Back momentarily from New Zealand where she now makes her home, Teresa Trull joins forces with Barbara Higbie and Cris Williamson for an evening of beloved old and new favorites. This trio of friends composed of gutsy blues/rock vocal dynamo and songwriter, Teresa Trull, Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist and singer, Barbara Higbie, and the iconic singer/songwriter Cris Williamson brings a mixture of new material and old favorites to the much-loved Birchmere – for a deep, rollicking musical return to Home. Without a doubt, the very real friendship binding these three musicians brings a powerful mixture guaranteed to delight, inspire, cheer and comfort. Don’t miss this one!
About Cris:
Decades before indie labels were the norm, and years before women had any real access to the industry, Cris Williamson was busy changing the face of popular music. In 1975, the twenty-something former schoolteacher 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 womens 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 31 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.
Criss new album, her 32nd, Motherland, produced by Julie Wolf, was released in November 2017. Cris is currently touring the new material, teaching songwriting, working with choruses, enjoying collaboration, and lastly, presenting a handful of Changer and the Changed Shows All-Star Anniversary Shows in select major cities. Stay tuned.
About Barbara:
A professional musician since age 17, Barbara has played everything from Traditional Jazz, Bluegrass and Irish to New Classical Music, Blues and African Pop. She is known for her ability to compose in a style that is both genre bending and accessible. A Grammy-nominated, Grammy award winning composer, pianist, fiddler, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Barbara Higbie has performed on more than 100 albums, including Carlos Santanas 2007 release. Her latest solo release, 2014s Scenes from Life was recorded for at Lucas Films Skywalker Sound.
As a solo artist, Barbaras first solo CD Signs of Life was named a Washington Post Top Ten of the Year. Four other solo releases, I Surrender, Variations on a Happy Ending and Alive in Berkeley and last years Scenes from Life followed to much critical acclaim. In 2011, Higbie was the first ever Artist in Residence at the prestigious west coast Jazz Club, Yoshis, where she created two new bands. Roots musics, Hills to Hollers with icons Linda Tillery and Laurie Lewis, and the exotic Cello Heaven with cellists Joan Jeanreneau of Kronos Quartet fame and new age star, Jami Sieber.
Higbie has 13 solo and group recordings to her name, as well as contributions to 10 compilations that have sold in the millions. She was the first female instrumentalist to compose and record for Windham Hill Records, 1982s Tideline, a duet project with violinist, Darol Anger. Tidelines unique sound became an instant classic, thanks in part to Higbies innovative and moving compositions. One of her pieces from Tideline, True Story, was downloaded on Pandora in 2014 more than 850,000 times.In June or 2015, Tideline was re-issued on Adventure Records. 1984 was an important year, when Higbie recorded, with Anger, Mike Marshall and Andy Narrell, Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival for Windham Hill Records, a landmark genre defining album. Her composition To Be became Montreuxs radio/VH-1 hit. She toured world-wide with Montreux until 1990.
In addition to her instrumental music, Higbie’s singer-songwriter work, 2 CDs with vocal dynamo, Teresa Trull, on Olivia Records and 2 solo CDs on Slowbaby Records have won her critical acclaim and a large, devoted nationwide following.
About Teresa:
Brought up in Durham, North Carolina, where she was steeped at an early age in blues, gospel, and rhythm & blues, Teresa Trull began her musical career singing gospel in churches, then served as the lead singer in a rock & roll band for several years before joining the East Coast nightclub circuit. Since the release of her first album, The Ways a Woman Can Be, in 1977, Trull’s gutsy rock & roll vocal style and her songwriting and record production talents have won the fiery-haired singer an ever-widening recognition. In particular Teresa’s collaboration with Barbara Higbie on their CD’s Unexpected and Playtime as well as her partnership with Cris Williamson on the CD Country Blessed have received wide critical acclaim. Other musicians with whom Trull has performed and recorded include Huey Lewis, Bonnie Hayes, David Sanborn, Andy Narell, Darol Anger, Mike Marshall, Alex DeGrassi, Joan Baez, Linda Tillery, Holly Near, the Topp Twins, Tami Neilson and Tracy Nelson. A songwriter of considerable note, Trull co-wrote two songs on the Whispers’ gold album Love for Love, including the title track, with Ray Obiedo, and her production talents were recognized by the New York Music Awards and featured in the industry standard Mix Magazine.
In 2011 Teresa moved to New Zealand to pursue her passion for horses and founded New Zealand Horse Help to help horses with their people problems. She has sung on stage at the Rugby World Cup and sung NZ’s national anthem in Maori and English for the World Cup Show Jumping Event.
Blessed with an endless supply of energy, Trull’s live performances have been said to combine the high power of Nona Hendryx with the irreverent wit of Bette Midler.
