Called a mountain gal at heart, San Franciscan bluegrass artist Kathy Kallick is bringing her critically acclaimed band to Red Deer on Friday.
Kallick, who’s been leading traditional West Coast bluegrass bands for more than 30 years, is performing at the Elks Lodge at the invitation of the Waskasoo Bluegrass Society.
The award-winning singer has become known for embracing eclectic musical styles while staying rooted in classic bluegrass.
This hybrid approach was used to great effect in the Kathy Kallick Band’s 2005 album, Warmer Kind of Blue, which features bluegrass tinged with blues, honky-tonk and even country gospel.
The infectious album stayed near the top of the bluegrass charts for nearly a year.
Kallick has been pushing the establishment’s envelope since 1975, when she co-founded with Laurie Lewis the Good Ol’ Persons.
The five-women internationally-known group combined contemporary sensibilities with a traditional foundation.
The unique and influential band was among the first to incorporate swing, Latin and Cajun music and other folk genres into bluegrass.
It was also considered trailblazing for featuring females as songwriters, lead players and singers.
Kallick has been passing milestones ever since, winning a Grammy Award and two International Bluegrass Music Awards for her part on the recording True Life Blues: The Songs of Bill Monroe.
She has produced albums and collaborated with other artists, including the Frank Wakefield Band, and had three tracks, including Call Me A Taxi and Walkin’ In My Shoes, linger near the top the bluegrass charts.
Kallick has performed on three high-profile Rounder collections of bluegrass song by women, and written and recorded award-winning music for children.
She has also taught singing, songwriting and guitar playing in the U.S. and England, and toured as a performer throughout North America, Europe and Japan.
The singer, who has 14 albums and 100 original songs under her belt, received a lifetime achievement award from the California Bluegrass Association.
The Waskasoo Bluegrass Society presents the Kathy Kallick Band at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at the Elks Lodge in Red Deer.
Tickets are $25 from the Red Deer Book Exchange, Parkland Mall service desk, 53rd Street Music, the Key Hole or by calling 403-347-1363 for more information.
lmichelin@www.reddeeradvocate.com