Sarah Jane Nelson at Rudy's Jazz Room

Born in Little Rock, Arkansas and raised in Monroe, Louisiana, Sarah Jane Nelson grew up surrounded by music. After she sang her first solo in “big” church at age 9, she was hooked. Nelson’s singing career has taken her all over the world with with a versatile voice that covers a wide range of styles including Rock, Jazz, Blues, Country, and Broadway. On this page you can listen to clips from each of Nelson’s three CD’s, read biographies on her background in each musical style. To listen to more clips and buy music, visit this page: http://sarahjanenelson.com/music/buy-music Thank you for supporting independent music! - See more at: http://sarahjanenelson.com/music#sthash.E3OTc8ee.dpuf BLUES BIOGRAPHY - Sarah Jane Nelson’s relationship with the blues is rooted in her upbringing in Monroe, Louisiana. “In junior high school I came across a boxed set of Robert Johnson music at the local record store. Eric Clapton, one of my favorites, endorsed the set saying Johnson was ‘the most important blues musician who has ever lived.’ Those recordings were like nothing I had ever heard, and I was drawn to the simple production that let the remarkably honest storytelling shine through. Suddenly I realized where all the popular rock and country music I loved had originated.” Years later, working in New York City as a professional actress, Nelson was cast in “It Ain’t Nothin’ But the Blues,” at the Prince Music Theater in Philadelphia. With a sold out extended run, that show, which chronicled the history of blues music, was Nelson’s first taste of singing the blues professionally. A year later, Nelson performed in an Off-Broadway production of “El Paso Blue,” a play with a blues score written by Michael “Hawkeye” Herman. When Sarah Jane and Hawkeye came together to rehearse the music, it was “love at first jam,” and they have been playing together ever since. “I adore Hawkeye as a person, an artist, and a collaborator. He sees something special in me, and that has been a great source of inspiration on my journey into blues. This music is where I’m from and where I live. I love the sound, the songs, the storytelling, and the unwavering strength that is at the core of all blues music.” “Wild Women Don’t Get the Blues” was inspired by Sunday afternoon blues jams at the home of Hawkeye Herman (www.hawkeyeherman.com). All tracks were recorded LIVE at Freeman Sound in Ashland, Oregon with no-frills production to capture the ambiance of a backporch jam and let the storytelling shine through. It also features harmonica with Big Irv Lubliner and Tom Freeman on percussion. - See more at: http://sarahjanenelson.com/music#sthash.E3OTc8ee.dpuf Official Website: Sarah Jane Nelson