2000 Democratic National Convention for Al Gore and Bill Clinton. Sista Monica is the recipient of the “Artist of the Year Award” of the prestigious Monterey Bay Blues Festival, “The Silicon Valley Most Creative Women Artist Award," and The Gale Rich Award. She was nominated for the Best Blues Female Performer in the UK, and for the W.C. Handy “Best Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year” award. For more information, go to www.sistamonica.com. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.