Biography
Christy Howard is a singer/songwriter whose diverse musical background in Gospel, Bluegrass, Country, Blues and Rock, combined with her smooth and sultry vocal style, gives her a unique sound. Her vocals sound like a blend of June Carter Cash and Bonnie Raitt. Onstage, Christy is Johnny Cash reincarnated as a woman. Her original music, co-written with husband-guitarist Jeff Howard, sounds like Buddy Guy meets Lynyrd Skynrd. Christy and Jeff often draw on their long careers in the seedy music business for their lyrics, which deal with cheating, mistreating, gambling, drinking, and other debauchery.
Christy Howard is originally from the small town of Clifton, Tennessee. Part Native American (Cherokee) and a child prodigy, Christy was singing and playing piano professionally by age 13. She spent most of her early career singing Gospel, Bluegrass and Country, and cites Dolly Parton and June Carter Cash as major influences. After relocating to Detroit, Michigan she was influenced by female Rock and Blues singers such as Etta James, Bonnie Raitt and Stevie Nicks. Christy burst onto the Detroit Blues scene in 2005, a few years after marrying Jeff Howard, who was lead guitarist and bandleader for the late Butler Twins (JSP and Cannonball Records). Christy and Jeff released their debut CD (PARTY GIRL) with nine originals in 2006. They won the Detroit Blues Challenge as an acoustic duo and released their second CD (DEEP IN BLUES COUNTRY), containing all originals, on the No Cover label in 2007. On her latest CD, I CROSSED THE TRACKS (No Cover Records, 2008), containing 13 original songs, Christy unites with Chicago Bluesman, guitar virtuoso Jim Kahr (Junior Wells, Jimmy Rogers, Bobby “Blue” Bland, John Lee Hooker), and Rock guitar pioneer Billy Davis (Hank Ballard & The Midnighters), for some rowdy, foot-stomping Chicago-Style Blues and Blues-Rock you won’t soon forget!
Christy’s objective for 2010 is to tour and promote her I Crossed The Tracks CD extensively in the U.S. and abroad.
Performance Highlights
2006 Kalamazoo Blues Festival, Kalamazoo, MI
2007 Anti-Freeze Blues Festival, Ferndale, MI
2007 International Blues Challenge, Memphis, TN
2008 Detroit Winterblast, Detroit, MI
2008 Detroit Hoe Down, Detroit, MI
2008 Detroit River Days, Detroit, MI
2008 Stars and Stripes Festival, Mt. Clemens, MI
2008 Alpena Blues Festival, Alpena, MI
2008 Ionia State Fair, Ionia, MI
2008 Heatstock, Fostoria, MI
2008 Arts, Beats and Eats, Pontiac, MI
2008 Muskegon Country Music Festival, Muskegon, MI
2009 Alpena Blues Festival, Alpena, MI
2009 Heatstock, Fostoria, MI
Radio Airplay:
WHFR, 89.3 FM; Dearborn, MI
WCSI, 88.1 FM; Flint, MI
WYCD, 99.5 FM, Detroit, MI
KTYD, 99.9 FM, Santa Barbara, CA
KJAZ, 88.1 FM, Long Beach, CA
KKFI, 90.1 FM, Kansas City, MO
Radio Aria, France
BishopFM, County Durham, England
Awards
Winner, 2006 Detroit Blues Challenge
Instrumentation
Christy Howard, lead vocals
Jim Kahr, Billy Davis or Jeff Grand, guitar & vocals
Jeff Howard, guitar & vocals
Pete Berg, drums
Darryl Lee, bass
Discography
PARTY GIRL (2006, Produced by Christy and Jeff Howard): Country-Rock, Traditional Country and Country-Blues; DEEP IN BLUES COUNTRY (2007, No Cover Productions): Chicago-style acoustic blues; I CROSSED THE TRACKS (2008, No Cover Productions): Blues-Rock and electric Country-Blues; LISTEN AT: cdbaby.com/cd/christyhoward; cdbaby.com/cd/christyhoward2;myspace.com/christyhowardband
Links
| http://www.ChristyHowardBand.net |
| MySpace.com |