First up is the wonderful Elizabeth Cook. She has made over 400 appearances on the Grand Ole Opry since her debut on March 17, 2000, despite not being a member. Cook, "the daughter of a hillbilly singer married to a moonshiner who played his upright bass while in a prison band,” was "virtually unknown to the pop masses" before she made a debut appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman in June 2012.The New York Times called her "a sharp and surprising country singer" and an "idiosyncratic traditionalist.”
She was born the youngest of eleven children in a musical family and graduated from Georgia Southern University with a degree in accounting and computer informative systems in 1996, but we’re kinda happy she choose music. She’s also the host of Elizabeth Cook’s Apron Springs on Sirius XM. Elizabeth was here in 2010, OK let’s go. From the vault, here is Elizabeth Cook, live at The Linda.
Musically weaned on an old Philco radio, singer-songwriter Marty Wendell grew up whetting an appetite for rockabilly, folk, country and pop to blues and gospel. With Marty Wendell you get the real deal.
Influenced by Sun Records artists, Marty entered a church talent show where he sang in front of a live audience for the first time. Almost half a century later, Marty Wendell continues to enjoy performing for enthusiastic audiences. He has shared the stage with some of the greatest artists in early rock and country music to R&B and folk including T. Graham Brown, Carl Perkins, John Anderson, The Hager Twins, Maskman and the Agents’ Harmon Bethea, Arlo Gutherie, The Platters and Shirley Alston Reeves to name a few ... And Johnny Cash.
Marty Wendell is a Capital Region legend and played The Linda in 2014. Here, from the vault, Marty Wendell live at The Linda.
A troubadour, a singer/songwriter, a folky, and a storyteller -- all are fair labels for this artist, but they do not quite suffice. However, the tattoo of Woody Guthrie worn proudly on his arm is a good starting place from which to grasp Ellis Paul, for it is from the Woody Guthrie tradition that he hails, and Maine as well. Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, and James Taylor are also listed among his influences, and their spirits seem to occasionally grace his work. With an acoustic guitar in hand, he weaves intimate, provocative, and romantic tales of lives that were obviously witnessed by a most-talented voyeur. Based in Massachusetts, Paul has been called the quintessential Boston songwriter more than a few times and has garnered the recognition and awards to back up that claim, including a shelf full of Boston Music Awards. Since coming onto the scene in 1993 with his independent debut, Say Something, Paul hasn't slowed or weakened as a performer or a writer. Spending two-thirds of most years on the road has helped him perfect both crafts, with a lot of practice on-stage and a lot of people whose stories he retells in song. This concert comes from back in 2013, From the Vault, here is Ellis Paul live at The Linda.
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