SAN FRANCISCO, May 12, 2008 — Stern Grove Festival’s 71st Season of admission-free concerts kicks off on Sunday, June 15 at 2:00 p.m. with Bay Area R&B icon Booker T. Jones and “The Great Lady of Soul” Bettye LaVette. The first of 10 summer concerts, this admission-free performance will take place in Sigmund Stern Grove located at 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard in San Francisco. 

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Booker T. Jones

Booker T. Jones is a legendary figure in the world of R&B and popular music, amassing an impressive string of hits as a solo artist and with the MG’s. At the age of 14, Jones was playing in Memphis clubs and, at age 16, he began working sessions at Stax Records. He formed the MG’s with guitarist Steve Cropper, bassist Lewie Steinberg, and the late Al Jackson Jr. on drums. During the 1960’s, the MG’s were the studio band for the Stax record label, backing acts like Otis Redding. In 1962, when Jones was a senior in high school, the group recorded “Green Onions,” which sold a million copies. As a staff musician at Stax Records, Jones also played on some of the most important records in the history of R&B music, including “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay,” and “Try A Little Tenderness.” In the 1970’s, Jones was a record producer in Los Angeles, working with Willie Nelson on three albums, including the multi-platinum Stardust. Jones produced and arranged other hits, including Rita Coolidge’s “Higher and Higher,” and Earl Klugh’s “Magic In Your Eyes.” Jones also played on albums by Bobby Darin, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Stephen Stills, Boz Scaggs, Soul Asylum, John Lee Hooker, Kris Kristofferson, and Barbara Streisand. In 1992, Booker T. & the MG’s were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The band received a Grammy for its single, “Cruisin’,” and was presented with the Rhythm and Blues Association’s Pioneer Award. Booker has received three BAMmie Awards for outstanding keyboardist in the Bay Area. He has scored films and contributed music to films such as Get Shorty, White Men Can’t Jump, and American Grafitti.

Bettye LaVette

Bettye LaVette is a veteran of the soul music scene, discovered at age 16 by Motor City music figure Johnnie Mae Matthews. LaVette struggled to breakthrough for decades until the 2000 release of a shelved LP recorded in the 1970’s heralded her arrival as “The Great Lady of Soul.” LaVette was born in Muskegon, Michigan in 1946, and grew up in Detroit surrounded by friends who would become stars at Motown and Atlantic. Her first single, “My Man – He’s a Loving Man” was a Top 10 R&B hit. For three decades after that, LaVette cut singles for a range of labels, but her first LP, Child of the Seventies, was shelved by Atlantic in 1972. LaVette finally released her first record, Tell Me a Lie, in 1982 on Motown. Although the album did not prove to be a chart-breaker, LaVette continued to sing and perform throughout the 1990’s. In 2000, French soul collector Gilles Petard learned of her shelved Atlantic recording and licensed it for release under the new title Souvenirs. The album brought renewed interest in LaVette, sending her back into the recording studio. In 2003, LaVette released A Woman Like Me on the Blues Express label, and won a prestigious WC Handy Award for “Comeback Blues Album of the Year.” Anti Records signed her on shortly afterwards, and LaVette released I’ve Got My Own Hell to Raise, a collection of covers by women artists, including Sinead O’Conner, Aimee Mann, and Fiona Apple. In 2007, LaVette released, The Scene of the Crime, recorded for Anti with Southern rock band Drive by Truckers.

Stern Grove Festival’s 71st Season is made possible with support from Season Sponsor Parkmerced. Additional support provided by Grants for the Arts/San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund, National Endowment for the Arts, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and media sponsor KPIX - CBS 5, KBCW - The CW 44 Cable 12, SFStation.com, and SF Weekly. Radio sponsor is KBLX.

ABOUT STERN GROVE FESTIVAL

Stern Grove Festival’s 71st Season of 10 admission-free concerts, runs every Sunday at 2:00 p.m. from June 15 through August 17, 2008 at Sigmund Stern Grove in San Francisco. Stern Grove Festival also provides outreach programs at each concert this season and on some weekdays at Stern Grove.

Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis and the concert meadow may be closed when capacity is reached. There is no public parking at Stern Grove and Festival patrons are encouraged to use public transportation to Stern Grove. MUNI metro lines K and M and MUNI bus lines 23 and 28 provide service to Stern Grove. Free shuttle service from the entrance at 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard into the Grove is provided to seniors and disabled patrons.