LAVAY SMITH & HER RED HOT SKILLET LICKERS

BIO

Sultry chanteuse Lavay Smith evokes a sensuous era of glamorous Jazz divas and sexy pinups adding a modern, feminist twist. Whether singing her own compositions or drawing on a large repertoire of classics, Lavay and her all-star 8-piece band bake up an instant recipe for good times.

Lavay Smith’s 8-piece band features the finest musicians anywhere, consisting of four horns, piano, bass and drums. This is truly an all-star ensemble, Lavay’s musicians have performed and recorded with Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat “King” Cole, Frank Sinatra, Tito Puente, Lionel Hampton, Jay McShann, Johnny Otis, Wynton Marsalis, Big Joe Turner, Ray Charles, Big Mama Thornton, Taj Mahal, Little Esther Phillips to name a few.

The band first performed in 1989 and immediately began attracting crowds thanks to Lavay’s big, bluesy voice, exciting stage personality, and glamorous approach. According to Fox TV, the band has become “a San Francisco Institution”. In 1998, the reader’s of San Francisco’s two major newspapers, the Chronicle and the Examiner, voted Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers the “Best Band” in the annual reader’s poll.

Important publications have sung the praises of Lavay Smith and her band, including Jazz Times, Blues Revue, Jazziz, The New York Press, Living Blues, and the Alternative Press. Television and Radio appearances include “The News Hour with Jim Lehrer”, Fox TV’s “Fox Files”, and NPR’s “To the Best of Our Knowledge”. World famous celebrities have jumped on the Lavay Smith bandwagon as well. Johnny Otis says, “Lavay is wonderful! She and her band are a breath of fresh air.” Dan Aykroyd says of Lavay’s debut album “...this CD is guaranteed to make you feel better.” Even President Bill Clinton has seen the light, proclaiming, “I love this band – they’re great!”

Group Format: Octet