The Haliburton County Folk Society is presenting Christina Hutt and her five-piece band May 25 at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 129 in Haliburton for a tribute show, the Spirit of Patsy Cline.
Sue Shikaze, the Folk Society’s artistic director, says, “we are so excited to be bringing Christina back to Haliburton with a full band. This will be the inaugural presentation of this show and we couldn’t be happier that it’s happening here. Christina’s voice will truly invoke the spirit of Patsy Cline.”
Folk Society president, Walter Tose, added, the group is going country for this concert. “We like to present a variety of concerts to appeal to the broader community. It is great to see new faces at our events”
Christina Hutt is a big fan of Patsy Cline and brings the original era of her music to life. She says Cline is “one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century. Her headstone reads ‘Death cannot kill what never dies’. We are going to celebrate the music that still lives on since 1963. We will be engaging the audience with intimate reflections of lost love and those who have passed on, the haunting beauty that is the music of Patsy Cline,” she said.
The band backing Hutt reflects the radio house bands of old, acting as musical hosts and ghosts of the past. Sean Cotton provides lead and background vocals, and guitar; with George Axon on second guitar; Brad Smith on piano; Mike Phillips on bass and background vocals; and Rich Brown on drums and background vocals. The concert will include classic instrumental songs of the era such as Rebel Rouser, Pipeline, and Apache offering a broader context to the music of Cline.
The Folk Society said Hutt can fill a room with her rich, resonant, out-of-this era voice and move you with her honest, charismatic delivery. Once described as a full-bodied glass of red wine, her sound is reminiscent of the soul-stirring vocals you would have heard flowing from a transistor radio in the late 50s. You will understand why Hutt has been dubbed “the voice”.
Hutt lives in Kearney, not far from her hometown of Sprucedale. She was drawn to music at the age of five when her parents bought her a wireless microphone and a Tina Turner album. She continues to be influenced by many artists, recognizing the soul in Etta James, Cline’s art of delivering a song, the poetry of Leonard Cohen, the warmth of Mary Chapin Carpenter, and the camaraderie of The Cowboy Junkies, to mention a few.
Tickets are available at haliburtonfolk.com
This show is presented by the Haliburton County Folk Society, a part of the Haliburton County Community Cooperative. For more information about the Coop see haliburtoncooperative.on.ca.
