Betsy Badwater
Betsy Badwater hammers down a stout distillation of rockabilly, country, blues, soul and high-lonesome. Betsy writes the songs, sings, plays guitar, and a tambourine-topped bass drum all at the same time. The Americana bandleader insists on organic instrumentation, guts-out-gospel vocalization, and rich, passionate, storytelling.
Betsy is the daughter of 5 generations of Primitive “Footwashin'” Baptist preachers, church founders, and singers. Like Ralph Stanley, Betsy learned, from infancy, to sing in the Appalachian High-Lonesome and shape-note ”song lining” singing style heard almost exclusively in Primitive Baptist churches. Betsy’s gigantic voice came out of a family of gigantic voices- when there’s no music in church, you have to sing “out.” The sound can be as frightening as it is beautiful.
In just the last 5 years, Betsy has recorded three 16-20 song albums: TALL TALES (2008), TALES of the WAYWARD (2009), and HOMETOWN MONEY (2013), which are available from all major online retailers and at live shows. Since 2005, Betsy has toured and performed on numerous music festivals across the south east annually, and has opened for many of her heroes. Betsy Badwater & The Hillbilly Chrome have performed as supporting act for David Allen Coe, Chris Thomas King, Reverend Peyton & The Big Damn Band, Rodney Atkins, Ray Benson & Asleep at the Wheel, Larry Mitchell Band, Buckwheat Zydeco, The Ten Foot Pole Cats, Ramblin’ Steve Gardner & Bill Steber, Miss Izzy Cox, and more. The sound of Betsy Badwater has been featured on NPR radio shows as well as commercial radio stations in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Texas, as well as featured on PBS television, CNN and Headline News.
Artist: Betsy Badwater
Contact Info:
Website: https://www.betsybadwater.com/