Saturday, July 9, 1994

Toni Price ~ 1994

This one's for Dr. Lucky...

Toni Price's first exposure to blues was through second-generation blueswoman Bonnie Raitt. After studying her recordings, Price began to study the recordings Raitt learned from, women blues singers like Sippie Wallace, Victoria Spivey and others.

She began singing in high school, but after graduating she sat in with country bands around Nashville, where she was for the most part born and raised, after moving from southern New Jersey.While living in Nashville, she listened to local blues radio programs on college stations there.

Price moved to Austin in 1989, and learned from Derek O' Brian and Cliff Antone.In her blues singing career, Toni Price cites vocalists Aretha Franklin, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Patsy Cline and Ray Charles as influences.

Critics have heaped praise on her gifted phrasing and delivery at her live shows and on her albums. In an interview in Austin, Price said she's never had the inspiration or desire to write songs, and figures she wasn't given that talent.

Price's albums on the Antone's/Discovery label include Swim Away (1993), Hey (1995) and Lowdown and Up (1999). Midnight Pumpkin appeared in summer 2001. Although she's relatively little-known outside of Austin's tight-knit blues community, she could be in line for a career on a par with Raitt's, if she's willing to do a lot more touring in the future. ~ by Richard Skelly for www.allmusic.com




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