Connie Lush
Connie Lush
Connie Lush is now widely
recognised as one of the finest blues singers that the United Kingdom has ever
produced. That indisputable fact was formally acknowledged when she was voted as
Best UK Female Vocalist by the readers of Blues In Britain for five separate
years
earning her a richly
deserved place in the Gallery of the Greats. She is also becoming increasingly
recognised on the continent, particularly in France, where she was honoured in
the French Blues Trophies awards as European Singer of the Year for 2002. There
are no separate awards for male and female singers in the European category, so
Connie defeated all challengers.
Connie was a born performer,
beginning her singing career in church choirs from the age of five until she was
17 years of age. Her musical influences are wide ranging and include Ray
Charles, John Lee Hooker and Maria Callas. She also adores jazz, which is very
evident from her stage performances. In her early career, she recorded five
White Label discs and one album of garage and soul music in the 1980s. In
addition, she has provided the vocals for the theme music of several television
programmes and for British Handmade Films.
It is less commonly appreciated that Connie’s musical
talents go beyond her singing for which she is so rightly acclaimed. She is a
highly accomplished songwriter, which is confirmed by the many excellent,
self-penned songs that form the content of her live and recorded repertoire. She
has also written television theme music and has featured as a DJ on Jazz FM
radio.
Nevertheless, it is as a singer that Connie is best
known, and her singing career is hugely impressive. She began singing with Blues
Shouter in 1993, joining her husband, Terry Harris, who plays bass in the band,
and guitarist John Lewis. Current drummer, Carl Woodward, joined the band in
1997.
Building on considerable success in their native Liverpool, Connie and the band soon spread their wings further a field. They are now hugely popular throughout the United Kingdom, returning regularly to clubs and festivals by popular demand. They are also undertaking extensive tours and appearing at major festivals in Europe.
