Ann Rabson profile picture

Ann Rabson

Blues Woman

About Me

Ann Rabson was born in New York City and raised in the Midwest. She fell in love with the blues in 1949 when she heard Big Bill Broonzy on a live radio show.Ann has performed blues, mostly as a solo artist, since her first paying gig in 1962. In the mid-1980s Ann joined with two friends to form the popular group Saffire. In addition to appearing on eight Saffire albums and, as a side person, on many other albums, Ann has released three solo albums, "Music Makin' Mama," (1997) and "Struttin' My Stuff" (2000) and "In a Family Way" (2005) to enthusiastic critical acclaim.Music Makin' Mama was nominated for two W.C. Handy Awards (now known as the Blue Music Awards). Ann has been nominated as Traditional Female Blues Artist of the Year seven times and her composition "Elevator Man" was nominated for Song of the Year. In 2003 Ann Was inducted into the Boogie Woogie Hall of Fame.Ann maintains an active solo touring schedule in the U.S., Canada and overseas. In addition to playing in clubs, festivals, parties and concerts, Rabson has enjoyed corrupting the youth by performed blues shows for children in schools in New York state, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Iowa and in Canada in Ottawa, Ontario and Fredericton, NB.Ann has taught piano workshops for several blues societies, as well as at the Fur Peace Ranch in Ohio, the Augusta Heritage Center's Blues Week in West Virginia and the Centrum workshops in Port Townsend, Wash. She has conducted workshops in Blues songwriting and arranging at the Summer Acoustic Music Workshops (SAMW) in New Hampshire.SIGN UP FOR ANN'S MAILING LIST AT [email protected]

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 1/8/2007
Band Website: annrabson.com
Band Members: Ann Rabson: Guitar, Piano, Vocals, Kazoo and Whistle
Influences: Leroy Carr, Jimmy Yancey, Memphis Minnie, Bessie Smith, Lucielle Bogan, Pete Johnson, Little Richard, Big Bill Broonzy, Erwin Helfer, Huey "Piano" Smith, Pinetop Smith, Amos Milburn, Eddie Bo, Roosevelt Sykes, Fats Domino, Johnnie Johnson, Meade Lux Lewis, Ray Charles, Sister Rosetta Tharp, Charles Brown, Howard Armstrong, Ma Rainy, Tampa Red, Mary Lou Williams, Sunnyland Slim, Georgia Tom Dorsey, Whistling Alex Moore, Ruth Brown, Henry Butler, Maureen Del Grosso, Howlin' Wolf, Big Maceo, Sippie Wallace, Little Brother Montgomery, Brownie McGhee Etc...
Sounds Like: Blues and Boogie Woogie
Record Label: Alligator, MC, Emit Doog
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

ANN RABSON ENDURING HEALTH PROBLEMS

This message is from Ann's manager: Ann Rabson has had a stretch of bad luck beginning last fall, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. In early December, before she was able to have the neces...
Posted by Ann Rabson on Sun, 20 Apr 2008 01:46:00 PST

Join the Blues Foundation and vote for the Blues Music Awards

Here's a word from my manager.  Ann We are pleased to announce that Ann Rabson has been nominated as the 2008 Blues Music Awards Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year. She is especially ple...
Posted by Ann Rabson on Wed, 20 Feb 2008 07:10:00 PST

Learning blues piano

People ask me how to learn to play blues piano or how to improve their playing. Here are some of my thoughts on the subject.WORKSHOPSThere are many blues workshops around the country. I've taughtat f...
Posted by Ann Rabson on Wed, 29 Aug 2007 03:28:00 PST

Objects of Desire

An exhibit not to be missed.For those of you in the New York City area, here's something cool: September 14 is the opening of "Objects of Desire: The Visual Language of Musical Instruments," an exhib...
Posted by Ann Rabson on Tue, 28 Aug 2007 11:01:00 PST

Updating my e-mail list

Hello everyone.  I posted this as a bulletin thinking a few people would see it and even fewer would respond but, to my surprise I had quite a few requests so I decided to blog it in case anyone ...
Posted by Ann Rabson on Mon, 27 Aug 2007 06:06:00 PST

Thoughts on being a blueswoman

I am often asked how my career as a blues musician has been affected by the fact that I'm a woman. I wish I could give a simple answer. It's a really mixed and complex situation. I believe that being...
Posted by Ann Rabson on Thu, 15 Mar 2007 03:04:00 PST

A Natural Ball - A great night of blues

The Monroe County, Michigan, library system puts on fabulous FREE blues programs every February, and this is their 20th year at it. I always enjoy hearing and playing and singing the blues, but last ...
Posted by Ann Rabson on Tue, 27 Feb 2007 08:41:00 PST

SAD TIMES FOR THE BLUES

I just got the distressing news that the illustrious Chord on Blues in St. Charles, IL has closed its doors. This wasn't some poorly run, hole-in-the-wall, fly-by-night operation. This club was just...
Posted by Ann Rabson on Mon, 15 Jan 2007 04:13:00 PST

Ann's News

I got some wonderful holiday gifts this year, and one of my favorites isthe new Bob Margolin CD "In North Carolina."It's a great CD and it shows sides of Bob--both musical andtemperamental--that haven...
Posted by Ann Rabson on Sun, 14 Jan 2007 07:40:00 PST

MAKE IT YOURS!

I, personally, don't care to hear a performer/artist/musician copyanother note for note, any more then I want to see a visual artistcopy a picture by another visual artist.  I guess it's goodprac...
Posted by Ann Rabson on Thu, 11 Jan 2007 11:37:00 PST