Janiva Magness celebrates ‘Stronger’ at Fat Fish

Janiva Magness celebrates ‘Stronger’ at Fat Fish
March 15, 2012
Galesburg.com

GALESBURG —

Award-winning blues and soul vocalist Janiva Magness will celebrate the release of her new Alligator Records CD, “Stronger For It,” with a performance at Fat Fish Pub on March 25.

Over the course of her 35-year career, Los Angeles-based Magness has won renown as one of the blues world’s more thrilling song interpreters. “Stronger For It” (which came out this week) marks her debut as a songwriter. She delivers three powerful new tunes — “There It Is,” “I Won’t Cry” and “Whistling In The Dark.” For the rest of the recording, she brings her tough and subtle voice to songs by such diverse writers as Tom Waits, Matthew Sweet, Buddy and Julie Miller, Shelby Lynne, Grace Potter and Ray Wylie Hubbard.

The collection is a straight-from-the-soul statement, with songs of hurt and healing, a triumphant and moving shout-out of strength, tenacity and determination to move forward through hard times toward a better future.

The inner resiliency with which Magness infuses her music has been hard-earned. As a teen, she lost both her parents to suicide, battled drugs, lived on the streets and in and out of numerous foster homes, bore a child, and was rescued only by the love of a foster mother. Today she is in her sixth consecutive year as a spokeswoman for Casey Family Programs National Foster Care Month, and is an Ambassador for Foster Care Alumni of America, promoting National Foster Care Month.

She has honed her musical skills in the course of thousands of gigs and nine previous albums. Her talent has been recognized with her winning of four Blues Music Awards including the coveted “Entertainer Of The Year” (she is only the second woman to ever win this award, Koko Taylor being the first). This year, she’s nominated for Contemporary Blues Female Artist Of The Year, an award she’s won three times in the past.

The show begins at 6 p.m. with doors opening at 4 p.m. at Fat Fish, 158 N. Broad. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 at the door.

If You Go...

What: R&B vocalist Janiva Magness

When: 6 p.m. March 25, doors open at 4 p.m.

Where: Fat Fish Pub, 158 N. Broad St., Galesburg

Tickets: $20 in advance at the bar or online at www.fatfishpub.com or $25 at the door