À propos
AFTER MORE THAN 25 STERLING YEARS AND GLOBAL RECORD SALES IN EXCESS OF 30 MILLION, she has proven that she has the heart and soul to keep her legion of fans compelled by her every creative move. At the center of Cyndi’s life is music. On September 21th, she will release her 11th studio album entitled Memphis Blues in Europe (naïve). With this collection of blues cover songs she is once again reinventing herself by putting her unique twist on one of music’s most beloved genre. Produced by Scott Bomar and mixed by longtime collaborator William Wittman, Memphis Blues features appearances by a veritable dream team of blues and soul greats, including harmonica master Charlie Musselwhite, vocalist Ann “I Can’t Stand the Rain” Peebles, brilliant Crescent City organist Allen Toussaint, and hotshot guitar heroes Jonny Lang and legend B.B.King. “This is the album I’ve wanted to make for years,” said Lauper. “All of these beautiful songs, and all of the great players on the album, were carefully chosen because I’ve admired them my entire life. And I knew from the moment Allen Toussaint hit the keys in ‘Shattered Dreams’ that we were creating something really special.” The feel of Memphis Blues is gritty and full of life. It bristles with the kind of energy that earmarked the hit singles invented on the fly at Stax Records, the historic and spiritual prototype for Electraphonic, where musicians of multiple generations work side-by-side creating soul-driven anthems for the brokenhearted, the unrequited, and the overlooked. Lauper, who traveled from New York to Memphis to set up camp at Electraphonic Recording Studio, assembled a team of crackerjack session players to cut the way she knew this record had to be done: live, analog, with Cyndi herself calling out arrangements on the studio floor. Memphis Blues session players include Stax veterans Lester Snell and Skip Pitts, and Hi Rhythm Section members Leroy Hodges and Howard Grimes, studio careerists who cut their teeth recording with the likes of Isaac Hayes and Al Green. Along with the punctuating blasts provided by trumpeter Marc Franklin, baritone saxophonist Kirk Smother, and tenor saxman Derrick Williams, they provided a steadfast foundation for Lauper’s impeccable vocals. Ranging from the harmonica blues ballad “Just Your Fool,” to “Don’t Cry No More,” originally a hit for Bobby “Blue” Bland, Cyndi starts with a slow burn and then pours on the gasoline, giving “Rollin’ And Tumblin’” an authentic hill country blues read and collaborating with the one and only B.B. King on the up-tempo Louis Jordan raver “Early in the Morning.” As demonstrated by her scorching, tell-it-like-it-is renderings of Memphis Slim’s “Mother Earth” and Lowell Fulsom’s “Shattered Dreams,” even Cyndi’s topical themes – which, on past albums, have addressed homophobia and racism – are stripped away as she focuses on the most basic problem to plague humankind: love, and the havoc wreaked because of it.
ABOUT CYNDI LAUPER
With her first album “She’s So Unusual”, Cyndi won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist and became the first female artist in history to have five top-10 singles from a debut album. Along the way, she has continually won accolades as a singer, musician, actress, and writer. She has been nominated for 13 Grammy Awards, 2 Emmy Awards, 2 American Music Awards, 7 American Video Awards and 18 MTV Awards. Cyndi has enjoyed a sparkling and colorful life that continues to expand to greater creative heights and global prestige. She is currently capturing her journey in literary form for an autobiography that will be released via Simon & Schuster. It will, no doubt, be another barraising milestone in a career that continues to leave the world craving more. “I still have so much to say and share,” she says. “I’m grateful for each and every day that I get to make music. As long as there’s a corner of the world where people want to hear me, I’ll be there… singing and acting and writing my heart out.” An unwavering advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender(LGBT) equality since the start of her career, Cyndi created the True Colors Tour in 2007. The Tour has brought together artists like Erasure, The B-52s, the Indigo Girls, Deborah Harry and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts for shows that successfully merge great music and public awareness about the issues facing the LGBT community. “It’s an honor to always have the genuine affection of the gay community,” Cyndi says. “They have never turned their back on me. I will never turn my back on them. We’ve had a long and enduring love affair.” Cyndi is also a tireless participant in the struggle to end the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Most recently, Cyndi has joined with Lady Gaga to be the spokespeople for the 2010 MAC Viva Glam Campaign and to educate woman about HIV/AIDS around the world. She also continues to participate in efforts and events for organizations like AMFAR, Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS and the Gay Men’s Health Crisis in order to speak out about the need for education and greater resources to fight this disease.
ABOUT CYNDI LAUPER
With her first album “She’s So Unusual”, Cyndi won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist and became the first female artist in history to have five top-10 singles from a debut album. Along the way, she has continually won accolades as a singer, musician, actress, and writer. She has been nominated for 13 Grammy Awards, 2 Emmy Awards, 2 American Music Awards, 7 American Video Awards and 18 MTV Awards. Cyndi has enjoyed a sparkling and colorful life that continues to expand to greater creative heights and global prestige. She is currently capturing her journey in literary form for an autobiography that will be released via Simon & Schuster. It will, no doubt, be another barraising milestone in a career that continues to leave the world craving more. “I still have so much to say and share,” she says. “I’m grateful for each and every day that I get to make music. As long as there’s a corner of the world where people want to hear me, I’ll be there… singing and acting and writing my heart out.” An unwavering advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender(LGBT) equality since the start of her career, Cyndi created the True Colors Tour in 2007. The Tour has brought together artists like Erasure, The B-52s, the Indigo Girls, Deborah Harry and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts for shows that successfully merge great music and public awareness about the issues facing the LGBT community. “It’s an honor to always have the genuine affection of the gay community,” Cyndi says. “They have never turned their back on me. I will never turn my back on them. We’ve had a long and enduring love affair.” Cyndi is also a tireless participant in the struggle to end the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Most recently, Cyndi has joined with Lady Gaga to be the spokespeople for the 2010 MAC Viva Glam Campaign and to educate woman about HIV/AIDS around the world. She also continues to participate in efforts and events for organizations like AMFAR, Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS and the Gay Men’s Health Crisis in order to speak out about the need for education and greater resources to fight this disease.
