Hear top blues for just $5

BLUES MAMA: American blues singer Ruth Wyand

Dare County blues singer Ruth Wyand is bringing her Mama Sings the Blues tour of New Zealand to the Tin Hut in Wairarapa.

Rod Lawrence, Cross Creek Blues Club publicity officer, said landing a repeat performance from Wyand was a coup for the club and while admission costs $40 apiece in other parts of the country, Wairarapa fans need pay only $5 each to see the show in Wairarapa.

"We are really fortunate to get her, but she has been before and enjoys playing at our club and jamming with some of the members," he said.

Mr Lawrence said Wyand will play at the Tin Hut from around 9pm on March 5 although the night starts at 7.15pm with club members playing.

According to a biography of Wyand, the singer songwriter has a "rootsy approach to songwriting" that embraces a broad range of genres from swing, ragtime, country, folk, and country blues to jazz.

"On this tour, you will hear her singing the songs of women blues artists from the early 1900s to the present day who have blazed the trail of blues, jazz and rock and roll including Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Memphis Minnie, Nina Simone, Billy Holiday and Bonnie Raitt."

Wyand, who earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Theory and Composition, also has an expansive vocal range.

Her vocal delivery has been described as "heartfelt without sounding desperate" and "her deft manipulation of the slide guitar" sets her apart from her contemporaries.

"Possessing a powerful voice and the ability to mix jazz runs with primal delta slide guitar has always been her forte."

Wyand has toured widely throughout the US, UK, New Zealand, Kuwait, Bermuda and France, performing at folk clubs and festivals and has won numerous awards for her songs and guitar playing.

She became the first woman ever to win the Gamble Rodgers Music Festival's Finger style Guitar Competition in St. Augustine, Florida, and placed first among soloists at the Appalachian Blues Festival in Charleston, West Virginia.

She has been invited to play at such high profile events as the Chet Atkins Guitar Festival in Nashville, and the Newport Guitar Festival. Wyand also is the recipient of the Artist-In-Residence grant to teach Blues to High School students. Admission to Mama Sings the Blues at the Tin Hut is $2 each for club members and $5 each for non-members.